October 6, 2024 – 15th Sunday after Pentecost, the Conception of the Honorable, Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, and the commemoration of Saint Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna, Enlightener of the Far East and North America.
Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Sophia Cathedral of the Iveron-Seraphim Monastery, under the arches of which the relics of Blessed Matrona of Moscow have resided since the evening of September 29. This great Orthodox relic is visiting Kazakhstan from September 28 to November 10 by the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.
Concelebrating with His Eminence were: Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Administrator of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan; Bishop Benjamin of Talgar, Vicar of the Diocese of Astana; Protopriest Valery Zakharov, Dean of the parishes of Almaty and Rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral; Protopriest Evgeny Vorobiev, Rector of the Church of the “Joy of All Who Sorrow” Icon of the Mother of God in Almaty; Archimandrite Ioann (Sazonov), spiritual father of the Almaty Diocese; Protopriest Valery Shavrin, Rector of the Epiphany Church; Protopriest Evgeny Ivanov, Acting Rector of the Almaty Orthodox Theological Seminary and Head of the Information and Publishing Department of the Metropolitan District; Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky), Personal Secretary to the Metropolitan; Priest Georgy Sidorov, Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Metropolitan; Priest Daniil Bobylev, Head of the Correspondence Department of the Almaty Orthodox Theological Seminary; Priest Kirill Konoplev, Deputy Head of the Information Department of the Metropolitan District; Priest Georgy Rublinsky, Dean of Kazan Cathedral in Almaty; Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich, Head of the Protocol Service of the Metropolitan; Protodeacon Roman Golovin, Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky, Hierodeacon Mitrofan (Ognev), Secretary of the Almaty Diocesan Administration, Deacon Andrei Plakhuta, and Deacon Ilya Vorobiev.
The liturgical hymns were sung by the choir of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, under the direction of the Honored Artist of Russia, member of the Patriarchal Council for Church Music Development, O.N. Ovchinnikov, and the choir of Sophia Church, under the direction of O. Usoltseva.
Praying at the service were: Abbess Lyubov (Yakushkina) of the Iveron-Seraphim Women’s Monastery, along with the sisters of the monastery; staff of the Almaty Diocesan Administration; parishioners of the churches of the Southern Capital, and numerous pilgrims.
After the communion hymn, Protopriest Evgeny Ivanov read the Address of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan on the occasion of the arrival of the relics of Blessed Matrona of Moscow in Kazakhstan.
At the conclusion of the Liturgy, a magnification (Slavoslovie) was sung to Blessed Matrona.
According to established tradition, at the tomb of the Elder-Saint Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov), the hierarchs, clergy, and faithful chanted “Eternal Memory.”
The Head of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District congratulated the hierarchs, clergy, and laity on the Sunday – a little Pascha – and delivered a word of instruction.
The security and order in the church and on the monastery grounds were maintained by the Cossacks of the Semirechye.
Following the service, veneration of the relics of Blessed Matrona continued in the Sophia Cathedral. Access to the holy relics is free from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM.
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