The “XXII Almaty Orthodox Educational Readings in Memory of St. Sofony (Sokolsky), Archbishop of Turkestan and Enlightener of Semirechye,” were held in the southern capital

November 22, 2024, Almaty. With the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, the “XXII Almaty Orthodox Educational Readings in Memory of St. Sofony (Sokolsky), Archbishop of Turkestan and Enlightener of Semirechye,” took place in the throne hall of the spiritual, cultural, and administrative center of the Kazakhstan Metropolia named after Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov).

This spiritual and educational event of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan was held as part of the regional stage of the XXXIII International Christmas Educational Readings.

The topic of the academic forum was “80th Anniversary of the Great Victory: Memory and Spiritual Experience of Generations.”

The conference was organized by the Almaty Orthodox Theological Seminary.

The Sofony Readings, chaired by Bishop Klavdian of Taldykorgan, Vicar of the Astana Diocese, were attended by: Archimandrite Athanasius (Sokolov), Rector of the Minsk Theological Academy; Protopriest Valery Zakharov, Dean of Almaty parishes; Protopriest Yevgeny Vorobyov, Rector of the Almaty Church in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow”; Protopriest Yevgeny Bobylev, Head of the Education and Catechization Department of the Metropolia and Rector of the Intercession Parish; Protopriest Alexander Suvorov, Key Keeper of the Ascension Cathedral and Head of the Public Relations Department of the Metropolia; Protopriest Yevgeny Ivanov, Acting Rector of the Almaty Theological Seminary; Priest Pyotr Panov, Rector of the Orenburg Orthodox Theological Seminary; Hieromonk Agafangel (Budishin), Vice-Rector for External Affairs of the Minsk Theological Seminary; Priest Ioann Livinsky, Vice-Rector for Educational Work of the Almaty Orthodox Theological Seminary; Priest Pyotr Bakhtiyarov, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs of the Almaty Theological Seminary; Candidate of Philosophy A.P. Solovyov, Vice-Rector for Scientific Work of the Almaty Theological Seminary; Priest Alexander Danilov, Deputy Head of the Missionary Department of the Kazan Diocese and Lecturer at Kazan Federal University; Protopriest Alexander Gaychenya, Head of the Church-History Department; L.E. Goricheva, Head of the Conducting Department and Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation; Candidate of Theology V.P. Pashkov, Head of the Church-Practical Department; Anton Aleksandrovich Efimenko, Press Secretary of the Minsk Theological Seminary; Priest Alexander Shishlov, Head of the Seminary Office; Priest Daniil Bobylev, Head of the Correspondence Department of the Almaty Orthodox Theological Seminary; Priest Georgy Sidorov, Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Metropolia; Protodeacon Roman Golovin, Head of the Protocol Service of the Metropolitan; Candidate of Historical Sciences (Ph.D.) V.S. Oskolkov; clergy from the churches of the southern capital; members of the teaching staff and students of the seminary; educators and students of the theological and missionary faculty; teachers and students of Sunday schools in Almaty; historians and local historians.

Opening the plenary session, Bishop Klavdian of Taldykorgan, on behalf of the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, greeted the attendees.

Protopriest Yevgeny Ivanov congratulated the participants on the commencement of the conference, emphasizing the historical and spiritual significance of the event. The rector of the theological school presented a report by Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan titled, “The Spiritual Meaning of Preserving the Memory of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945.”

A special guest of the academic forum, Archimandrite Athanasius (Sokolov), Rector of the Minsk Theological Seminary, conveyed greetings to the participants of the Sofony Readings on behalf of the Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, Metropolitan Benjamin of Minsk and Zaslavl. Father Athanasius then delivered a report on “The Works of Archimandrite Sofony (Sokolsky) in the Mogilev Diocese in 1847–1848.”

Protopriest Pyotr Panov, Rector of the Orenburg Orthodox Theological Seminary, and Hieromonk Agafangel (Budishin), Vice-Rector for External Affairs of the Minsk Theological Seminary, addressed the participants with words of welcome.

Reports presented during the plenary session included the following:

“Interaction of the Orenburg Orthodox Theological Seminary with Muslim Religious Organizations” – Rector of the Orenburg Orthodox Theological Seminary, Priest Peter Panov;
“The Work of the Missionary Department of the Kazan Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church: Experience and Prospects” – Deputy Head of the Missionary Department of the Kazan Diocese and Lecturer at the Department of Religious Studies at Kazan Federal University, Priest Alexander Danilov;
“Features of the Development of State-Confessional Relations and Interreligious Dialogue in the Republic of Kazakhstan” – Lecturer in the Church-Practical Department and Seminary Lawyer, G.A. Zhevlyakov.

After a break, the conference resumed in three thematic sessions: “Theological and Church-Applied Research,” “History of Christianity,” and “Church Art.”

