Almaty

For the Christmas holidays in Almaty, a children’s theme park “Tales of the Peoples of Kazakhstan” was created at the Kazan Cathedral.

“Christmas is a holiday when we try to pay special attention to our children and grandchildren. On the eve of the New Year holidays, in Almaty, next to the cathedral in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, a children’s theme park “Tales of the Peoples of Kazakhstan” opened. The project received a church blessing and was brought to life by the Apostol public foundation, headed by President Georgy Sosnovsky. A special feature of the park are sculptural images of fairy-tale heroes of the peoples of the great steppe. On Christmas Day, there will be children’s entertainment in the park from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. We invite everyone,” said Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan.

In 2024, the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan will celebrate a special date – the 25th anniversary of the formation of the Astana and Almaty diocese.

“On March 31, 1999, the Holy Synod, chaired by the ever-memorable His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, “taking into account the capital status of the city of Astana,” established a diocese on the territory of Kazakhstan, combining the capital with nearby settlements, the city of Almaty and the territory of the Almaty region. Our administrative structures are quite young, but we all know that the history of the Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan goes back to ancient times. Christianity was preached in the vast expanses of the great steppe back in the apostolic era. In the 19th century, the Turkestan diocese was formed here, the first hierarch of which was Archbishop Zephaniah (Sokolsky), an ascetic and prayer book, a tireless worker in the field of Christ. We call him the Apostle of Central Asia. This coming year marks the 225th anniversary of his birth. This year will be held under the auspices of preparations for the 50th anniversary of the repose in the Lord of the outstanding spiritual figure of the 20th century, a righteous man who endured torment for his faith in Christ – Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov). His name is known to millions of believers; he is revered both in Kazakhstan and far beyond its borders. Now we are doing a lot of work to create a house-museum of Bishop Joseph in Almaty,” said the Metropolitan.

As part of the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Astana and Almaty diocese, Kazakhstan will be visited by a special shrine – the miraculous icon of the Mother of God “Healer”. The Icon of the Mother of God “Healer” is one of the oldest in the Orthodox world. She became famous for her miracles in Georgia. Its first mention dates back to the times of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nina, the enlightener of Iberia (IV century). The second glorification of the icon by numerous miracles occurred already at the end of the 18th century in Russia. The icon “Healer” depicts the Most Holy Theotokos standing at the bedside of a sick person. The image that will be delivered to Kazakhstan is known for the fact that myrrh, a fragrant oily liquid that has healing properties, has been flowing out of it for many years.

Christmas holidays are a time for good deeds.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan:

“The light and warmth of the Christmas celebration gives us strength in great and small ways to overcome egocentrism, to act in God’s truth, and inspires us to live in kindness and love. At Christmas, the sacred words “God is with us!” are often repeated, which means that all of us, strengthened by His grace, can drive out envy and irritation from our hearts, stop slander and condemnation, and become friendlier and more patient with the people around us. We are called to imitate Christ in love. Each of us, by doing good deeds, is capable of at least to a small extent changing the surrounding reality for the better, for darkness is powerless before the radiance of true life.”

The head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan especially emphasized the need for the main asset of Kazakhstan – interethnic peace and interfaith harmony.

“On the eve of the New Year, I had the opportunity to meet and communicate with two amazing people. These are the outstanding poet and public figure – Olzhas Suleimenov and the legendary singer – Bibigul Tulegenova. They were awarded the highest award of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan – the Order of Peace and Harmony. We talked on various topics, discussed issues of science, culture and art, talked about the role of traditional religions in the life of society. But the red thread of our communication was the preservation in Kazakhstan of its main heritage, bequeathed by our ancestors – interethnic peace and interfaith harmony. Not only politicians and public figures need to work in this field. Each of us needs to make an effort to do this. Good neighborliness and mutual understanding among the people, in the country, in the city, in the team and in the family begin with the peaceful dispensation of the individual human soul, with its reconciliation with God, with neighbor and conscience. Olzhas Omarovich gave me his new book – “So it was…”. The book begins with the wise lessons of his mother, who told young Olzhas: “If you meet a person, make him happy.” Let’s please and support each other as often as possible with a warm word, a gentle smile, and a good deed,” he concluded.