On September 22, 2024, in the Week of the 13th Pentecost, the feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God, the day of commemoration of the new martyrs and confessors who shone in the land of Kazakhstan, mthe Metropolitan of Astana and Kazakhstan Alexander celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Ascension Cathedral of the city of Alma-Ata.
The Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Kazakhstan are prayerfully commemorated on the first Sunday following the day of commemoration of the holy martyrs and confessors of Kazakhstan who shone in the land of Kazakhstan.
The Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Kazakhstan are prayerfully commemorated on the first Sunday following the memorial day of the Holy Martyr Pimen, Bishop of Vernensk and Semirechensk.
The Head of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District was served by: the Metropolitan District's business manager Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Bishop Claudian of Taldykorgan, Bishop Khrisanf of Chimkent and Turkestan, Bishop Veniamin of Talgar; Archpriest Valeriy Zakharov, rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral in Almaty; Archpriest Evgeny Vorobyev, rector of the church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God «Joy of All Who Sorrow» Archpriest Eugene Vorobyev, confessor of Alma-Ata Diocese Archimandrite John (Sazonov), clergyman of The chants were sung by the Metropolitan District Choir (regent — Honored Art Worker of Russia O.N. Ovchinnikov, choirmaster — V. Dudareva) and the Voznesensky Cathedral Choir (regent — N. Zubrevich).
The chants were performed by the Metropolitan District Choir (regent — Honored Art Worker of Russia O.N. Ovchinnikov, choirmaster — V. Dudareva).
Prayers were offered for the repose of hierarchs, clergy, monastics and all Orthodox Christians «in the year of fierce persecution from the godless tortured and killed, from hunger, cold, wounds, disease and hard labor in camps, in prisons and in bonds died» Archpriest Eugene Ivanov delivered the sermon after the Holy Communion verse.
At the end of the Liturgy there was a glorification of the Most Holy Mother of God and the New Martyrs and Confessors of Kazakhstan in front of the ark with their relics. Many tributes were proclaimed to the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia; to the head, reverend archpastors, clergy, monastics and the God-saved flock of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District; to the President, authorities, military and all the people of Kazakhstan.
Metropolitan Alexander congratulated the clergy and laity on Sunday afternoon and celebrating in honor of all Kazakhstani saints and addressed the audience with a word of teaching:
«Kazakhstan was destined to occupy a special place in the modern history of the Russian Orthodox Church. All this ancient land in the year of fiery temptation (1 Pt 4:12) became a place of exploits, confession, courageous suffering and martyrdom of such a huge number of believers of different ranks and ages that nowadays it is called "antimins spread out under the open sky". With these lofty words Kazakhstan was first called by the venerable Holy Patriarch Alexy II.
Holy Patriarch Alexy II.
On the vast expanses of Sary-Arka, in Semirechye, in the foothills of Zailiyskiy Alatau, in Turkestan, they bore their heavy cross, suffered from hunger and disease, suffered from cold and heat, languished from hard work, died in severe agony for faith in God. The names of the places of mass repression and death of innocent people: Karlag, ALZHIR, Steplag, Lisya Balka resonate with pain in our hearts today, even after many decades.
The Council of Kazakhstani New Martyrs and Confessors united faithful sons and daughters of our Church from the most different provinces of the former Russian Empire, from the Baltic and the Black Sea to Pacific Ocean. The Martirolog of the Great Steppe contains the names of such famous hierarchs as Metropolitan Kirill (Smirnov) of Kazan — unbending, uncompromising fighter for the sanctity and purity of Orthodoxy; Archbishop Luke (Voyno-Yasenetsky) of Simferopol — surgeon of world renown, professor of medicine, laureate of the state prize, author of many unique scientific works; Archbishop Nikodim (Krotkov) of Kostroma, Archbishop Alexis (Orlov) of Omsk, Archbishop Zakharia (Lobov) of Voronezh, Bishop Uar (Shmarin) of Lipetsk, Bishop Boris (Voskoboynikov) of Ivanovo, Bishop Seraphim (Zvezdinsky) of Dmitrov, Archbishop Procopius (Titov) of Kherson, Bishop Ambrosius (Polyansky) of Podolsk, and many others.
Wherever nowadays an Orthodox Christian lives — in Central Russia, in the Far East or Siberia, in Ukraine, the Baltics, Belarus — his diocese, parish, native temple will always be connected with Kazakhstan in a special way by the name of this or that sufferer of Christ, who shed his blood on this land, or who served prison terms here in exiles and camps. It is our duty to remember each of the sufferers for the name of Christ, to recreate their bright image, to immortalize their names in the memory of the people, to make sure that new generations are brought up on these examples Christians.
Thank God that in recent years in the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District much has been done to ensure that the suffering feat of confessors of faith who shone in the Central Asian region, became as much known and studied as possible both in our country and abroad. The sacrificial exploits of a host of hierarchs, pastors, monastics and laymen became an obvious confirmation of the truth and immutability of the words of Christ the Savior, Who said to His disciples: "I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). Those who shed their blood for the Gospel truth, who served God with faith and truth in the year of fiery trial, who went through exile and camps, who bravely endured persecution, oppression and humiliation, laid the foundation on which today we can build and develop a full-fledged church life.
Today, after decades since the terrible persecution of holy Orthodoxy, we see that the all-good Providence of God has turned all the sufferings, sorrows and difficulties that fell to their lot to the benefit, glory and honor of the faithful servants of Christ. "Rejoice in this, having now mourned a little, if necessary, from various temptations, so that your tested faith may be more precious than gold that perishes, though tested by fire" (1 Pt 1:7-9), he addressed to to the sufferers for the name of Christ, the First-Full Apostle Peter. Today's celebration in honor of all Kazakhstani saints encourages us to check and test ourselves for faithfulness to the commandments of the Gospel, to strengthen our souls with examples of the life deeds of the martyrs, to work tirelessly for the salvation of the soul, to preach the word of Christ's truth to our neighbors and others.
In conclusion, the head of the Kazakh Metropolitan District sprinkled the faithful with holy water.
Metropolitan District in the Republic of Kazakhstan/Patriarchy.ru
