The 5th International Scientific and Practical Conference “Timon Readings” Held in the Kostanay Diocese

August 10, 2026. Tobyl, Kostanay Region. With the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, the 5th International Scientific and Practical Conference “Timon Readings” was held at the spiritual and cultural center of the Kazan Church under the chairmanship of Bishop Claudian of Taldykorgan, Vicar of the Astana Diocese.

The event was dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the revival of parish life in the Kostanay region.

The presidium of the conference included: Bishop Claudian of Taldykorgan, Vicar of the Astana Diocese; Hieromonk Gennady (Burdyuzha), Acting Secretary of the Kostanay Diocese; Priest Andrei Krutin, Head of the Department for the Canonization of Saints; and Yu.I. Ivlev, Head of the public association “Russian Community of the Kostanay Region”.

The “Timon Readings” brought together clergy from the dioceses of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, representatives of the academic community of Kazakhstan and Russia, employees of the regional museum of local history and the regional library, public figures, and representatives of the media.

B.S. Bukeyev, Head of the Department for Religious Affairs of the Akimat of the Kostanay Region, attended the conference as an honored guest.

Opening the forum, Bishop Claudian congratulated those present on the beginning of the Readings, noting the historical and spiritual significance of the event. The hierarch then read out the address of the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan to the organizers and participants of the conference.

“His Grace Bishop Timon (Rusanov) – a pillar of faith and piety, a fighter against godlessness and schism, a fearless preacher of God’s truth and denouncer of unbelief – undoubtedly occupies an outstanding place among the archpastors of the Church of Christ in the twentieth century. He carried out his episcopal ministry during a time of severe trials. Exactly 101 years ago – on August 10, 1925 – his episcopal consecration took place, marking the beginning of the final period of Vladyka’s confessional ministry. Every year, the ‘Timon Readings’ bring together participants not only from the dioceses of Kazakhstan, but also from abroad – this is our contribution to preserving his memory and a tribute to his spiritual and educational labors. We are able to carry the light of the Gospel, build churches, and establish communities upon the good soil cultivated through the labors and prayers of our pious forebears, ascetics, martyrs, and confessors. This is why events such as today’s conference are so important: they bring the history of Orthodoxy to life in our memory and preserve it in tangible works – books, collections of reports, journals, and almanacs. This is our modest contribution to the upbringing of the younger generation of Orthodox Christians. In this we express our profound reverence for the sacred pages of the past, for our spiritual fathers, enlighteners, mentors, and ascetics. I wish the organizers and participants of the Timon Readings fruitful and successful work,” the address of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan stated, in particular.

B.S. Bukeyev, Head of the Department for Religious Affairs of the Akimat of the Kostanay Region, and Yu.I. Ivlev, Head of the public association “Russian Community of the Kostanay Region”, then addressed those gathered with words of greeting.

The following reports were presented:

• Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky), Head of the Metropolitan’s Secretariat – “Missionary Priest Feodor Damianovich Sokolov and the Orthodox Mission in the Turgai Region in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries”
• Hieromonk Joseph (Reutov), cleric of the St. Simeon Cathedral in Chelyabinsk – “Archpriest Vasily Rusanov: His Life and Pastoral Ministry”
• Priest Mikhail Berezin, Master of Theology, lecturer at the Almaty Orthodox Theological Seminary and cleric of the Petropavlovsk Diocese – “The Everyday Life of Parish Clergy in Soviet Kazakhstan in the 1920s–1940s: The Case of Archpriest Ignaty Onufrievich Kondratyuk”
• S.N. Vinichenko, historian and local historian – “The Tragedy of the Kazinsky Convent, 1896–1921”
• Priest Ioann Fedyai, Rector of the St. Alexander Nevsky Church in the village of Auliekol and Head of the Department for Social Ministry of the Kostanay Diocese – “The Establishment and Development of Parish Life at the Church of the Holy Righteous Alexander Nevsky in the Village of Auliekol”
• E.M. Shumskaya, Candidate of Historical Sciences and researcher at the State Historical Museum of the Southern Urals – “The Establishment and Areas of Activity of the Kyrgyz Mission in the Turgai and Ural Regions of the Orenburg Diocese in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries”

Following the presentations, the speakers answered questions from those present, after which Hieromonk Gennady (Burdyuzha) presented the speakers with certificates of participation in the academic forum.

At the conclusion of the event, Bishop Claudian thanked all those present for taking part in the traditional conference, which has now been held in Kostanay for five consecutive years. He also noted that a collection of articles and conference papers based on the results of the “Timon Readings” would be published in the near future.

Following the conclusion of the forum, those gathered were given a guided tour of the Church History Museum of the Kostanay Diocese.