On October 19, 2025, Alexei Kargaltsev was ordained as a pastor at St. Mary’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

The ordination service was attended by parishioners, relatives, friends, and pastor Alexei‘s students from the Theological Institute and a secular university.

Pastor Alexei has long been serving in the Church, holding the positions of Vice-Rector of the Theological Institute, as well as senior minister at the St. John the Baptist’s Church in St. Petersburg and the Holy Cross Church in Vologda.

He holds a Candidate of Sciences in History degree (Ph.D. equivalent) and is currently working on his doctoral dissertation.