On March 27, 2025, fifteen years have passed since Metropolitan Alexander assumed the administration of the Metropolitan District of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Republic of Kazakhstan — the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan. The members of the Synod of the Metropolitan District extend their heartfelt congratulations to the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan on this memorable occasion:
Your Eminence, beloved Vladyka!
Fifteen years have passed since, on the feast day of one of the great sacred treasures of Orthodoxy — the wonderworking Feodorov Icon of the Mother of God — you set foot upon the blessed land of the Great Steppe as the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan. With Christian humility and full awareness of the immense responsibility entrusted to you, you accepted the good and perfect will of God (Rom. 12:2), revealed through the decision of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.
God the Mighty, the Everlasting Father (Is. 9:6), beholding your sincere love for the Church of Christ and the sacrificial strength of your faith, laid upon you the heavy cross of pastoral care for the multitude of Orthodox faithful residing in Kazakhstan, appointing you as guardian of the sacred places bound to the spiritual struggles of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the 20th century.
You arrived at the cathedra of the hierarchs of Kazakhstan under the maternal protection of the Queen of Heaven, bringing with you for the spiritual strengthening of the faithful exact measure-for-measure replicas of the Feodorov Icon — copies sanctified before the miraculous, revealed image in the city of Kostroma. Thanks to your efforts, these icons now adorn the principal churches of the Metropolitan District — the Dormition Cathedral in Astana and the Ascension Cathedral in Almaty.
The Creator and Providence of all guided you to the land of Kazakhstan at a time when there was a particular need to unite the efforts of hierarchs and clergy, monastics and laity, for shared and active labors — for the fruitful fulfillment of the great mission of the Church of Christ: to save, enlighten, and sanctify every person who comes into the world (John 1:9). Strengthened in the Lord and in the power of His might (Eph. 6:10), you succeeded in giving a new and powerful impetus to the development of all areas of ministry within the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District.
Fifteen years is no short span. Giving glory to God, the Giver of all good things, we can joyfully and gratefully affirm: everything you have accomplished together with the clergy and faithful over these past fifteen years is remarkable in its scope. Much could be said of meaningful and necessary projects, of figures and statistical data — but most importantly, a living dynamic of comprehensive development has emerged and continues to grow in both diocesan and parish life.
Immediately upon your arrival at the cathedra of Kazakhstan, you made a truly momentous decision — you established the canonical and legal status of the Metropolitan District of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Republic of Kazakhstan as the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan. In the years that followed, the creative potential of these beneficial transformations was fully realized.
We witness how throughout the country ancient sacred sites are being restored, new churches are being built, spiritual and cultural centers are being opened, theological education and enlightenment are developing, youth ministry and charitable work are intensifying.
In the difficult times of today, you convincingly preach that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Ps. 45:2), and with heartfelt conviction call upon people not to despair, but to trust in the omnipotence and mercy of the Creator, to offer prayers for the unity of the Church and for peace throughout the world. Through both word and deed, you remind people of the need for each to accomplish his own small spiritual feat — to treat others with love, to help those in need, to labor diligently and conscientiously.
Those who hear you in Kazakhstan strive to follow traditional spiritual and moral principles and recognize the vital importance of the ideals of kindness and mercy, justice and love for their native land. Your paternal prayers, self-sacrifice, spiritual vigilance, tireless labor, and burning heart bring joy and hope into the souls of archpastors, pastors, and all the faithful. Your efforts to strengthen interreligious and interethnic peace and harmony are consistently held in high regard by the leadership of the Republic.
For you, nothing is more important or meaningful than the celebration of the divine services. You do not miss a single opportunity to lift up prayers and supplications for the people entrusted to your spiritual care. You strive to offer as frequently as possible the Bloodless Sacrifice of the Most Holy Eucharist on behalf of all and for all, and you tirelessly and fervently proclaim the word of Christ’s truth both near and far. Each year, you bring into the country great Orthodox relics to strengthen and console the faithful.
For more than twenty years, you were the guardian of the wonderworking Feodorov Icon of the Mother of God in the God-protected city of Kostroma. And now, for fifteen years, you have faithfully kept watch over the “Antimension spread beneath the open sky” in the God-saved land of Kazakhstan.
The glorification of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Kazakhstan, the preservation of their memory, and the widespread dissemination of knowledge about their sacrificial witness are subjects of your special love and attention.
Having reached this new milestone in your service upon the land of Kazakhstan, you continue to make new plans and to ponder future important decisions for the life of Orthodoxy in the Great Steppe. All that has been accomplished and realized in the field of Church life you never ascribe to yourself, but only to Christ, to Whom all authority in heaven and on earth has been given (Matt. 28:18), and you invariably proclaim the wise words of the Psalmist David: “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory” (Ps. 113:9).
On this blessed and significant day, allow us to wish you, dear Vladyka, the help of God in your selfless ministry for the good of Orthodoxy and the people of Kazakhstan. May the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Tim. 6:15), through the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, by the prayers of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Kazakhstan and of all the saints, preserve you in good health for many and good years!
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