The Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos – The Patronal Feast of Kazakhstan’s Main Cathedral. The Celebrations in the Capital were Led by Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan

On August 28, 2024, the Great Feast of the Dormition of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary was celebrated. Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan performed the Divine Liturgy in the main cathedral of Kazakhstan, the Dormition Cathedral in Astana, which marks its patronal feast on this day.

The Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan was concelebrated by Archbishop Sebastian of Karaganda and Shakhtinsk, Archbishop Amphilochius of Ust-Kamenogorsk and Semipalatinsk, Archbishop Serapion of Kokshetau and Akmola, Vicar of the Astana Diocese Bishop Benjamin of Talgar, Dean of the Astana Church District Archimandrite Sergiy (Karamyshev), Rector of the Church of the Joy of All Who Sorrow Icon of the Mother of God, Protopriest Evgeniy Vorobyev, Rector of the Cosmas and Damian Church in Almaty, Protopriest Georgiy Chistyakov, Acting Rector of the Almaty Theological Seminary and Head of the Information Department of the Metropolitan District, Protopriest Evgeniy Ivanov, Senior Priest of the Dormition Cathedral Protopriest Dmitriy Baydek, Senior Priest of the Constantine and Helen Cathedral Protopriest Sergiy Kaliyev, Hieromonk Siluan (Sinegubov), Head of the Metropolitan's Personal Secretariat Hieromonk Prokhor (Yendovitsky), Senior Priest of the Kazan Cathedral in Almaty Priest Georgiy Rublinsky, Clergy of the Astana Deanery; Protodeacon Nikolay Grinkevich, Head of the Metropolitan's Protocol Service Protodeacon Roman Golovin, Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky, Deacon Ilya Davydov, Deacon Ioann Churkin, Deacon Mikhail Chumakov, Deacon Ioann Yanchuk, Deacon Ioann Zhuchkov.

At the start of the service, brought to the main cathedral of Kazakhstan for prayerful veneration and spiritual edification of the faithful were an exact copy, "measure for measure," of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God "Healer," and reliquaries with great Orthodox relics—a piece of the robe of the Queen of Heaven and a stone from the tomb of the Most Holy Theotokos.

During the reading of the hours, the Head of the Metropolitan District tonsured as reader Yaroslav Vokhmentsev, a second-year student at the Almaty Theological Seminary.

Among those praying at the Liturgy were Abbess Sebastian (Plotnikova) of the Monastery in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God "Seeker of the Lost" along with the sisters of the monastery; the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Georgia to Kazakhstan N.A. Laliashvili; activists of the Astana Orthodox Youth Movement, teachers, and students of the central Sunday school.

The hymns were sung by the cathedral choir under the direction of Olga Varentsova.

After the Eucharistic Canon, Metropolitan Alexander ordained Reader Yaroslav Vokhmentsev to the diaconate.

The homily following the communion verse was delivered by Protopriest Evgeniy Ivanov.

The Liturgy concluded with a glorification of the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God before the shroud adorned with flowers and grapevines, followed by a procession around the cathedral.

A Many Years was proclaimed to the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia; to the Head and Right Reverend Archpastors of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District; to the President of the country, K.-Zh.K. Tokayev; to the authorities, military, and all the people of Kazakhstan.

The Head of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District blessed the worshippers with the icon of the feast and sprinkled them with holy water, then warmly congratulated the archpastors, clergy, monastics, and laity on the "Theotokos Pascha" and the patronal feast, and addressed those gathered with a sermon.

"Today is a great church celebration, the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. 'The Mother of God, who never slumbers in her prayers and is an unchangeable hope in her intercession, was not restrained by the tomb and death,' – these joyful words of an ancient hymn resound today. This sacred event has been especially revered by the faithful since apostolic times, because it was on the day of the Dormition that the greatness of the Mother of God was fully revealed, her previously hidden, ineffable holiness, the beauty of her virtues, and the purity of her soul became visibly manifest before all people, surpassing even the highest angelic forces—the cherubim and seraphim. 'The Most Pure Virgin is exalted above all and everything,' says Saint Gregory Palamas in his word on this feast, 'She alone, standing between God and the human race, made God the Son of Man, and men the sons of God; She made the earth Heaven and deified the human race.'

