In the Southern capital of Kazakhstan, a festive concert by the children’s Central Sunday School was held on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of its founding

May 10, 2026. Alma-Ata. With the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, a festive concert organized by the teachers and students of the Central Sunday School took place in the throne hall of the Metropolitan District’s spiritual and cultural center named after Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov).

The event was held as part of the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the return of St. Nicholas Cathedral of the Southern capital to the Orthodox Church and the 35th anniversary of the founding of the Central Sunday School located at the church.

The honored guests of the concert included: Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan; Head of the Central Asian Metropolitan District, Metropolitan Vikenty of Tashkent and Uzbekistan; visiting archpastors – Bishop Irenei of Orsk and Gai (Orenburg Metropolia); Bishop Vikenty of Tara and Tyukalinsk (Omsk Metropolia); Archbishop Amphilochius of Ust-Kamenogorsk and Semipalatinsk; Bishop Ignatius of Aktobe and Kyzylorda; vicar of the Astana diocese Bishop Claudian of Taldykorgan; Bishop Chrysanthos of Chimkent and Turkestan; vicar of the Astana diocese Bishop Benjamin of Talgar; Bishop Vianor of Uralsk and Atyrau; abbess of the Iberian-Seraphim convent Abbess Lyubov (Yakushkina) with the sisters of the monastery; abbess of the Holy Trinity St. Nicholas Monastery in the city of Tashkent Abbess Ekaterina (Malgina); secretary of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan and Honored Artist of Russia O.N. Ovchinnikov.

Also present at the festive event were: dean of the churches of the Southern capital and rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral Archpriest Valery Zakharov; rector of the church dedicated to the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in the city of Alma-Ata Archpriest Eugene Vorobyov; rector of the St. Michael the Archangel Cathedral in the city of Uralsk Archimandrite Theodosius (Kuryanov); dean of the Astana church district Archimandrite Sergius (Karamyshev); Archimandrite Gerontius (Borisevich); rector of the Alma-Ata Theological Seminary, head of the Metropolitan District’s information and publishing department, Candidate of Theology Archpriest Eugene Ivanov; head of the culture department of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan and Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation L.E. Goricheva; director of the Central Sunday School G.V. Cherepanova; clergy and parishioners of the churches of the Southern capital.

Before the beginning of the concert, Metropolitan Alexander addressed those gathered with a Paschal greeting and congratulated everyone on the start of the celebrations of the significant anniversaries. “In these radiant Paschal days, when throughout the whole world and in many languages and tongues the triumphant exclamation ‘Christ is Risen!’ resounds, I am glad to greet all of you, dear archpastors, clergy, teachers and students of the Central Sunday School at St. Nicholas Cathedral in the city of Alma-Ata. Thirty-five years ago, with the blessing of Archbishop Alexy of Alma-Ata and Semipalatinsk (now Metropolitan of Tula and Efremov), through the zeal of Archpriest Valery Zakharov, rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral, and through the labors of the teaching staff headed by Galina Vasilievna Cherepanova, the first Sunday School in Alma-Ata began its activity under the prayerful protection of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and Hieroconfessor Nicholas, Metropolitan of Alma-Ata. With confidence one may say that over the years this place of spiritual upbringing for children and youth has become a significant educational and youth center of the diocese. The St. Nicholas Sunday School has acquired its own distinctive character – unique educational traditions have taken shape there, serious experience has been accumulated in working with children and young people of different age groups, and a united team of teachers devoted to their work has been formed. Celebrating the 35th anniversary of the school’s founding, it is fitting with kind hearts to note the many beneficial labors of Archpriest Valery Zakharov, the clergy, the teaching staff, benefactors and the parents’ community, and to express to all words of sincere and profound gratitude,” the metropolitan archpastor noted in particular in his address.

In her response, director of the Central Sunday School G.V. Cherepanova and the students thanked the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan for his care for the younger generation, after which the young pupils of the Sunday School presented the hierarch with a bouquet of flowers.

The concert program consisted of two thematic sections: the first was dedicated to the history of St. Nicholas Cathedral – the spiritual pearl of Semirechye – and to the New Martyrs of Kazakhstan; the second recounted the 35-year history of the Sunday School at St. Nicholas Church.

The students of the Central Sunday School performed the Paschal troparion in Russian and Greek, the exapostilarion to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the song “Lilies of the Valley” to verses by the ever-memorable Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov), as well as musical compositions dedicated to the jubilee dates.

At the conclusion of the event, a group photograph was taken.