Celebration of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra in Lycia to the city of Bari. Metropolitan Alexander led the Liturgy in St. Nicholas Cathedral in Almaty (+VIDEO)

May 22, 2025 - celebration in memory of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra in Lycia to the city of Bari.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy in St. Nicholas Cathedral in Almaty, which is celebrating its patronal feast.

The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan was assisted by: vicars of the Astana diocese - Administrator of the Affairs of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Bishop Veniamin of Talgar; dean of the churches of Almaty, rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral Archpriest Valery Zakharov; Head of the Education and Catechesis Department of the Metropolitan District, Rector of the Pokrovskaya Church and the Church in Honor of the Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God of the Southern Capital, Archpriest Evgeny Bobylev; Rector of the Paraskevskaya Church and the Alexander Nevsky Church, Archpriest Ioann Lopatin; Key-keeper of the Ascension Cathedral, Head of the Public Relations Department of the Metropolitan District, Archpriest Alexander Suvorov; Rector of the Epiphany Church, Archpriest Valery Shavrin; Chairman of the Society of Orthodox Doctors of Kazakhstan, Archpriest Anatoly Izmerov; Archpriest Vladimir Volkov; Key-keeper of the Peter and Paul Church, Archpriest Kirill Shklyar; Rector of the Church of St. John the Baptist in the village of Guldala, Archpriest Georgy Kharlov; Vice-Rector for Educational Work at the Alma-Ata Seminary, Priest Ioann Livinsky; Head of the Metropolitan's Personal Secretariat, Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky); Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District, Priest Georgy Sidorov; Key-keeper of the Exaltation of the Cross Church, Priest Roman Burdukov; Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs of the Almaty Theological Seminary, Priest Peter Bakhtiyarov; Hieromonk Kheruvin (Levin); Key-keeper of the Adriano-Nataliev Church, Priest John Konoplev; Key-keeper of the Kazan Cathedral in Almaty, Priest Georgy Rublinsky; Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich; Head of the Metropolitan's Protocol Service, Protodeacon Roman Golovin; Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky; Hierodeacon Afanasy (Kozel); Deacon John Churkin; Deacon Alexei Kanushin; Deacon Alexander Voronin and Deacon Alexander Piven.

Before the service, the reliquary with the relics of St. Nicholas, kept in the altar of the cathedral, was brought out for prayerful veneration by the faithful. Part of the relics of the Myra hierarch was a gift to the St. Nicholas Church from Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan.

The following people prayed at the Liturgy: the head of the public fund "Eleos" V.M. Kapsamun; employees of the Almaty diocesan administration, teachers and pupils of the central Sunday school of the southern capital headed by the director G.V. Cherepanova, numerous parishioners.

The liturgical chants were performed by: the choir of the St. Nicholas Cathedral under the direction of O. Berekesheva and the everyday choir under the direction of O. Solomonova.

At the funeral litany, prayers were offered for the repose of: the confessor of the faith, Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov, †1975), Archimandrite Isaac (Vinogradov) – companion and spiritual son of Metropolitan Nikolai (Mogilevsky), the builders of the cathedral and the restorers of the liturgical life, the deceased clergy and parishioners of the church.

The sermon on the communion verse was delivered by Priest John Livinsky.

At the end of the service, the pupils of the Central Sunday School performed a literary and poetic composition telling about the life and miracles of St. Nicholas. His Eminence thanked the speakers and presented sweet gifts.

At the end of the Liturgy, a festive procession with the cross took place, after which a glorification was performed before the icon and the reliquary with the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Metropolitan Alexander congratulated the clergy and believers on the patronal feast and addressed the congregation with a sermon.

The hierarch sprinkled the believers with holy water.