Tradition has carefully preserved for us the details of the Dormition of the Theotokos. On the icon of the feast, we see its central moment—the Lord Jesus Christ descending in heavenly glory, surrounded by angelic hosts, to the funeral bier of His Mother, to receive her immortal soul. 'Truly, truly I say to you: whoever hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life and does not come into judgment but has passed from death to life' (John 5:24), we hear the words of the Savior. This Gospel promise was fully fulfilled in the Most Holy Theotokos—She passed through the immutable law of nature for humanity and rested in the tomb, but Her life did not cease; death lost any power over the Most Pure Virgin, becoming for Her the gateway to blessed eternity. That is why this feast is called the Dormition, and among the Orthodox people, it is called 'Theotokos Pascha.'

'To eternal and better life, Your death became a passage, O Pure One, carrying You, O Immaculate, from temporal life to truly divine and unchanging life,' we read the lines of the festal canon. Having left the earth, the Mother of the Lord ascended to Heaven to reign forever with Her Son and God. Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) writes: 'She reigns in heaven; She, as the Mother of the Heavenly King, has been declared the Queen of Heaven, the Queen of the holy angels, and the holy humans.'

We remember from the Gospel the words of the Savior, spoken before the Ascension to Heaven: 'I am with you always, even to the end of the age' (Matthew 28:20). The Lord only parted with His disciples visibly, and in all times He remains inseparably with His Church, with all who believe in Him, with each of us. In the same way, the Most Holy Theotokos, having moved to the paradisiacal abodes, having reigned over Heaven and earth, has not parted and has not distanced Herself from the Christian race. Moreover, the Mother of God has become closer to those who believe in Her maternal protection and invoke Her in prayers with hope. 'While You lived among people,' Saint Andrew of Crete addresses the Queen of Heaven, 'a small part of the earth had You; but since You left the earth—the whole world has You as a common intercession.'

The Mother of God herself testified to this truth, appearing in the radiance of heavenly glory on the third day after Her Dormition to the apostles gathered together for the evening meal. She said to the disciples of Christ: 'Rejoice! I am always with you!' To which the apostles exclaimed: 'Most Holy Theotokos, help us!'

Belief in the prayerful intercession of the Mother of God, in Her constant participation in the life of the Church, has always become a source of inspiration and comfort for Christians. There is no service where the Queen of Heaven is not invoked in prayers; there is no Orthodox home that is not sanctified by the presence of the holy icons of the Sovereign Lady. The most exalted hymns and touching prayers are composed in Her honor. What epithets are not applied to the name of the Mother of God: She is the Zealous Intercessor, the Joy of All Who Sorrow, the Unbreakable Wall, the Consolation and Comfort, the Heavenly Gatekeeper, the Softener of Evil Hearts, the Quencher of Sorrows.

Indeed, in the life of the Church, in the historical destinies of the Fatherland, in the lives of the holy servants of God, and in the life of every believer, one can see the saving power of the Most Holy Theotokos. Chosen from among all people, She became the Mother of the Savior and forever became a source of divine gifts for the whole universe. Saint Gregory the Theologian says: 'To each of the chosen ones, grace is given in part, to the Virgin—all the fullness of grace.'

As we celebrate and glorify the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, singing prayers and lighting candles, we must remember that our best praise to the Mother of God is to live according to the Gospel commandments. 'Whatever He says to you, do it' (John 2:5), said the Mother of the Savior at the wedding in Cana of Galilee, addressing the participants of the wedding feast. These words She addresses to each of us, calling us to listen to the Lord Jesus Christ and to fulfill His commandments. St. John of Damascus reminds us that the Mother of God 'grieves and is saddened by every evil, and rejoices in every virtue as if it were her own gift.' Being not only the Mother of Christ but also His faithful disciple, She expects us to hear the word of God and keep it (cf. Luke 11:28).

The Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos is the patronal day of the Dormition Cathedral in Nur-Sultan, the main cathedral of our country, blessed Kazakhstan, sanctified by the feats of the new martyrs and confessors. St. Nicholas, Metropolitan of Almaty, addressed the faithful on this day with the following call: 'Learn to praise the Queen of Heaven, and She, the Merciful, will not leave you without Her intercession in this life and at the hour of death.' Let us follow the testament of the apostles and hierarchs, the venerable and righteous, the ancient martyrs, and the new sufferers for Christ, and let us call upon the name of the Queen of Heaven, the Mother of God, and our Mother at all times and at every hour.

Let us pray before the holy shroud depicting the ever-vigilant Theotokos in her prayers, that the Queen of Heaven may sanctify our lives with divine grace, grant us the mercy of Her Son and our God, and make us worthy to see Her radiant countenance in the blessed Kingdom of the Heavenly Father."

— From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander.