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Almaty: Kursk Root Icon concludes Visit to Kazakhstan at Nocturnal Liturgy in St. Sophia Cathedral

On the night of Thursday the 10th into Friday the 11th, His Eminence Alexander, Metropolitan of Astana & Kazakhstan, celebrated Divine Liturgy at Sts. Faith, Hope, Charity & Sophia Cathedral of Our Lady of Iveron-St. Seraphim Convent in Almaty, Kazakhstan, thereby concluding with the visitation of the great sacred icon of Orthodoxy – the wonderworking Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God "of the Sign" – to Kazakhstan’s southern capital.

Concelebrating with the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan were: Bishop Nectarius of Taldıqorğan (vicar of the Diocese of Astana), Bishop Gennadius of Kaskelen (Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan), Bishop Nicodemus of Edineț & Briceni (Orthodox Church of Moldova), Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan, Archpriest Valery Zakharov (dean of Almaty), Archpriest Alexandre Antchoutine (dean of Long Island & the Hudson Valley), heads of departments and commissions of the Metropolitanate in clerical orders, and deans, rectors, and clerics of Almaty parishes.

Praying at the service were: Abbess Lubov (Yakushina), rectress of Our Lady of Iveron-St. Seraphim Convent, with the sisters of the convent; diocesan staff members; Cossacks; students of Almaty’s Orthodox Theological Seminary; and diocesan benefactors.

A multitude of the faithful gathered to pray before the wonderworking Kursk Icon and to bid farewell to this great sacred icon of Orthodoxy.

Singing the hymns were: the Kazakhstan Metropolitanate Choir under the direction of Merited Artist of Russia O.N. Ovchinnikov, the clergy choir of the Diocese of Almaty, and the St. Sophia Cathedral choir, under the direction of O.G. Shulzhenko.

At the augmented litany, prayers were offered up for unity of Holy Orthodoxy, for the preservation of the Church from divisions and schisms, and for peace and the cessation of civil strife in Ukraine.

During the communion of the clergy, an appeal by Metropolitan Alexander of Astana & Kazakhstan regarding the bringing of the wonderworking Kursk Root Icon to Kazakhstan was read aloud.

Upon conclusion of Liturgy, the clergy, choir, and faithful served a moleben to the Most Holy Theotokos before her wonderworking icon.

An exact copy of the icon of the Queen of Heaven was then blessed.

The Polychronion was intoned for the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church – His Holiness Kyrill, Patriarch of Moscow & All Russia – and to the primate and hierarchy of the Kazakhstan Metropolitanate, visiting bishops, "Leader of the Nation" Nursultan Nazarbayev, the president, authorities, armed forces, and entire nation of Kazakhstan.

The head of the Kazakhstan Metropolitanate congratulated their Graces, the clergy, and faithful with the joy of shared prayer before the ancient icon of the Queen of Heaven, and then delivered a sermon.

Bishop Nicholas expressed words of appreciation to Metropolitan Alexander for his initiative in organizing the pilgrimage of the wonderworking image to Kazakhstan, and noted the special love of Kazakhs for the Mother of God.

For their labors in bringing the holy icon to the Republic’s south capital, Bishop Nicholas and the clergy of the Russian Church Abroad who accompanied the Kursk Icon were presented awards from the Kazakhstan Metropolitanate: His Grace received the Order of Venerable Confessor Sebastian of Karaganda; Fr. Alexandre Antchoutine – the Order of Hieromartyr Pimen, Bishop of Verniy; Protodeacon Eugene Kallaur – the Order of Venerable Martyrs Seraphim & Theognostus.

Upon completion of the service, the faithful bade farewell to the wonderworking icon of the Mother of God, which would depart Kazakhstan to her new permanent home – the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign in New York City.

www.mitropolia.kz
Translation by Eastern American Diocesan Media Office

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Almaty: Kursk Root Icon concludes Visit to Kazakhstan at Nocturnal Liturgy in St. Sophia Cathedral - 10/10/19

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