May 8, 2025 – Almaty. On the eve of the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, together with clergy of the city’s churches, laid flowers at the Memorial of Glory in the Park of the 28 Panfilov Guardsmen.
Taking part in the solemn ceremony were: the vicars of the Astana Diocese – Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Chancellor of the Kazakhstan Metropolis; Bishop Klavdian of Taldykorgan; and Bishop Veniamin of Talgar; Dean of the churches of the Southern Capital and rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral, Protopriest Valery Zakharov; Spiritual Father of the Almaty Diocese, Archimandrite Ioann (Sazonov); heads of departments and commissions of the Metropolis in holy orders; deans of the church districts of the Almaty Diocese; rectors and clergy of the churches of the Southern Capital; staff of the Almaty Diocesan Administration; students of the Almaty Orthodox Theological Seminary; and parishioners of the churches of the Southern Capital.
Metropolitan Alexander and the clergy laid a wreath at the memorial on behalf of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan. The clergy chanted Paschal troparia. Prayers were offered “for the leaders and warriors who laid down their lives on the field of battle, for those who died from wounds and hunger, who perished in captivity and bitter labors, innocently tortured and slain, and for all who labored for the sake of Victory, and for all who perished in the time of war.”
Present at the ceremony were veterans of the Great Patriotic War and home front workers.
The commemoration of leaders and warriors, home front laborers, and victims of the Great Patriotic War, as well as memorial events and wreath-laying ceremonies at Victory monuments, will take place on May 8 and 9 in all dioceses of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan.
“I wholeheartedly congratulate you on this significant anniversary – the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory! This glorious jubilee is celebrated by people regardless of nationality or religious affiliation, age or political conviction. The Great Victory continues to unite the citizens of the independent states that once formed the great country which crushed the machine of man-hating Nazi ideology.
As we remember the Victory in the bloody struggle to save humanity from total enslavement, we offer prayers for the repose of all who fell in battle on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, who died from wounds and hunger, who perished in the blockade, and who were tortured and slain in captivity. By paying tribute to all who labored for the sake of Victory, we lay a solid foundation for our connection with future generations.
May the Great Victory – celebrated unfailingly in the radiant days of Pascha – serve as a mighty unifying force, a guiding reference point for us, who have not known the horrors of war and the hardships of the post-war era. May it teach us to preserve peace and harmony, and help us to live and labor for the benefit of our neighbors and for the good of our common Home – the blessed land of Kazakhstan.” – From the address of Metropolitan Alexander.
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