“The task of every believer is not to lose touch with God”translated

On September 20, 2026, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' performed the minor consecration of the Church of the Blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky in Astrakhan. At the end of the service, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church addressed the believers with the First Hierarch’s word.

Thank you, Igor Yuryevich, Your Eminence, Bishop, dear fathers, brothers and sisters!

The consecration of a church, even a small one, is a big event. And it is perceived in a special way by people of my age and those of a somewhat younger age - those who remember the terrible years of godlessness in our country, when it was impossible to imagine that at some point in history the construction of churches in our country and their consecration would begin.

The Church of God exists, new churches are being built, a new generation of Orthodox people is being raised, belonging to different social groups. These are different people - simple, educated, scientists, and representatives of art. This is our people. When someone asked me abroad: “What is the contingent that is now visiting churches in Russia?”, I answered simply: “They are our people.” There is everyone there - rulers, ordinary people, and people of different classes, different political...