A Round Table on “The History of the Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan” Held in the Petropavlovsk Diocese

July 25, 2025 – Petropavlovsk. A round table on the topic “The History of the Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan” was held in the assembly hall of the Orthodox Gymnasium of Saint Sergius of Radonezh.

The academic forum, held as part of the opening of the spiritual and cultural center named after Bishop Veniamin (Ivanov) of Petropavlovsk, was organized by the diocesan Department of Religious Education and Catechization.

The event, chaired by Archbishop Vladimir, brought together: the secretary of the diocesan administration Protopriest Sergiy Pervushin, the secretary of the Kostanay Diocese Hieromonk Gennady (Burdyuzha), deanery heads, rectors and clergy of local parishes, monastics, heads of diocesan departments, staff of the diocesan administration, students of the Almaty Orthodox Theological Seminary, teachers of the Orthodox Gymnasium of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, and parishioners of Petropavlovsk churches.

The conference opened with welcoming remarks from the ruling bishop of the Petropavlovsk Diocese, in which the archpastor emphasized the importance of revitalizing parish and diocesan efforts to preserve the Church’s historical heritage.

The round table featured the following presentations:

• “History of Orthodoxy in the City of Kostanay” by the secretary of the Kostanay Diocese Hieromonk Gennady (Burdyuzha)
• “The Life and Martyrdom of Bishop Veniamin (Ivanov) of Petropavlovsk” by the secretary of the Canonization Commission of the Metropolis of Kazakhstan Priest Mikhail Berezin
• “The Russian Orthodox Church During the Cholera Epidemic of 1830–1831” by Master of Theology P.O. Berezin
• “The Debate on the Authorship of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts in the Works of Russian Church Scholars of the Late 19th – Early 20th Centuries” by a third-year student of the Almaty Orthodox Theological Seminary

Following the presentations, the participants engaged in a discussion and had the opportunity to speak with the presenters.

By the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, Hieromonk Gennady (Burdyuzha) presented the Medal of Bishop Timon (Rusanov) – the first archpastor of the land of Kostanay – to the secretary of the Petropavlovsk Diocese, Protopriest Sergiy Pervushin.

Archbishop Vladimir summed up the results of the academic forum and expressed hope for continued fruitful cooperation.

The official part of the event concluded with a concert performed by the episcopal choir of the Petropavlovsk Diocese under the direction of A.A. Zatay.