Session: Theological and Church-Applied Research (Moderator – Priest Oleg Lisin; Co-Moderator – Reader Vladislav Petrovich Pashkov)

“Weak Theology: How Can We Speak About God in the 21st Century?” – Head of the Theology Department, Candidate of Theology, Priest Oleg Lisin;
“A Brief Overview of the Preconditions and Causes for the Spread of the ‘Elderism’ Phenomenon in Russia at the Turn of the 20th and 21st Centuries” – Head of the Church-Practical Department at the APTS, Candidate of Theology, Reader Vladislav Petrovich Pashkov;
“Current Issues of Modern Preaching in the Information Space” – Press Secretary of the Minsk Theological Seminary, Anton Alexandrovich Efimenko;
“Homo Sapiens and Homo Salvandus: Towards Reconciling Biblical Narratives and Scientific Data” – Research Fellow and Lecturer at the Almaty Theological Seminary, Protopriest Alexander Suvorov;
“On the Liturgical Particularity of the Reading of the Hexapsalms During the Daily Matins” – Lecturer of the Church-Practical Department at APTS, Igumen Vladimir (Utegenov);
“A Brief Essay on the Formation of the Order of Vespers ‘From the Agape to the Studion Monastery’” – Lecturer of the Church-Practical Department at the Almaty Theological Seminary, Deacon Ioann Churkin;
“The Perspective of the Russian Orthodox Church on Artificial Intelligence” – Research Fellow at APTS, Deacon Rustik Yakupov;
“Features of the Development of State-Confessional Relations and Interreligious Dialogue in the Republic of Kazakhstan” – Lecturer in the Church-Practical Department and Seminary Lawyer, G.A. Zhevlyakov.

Session: History of Christianity (Moderator – Protopriest Alexander Gaichenya)

“Church-State Relations in Kazakhstan After the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945” – Acting Rector of the Almaty Theological Seminary, Protopriest Eugene Ivanov;
“Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov) – Intercessor and Peacemaker on the Kazakh See” – Head of the Church-Historical Department at APTS, Protopriest Alexander Gaichenya;
“Bishops at the Consecration of Saint Sofony (Sokolsky) as a Bishop: Teachers, Students, Fellow Countrymen, and Classmates” – Vice-Rector for Scientific Work at the Almaty Theological Seminary, Artem Pavlovich Solovyov;
“Attitude Towards Heretical Movements in the Byzantine Empire in the 6th Century According to Procopius of Caesarea” – Research Fellow at the Almaty Theological Seminary and Associate Professor at the Higher School of Humanities of the Caspian Public University, Vladimir Sergeyevich Oskolkov;
“Endowment Practices in the History of Churches in the City of Petropavlovsk During the Pre-Revolutionary Period” – Research Fellow at APTS, Priest Mikhail Berezin;
“Saint Sofony (Sokolsky), Archbishop of Turkestan, as a Preacher” – Lecturer and Secretary of the Church-Historical Department at the Almaty Theological Seminary, Priest Georgiy Sidorov;
“Features of the Maintenance of Clergy in Exile on the Territory of Modern Kazakhstan in the First Half of the 20th Century” – Lecturer of the Church-Historical Department at the Almaty Theological Seminary, Priest Kirill Freygang;
“Orthodox Enlightenment in the City of Verny From 1906 to 1917 (Based on Materials From the Turkestan Diocesan Gazette)” – Head of the Protocol Service for the Head of the Metropolitan District of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Republic of Kazakhstan, Protodeacon Roman Golovin.

Session: Church Art (Moderator – Larisa Yegorovna Goricheva)

“The Influence of Vocal and Performance Experience in Singing on the Formation of a Church Singing School” – Vocal Teacher at the Choir Directing Department of the Almaty Theological Seminary, Svetlana Zhaksylykovna Akhmetova;
“Early Iconography: The Development of Church Art” – Head of the Iconography Workshop “Malachite” and Lecturer at the Almaty Theological Seminary, Deacon Andrey Pleten;
Round Table on the Development, Study, and Teaching of Church Art (featuring lecturers from the Choir Directing Department of the Almaty Theological Seminary).

At the conclusion of the presentations, participants were awarded certificates from the XXII Almaty Orthodox Educational Readings in Memory of Saint Sofony (Sokolsky).

The event concluded with discussions of the presented reports and the summarization of the conference’s outcomes.

The forum was attended by over 100 participants.

Media coverage of the conference was provided by the Semirechye television studio (Director – Honored Worker of Culture, V.L. Posadneva; Cameraman – A. Schmidt); photography was conducted by A. Khalin from the Information Department.

On November 23, the conference will continue with a session on Orthodox Pedagogy in the Church Assembly Hall at St. Nicholas Cathedral in the southern capital. This session will be led by Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, the Chancellor of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan.