With the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, at the end of the Divine Liturgy, an exhibition of photographs dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Astana Diocese was opened on the square in front of the Cathedral of St. Nicholas of Myra in Alma-Ata on May 19, 2024. 
The exposition is organized by the Alma-Ata Theological Seminary and the St. Nicholas Cathedral Parish.
Metropolitan Alexander addressed the audience with a word of greeting.
"We are opening an exhibition dedicated to the history and modern life of the Astana and Alma-Ata dioceses. Here, several stands present a cross-section of church life in Astana and the Southern capital over a quarter-century period. Our ministry is diverse — it is sacred rites at the throne of God, evangelical preaching, glorification of the Creator in choir chants, church building, catechetical and educational activities, charity and youth work. All of us, both clergy and laity, are called by the Savior to the work of evangelizing the faith, especially now, when so many people urgently need to find the true path of spiritual life. Each of us, by the very name of a Christian that we bear, undertakes to carry the gospel message to people, affirming with kind word and deed the all-conquering power of the truth and truth of Christ.
The Orthodox faith lives in the hearts of many Kazakhstanis, and a large number of people have a genuine interest in faith in God, in church life. This is evidenced by the huge queues at shrines, crowded temples at Christmas and Easter. We have the greatest spiritual treasures, and we need to learn how to share them, we must try to bring the beauty and greatness of Orthodoxy to the seeking souls," the bishop said, in particular.
After the welcoming speech of the head of the Metropolitan District, Priest John Livinsky told the audience about the concept of the exhibition and conducted a tour.
The photographs and banners presented at the exhibition tell about the history and modern life of the Astana diocese. The stands are decorated with images of the most famous temples, spiritual, cultural and administrative centers of the District, named after Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius and the ever-memorable Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov), as well as significant diocesan shrines. The photographs tell about the ministry of the archpastors who ruled the diocese — Archbishop Alexy (now Metropolitan of Tula and Ephraim) and Metropolitan Methodius (now Metropolitan of Perm and Kungur).