The Head of the Metropolitan District conducted the All-Night Vigil with the Rite of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord at the Ascension Cathedral in Almaty.

On September 26, 2024, on the eve of the Great Feast of the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan led the All-Night Vigil at the Ascension Cathedral in Almaty.

Concelebrating with the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan were: the spiritual father of the Almaty Diocese, Archimandrite Ioann (Sazonov); the Keyholder of the Ascension Cathedral and Head of the Metropolitan District’s Department for Public Relations, Protopriest Alexander Suvorov; and clergy of the main church of the Southern Capital.

The hymns were performed by the choir of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan, directed by the Honored Artist of Russia O.N. Ovchinnikov, and the cathedral choir, led by N. Zubrevich.

According to the liturgical Typikon, during the Great Vespers, a lity (intensified prayer) was performed, with the blessing of bread, wine, wheat, and oil.

The main distinction of the Vigil for the Feast of the Exaltation from other services is the special veneration of the Life-Giving Cross of Christ, which is adorned with fresh flowers before the start of the Vigil and placed on the altar. According to the church Typikon, during this feast, the polyeleos, the singing of the magnification, and the reading of the Gospel take place in the holy altar.

At the conclusion of the Great Doxology, the Cross of the Lord was carried in procession inside the church to the singing of the Trisagion. Afterward, the archpastor performed the Rite of the Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross.

This majestic service, filled with profound spiritual meaning, is performed only once a year—on the eve of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord—and is led by hierarchs in cathedral churches.

In accordance with the rite, Metropolitan Alexander performed the Exaltation of the Cross five times, in each of the four directions: east, west, south, and north, and finally once more to the east, blessing the country, the city, and the people. For each exaltation, a special deacon's petition was proclaimed, and the choir responded with repeated singing of "Lord, have mercy!" According to ancient Jerusalem tradition, the exalted Cross was washed with rose water by the priests.

The Cross that Metropolitan Alexander exalted during the All-Night Vigil at the Ascension Cathedral is a gift to the archpastor from the ever-memorable Blessed Patriarch Diodoros of Jerusalem. It contains particles of the Life-Giving Wood of the Cross of the Lord, the Holy Sepulchre, and Golgotha.

The Rite of the Exaltation of the Cross traces its origin to the historical exaltation of the Precious Wood of the Cross of the Lord in Jerusalem. This occurred when Archbishop Macarius of Jerusalem raised the Cross, which had been discovered by Empress Helena, before a great multitude of people, so that all could see it. The people then venerated the Life-Giving Wood and prayed, "Lord, have mercy!"

During the singing of the stichera for the veneration of the Cross by the choir, the faithful venerated the Life-Giving Wood, after which they were anointed with holy oil, and each parishioner received a portion of the bread blessed at the lity.

In his address at the conclusion of the All-Night Vigil, Metropolitan Alexander offered spiritual instruction to the faithful, urging everyone to frequently reflect on the significance of venerating the Cross of the Lord for Orthodox Christians, calling it "the Altar of God's love."