Day of Remembrance of the Holy Martyr Anastasia of Rome. Metropolitan Alexander celebrated the Liturgy in the Church of the Representative Office of the Metropolitan District in Moscow

November 11, 2024 is the day of remembrance of the Holy Martyr Anastasia of Rome.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Holy Martyrs Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov and Sophia at the Patriarchal Metochion of the city of Moscow - Representative Office of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District.

The head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan was assisted by: the key-keeper of the Church of the Holy Martyrs Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov and their mother Sophia, Hieromonk Anthony (Drobiazko); Vice-Rector of the Alma-Ata Theological Seminary, Candidate of Theology, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Hegumen Agafangel (Gagua); the key-keeper of the Nikolskaya house church of the Scientific and Clinical Center of Otolaryngology of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Archpriest Lev Aznovaryan; Hieromonk Daniil (Makagon); Deacon Anatoly Ledenev and Deacon Roman Frolov.

The staff of the Representative Office and parishioners of the church prayed during the service.

The church choir sang under the direction of Anna Rozhnova.

The hierarch offered prayers for the rise of love and the eradication of all hatred and malice.

After the dismissal of the Liturgy, the archpastor performed a memorial service for his mother, the ever-memorable servant of God Anastasia, who had the name in honor of the Roman holy martyr in Holy Baptism.

At the end of the service, the Head of the Metropolitan District addressed the worshipers with a sermon in which he spoke about the life and suffering feat of Saint Anastasia of Rome.

The feast of the Holy Martyr Anastasia the Roman occupies a special place in the life of Metropolitan Alexander. His Eminence, being the Archbishop of Kostroma and Galich for more than 20 years, revived 11 monasteries in the Kostroma land. One of the first monastic cloisters revived from oblivion was the ancient Epiphany-Anastasia Convent in the center of Kostroma, founded by the disciple and relative of St. Sergius of Radonezh - St. Nikita. On August 17, 1991, the consecration of the restored Epiphany-Anastasia Cathedral took place, which became the cathedral church of the Kostroma diocese, and the next day, the main shrine of the Kostroma land, the great All-Russian shrine - the miraculous Feodorovskaya Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos - was solemnly transferred under the vaults of the cathedral. In 1991, services began in the restored Smolensk Church; in 2006, the church in the basement of the cathedral was restored, consecrated in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh and St. Nikita of Kostroma. In December 2003, the holy relics of St. Timon, the elder of Nadeevsky, a locally venerated saint of the Kostroma diocese, a disciple and spiritual friend of St. Seraphim of Sarov, were placed in the cathedral. With the blessing of the bishop, in 1993 an almshouse for the elderly was created at the monastery, as well as the first church children's shelter in Russia named after the righteous John of Kronstadt for orphans and children abandoned by their parents.