Today marks the fifth anniversary of the signing of the Act of Canonical Communion by the ever memorable Patriarch Aleksey II and Metropolitan Laurus the reestablishment of Eucharistic Communion within the one local Russian Orthodox Church. This is a great day of rejoicing for us all as Orthodox Christians and especially as part of the Russian Orthodox community. Please find below the Episle of Patriarch Kyrill on this auspicious anniversary. Congratulations to all!

Russian:

http://russianorthodoxchurch.ws/synod/2 ... aniye.html

English:

http://russianorthodoxchurch.ws/synod/e ... aniye.html

At St. Vladimir's and in the Diocese of Chicago & Mid-America commemorations of this historic reunification of the Russian Church will take place on Sunday, May 20 and Thursday, May 24 - the feast of the Ascension (May 17 was the feast of the Ascension in 2007 when teh Act of Canonical Communion was signed).

With the blessing of Bishop Peter we will hold special services at St. Vladimir’s for the feast of our Lord’s Ascension on May 24. Please recall that five years ago on this very feast Eucharistic Communion was fully reestablished between the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) and the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. To mark this beautiful anniversary we have invited clergymen from the Moscow Patriarchate, the Orthodox Church in America, and our own Russian Orthodox Church Abroad to join us for the Divine Liturgy. To accommodate the travel of the clergymen to St. Vladimir’s we will start the Divine Liturgy that morning at 9:00 a.m. Please make a note of this special service and please plan to join us as your schedule allows.

Because we realize that not everyone can join us on May 24 we will also have a special Thanksgiving Moleben on Sunday, May 20 in place of the usual moleben to St. Xenia.

We present here a short educational offering for both children and adults. Parents are asked to review the children’s portion with their children. It is very important for us to attend the Divine Services on Sundays and whenever else we are able, but in addition it is our spiritual responsibility to educate ourselves and our families in the faith. It is our hope that this mid-week offering will be an aid in this regard. Please contact Fr. Gregory with questions or suggestions.

For Adults – an explanation of Sunday's gospel by Blessed Theophylact:

http://chrysostompress.org/c_fifth_pascha.html

For Children – an activity based on last week's gospel reading for for various ages:

http://www.antiochian.org/sites/antioch ... jn04-a.pdf

The owner of the Muffler Man on the west side of Ann Arbor is Elias (Lewie) Karageorge – a St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church parishioner. Lewie has very kindly extended the same offer to our parish that he has to his own: if you take your car to his shop for repair and identify yourself as a St. Vladimir Orthodox Church parishioner he will give you a 20% discount on parts and labor AND donate 5% of your total bill to St. Vladimir’s! Here is their web site with address, phone, and email contact information – note please that they offer free pickup and delivery:

http://www.mufflermanannarbor.com

Please read this interesting article about the Butovo Polygon outside Moscow - a huge field of Martyrdom - a veritable antimins under the open sky outside Moscow:

http://www.pravmir.com/synaxis-of-the-n ... of-butovo/

Please read this interesting interview of Efi Sarri and how she was transformed by exposure to a monastery during a very difficult time in her life, and how the world simply doesn't hold the same allure for her as it did before her visit:

http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2012/05 ... ed-by.html

Please plan to visit and support our local St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church when they hold their annual Greek Festival June 1-3, 2012. More information can be found at the link below - don't miss it!

http://www.annarborgreekfestival.org/

"This is the cause of all evils: the ignorance of the Scriptures. We go into battle without arms, and how ought we to come off safe?" -St. John Chrysostom, Homily IX on Colossians.

In order to help increase the general knowledge of scripture in our parish family we present here for your edification the scripture readings for the coming week. At least one Gospel Reading and one Epistle reading are assigned for each day of the year (although during Great Lent the readings are from the Old Testament). Hearing or reading only those readings appointed for Sunday merely scratches the surface of the great spiritual wealth that the scriptures provide us. Some of the readings are easily understandable – others are less so. As Orthodox Christians we do not make private interpretation of scripture, but rather consult the fathers of the Church for their explanations to aid us in our understanding. Those wishing to have access to such explanations are asked to contact Fr. Gregory or inquire in the kiosk for further reading in this regard. Bibles may also be acquired in the kiosk.

Monday: Acts 12:12-17 & John 8:42-51
Tuesday: Acts 12:25-13:12 & John 8:51-59
Wednesday: Acts 13:13-24 & John 6:5-14
Thursday: Acts 14:20-27 & John 9:39-10:9
Friday: Acts 15:5-34 & John 10:17-28
Saturday: Acts 15:35-41 & John 10:27-38

Please find below several very nice articles on how to read the scripture from an Orthodox point of view.

By St. Justin (Popovich):

http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/phronema/bible_how.aspx

By Bishop Kalistos (Ware):

http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/phronema/ware_howto.aspx

This short article explains to us not just HOW to read the scriptures, but also what our goal should be in reading the scriptures. A short read and well worth it:

http://www.chrysostompress.org/reading_scripture.html

As noted in the article above we need God's help and blessing to read and understand the scriptures correctly. What better way to entreat God's help in this regard than through prayer? Please find the prayer before reading the scriptures here:

http://www.chrysostompress.org/prayer_b ... pture.html

Please remember in your prayers the handmaiden of God Lubov, the wife of our Diocesan Cathedral Deacon Alexander Kichakov. Luba developed blood clots in her brain this week and is now recovering from this stroke-like episode. She is in her mid-30s and she and Fr. Alexander have three young children at home. We thank you kindly for remembering Lubov in your prayers.

Our weekly bulletin, "Sunday Reading", has been posted at the following link:

http://www.stvladimiraami.org/SundayRea ... eading.pdf

Please keep our parishioners, friends, and those who have asked us in our unworthiness to pray for them in your prayers this coming week. Our parish prayer list can be found here:

http://www.stvladimiraami.org/SundayRea ... erlist.pdf

The Council of Orthodox Christian Churches of Metropolitan Detroit [COCC] will sponsor its annual “Spring Fling” dinner-dance to benefit retired Orthodox priests and priests’ widows on Sunday, May 20, 2012 at the banquet center of the Antiochian Orthodox Basilica of Saint Mary, 18100 Merriman Rd., Livonia, MI.

The event will begin with a social hour at 5:00 p.m., followed by a buffet dinner at 6:00. There will be live music by the Offbeats and entertainment for children.

Tickets including dinner and refreshments are $40.00 per person, with children ages 12 and under admitted free. To order tickets or obtain further information, contact Mihaela Charlier at 313-595-7640 or mihaelacharlier@sbcglobal.net, or Richard Shebib at 734-422-0278 or paschabooks@sbcglobal.net.

The COCC is a 55-year-old clergy and lay association that represents canonical Orthodox churches in metro Detroit. Its mission is to promote Orthodox Christianity throughout the area through worship, fellowship, and charitable, educational and outreach programs. For further information, visit www.coccdetroit.com.

Follow us on vKontakte! Find us here:

http://vk.com/stvladimirchurchrocor

Are you on vKontakte? Would you be willing to help our parish establish a presence there? We want to help those seeking a church home to find us – and we think in addition to our Facebook presence vKontakte will help us with this goal. Please help if you can! Contact Fr. Gregory to learn more.

This is a very interesting article – an interview with Hieromonk Gabriel (Bunge) a well-known theologian in the West who recently became an Orthodox Christian. We hope and believe our readers will find this interview both interesting and edifying.

English:

http://www.pravmir.com/article_1221.html

Russian:

http://www.foma.ru/article/index.php?news=4732

Please read the beautiful report below of the Paschal services in Shanghai, China. Note the link at the bottom of the page as well, where more Paschal celebrations from throughout China are reported on.

http://orthodox.cn/contemporary/shangha ... hai_en.htm

Fr. Gregory strongly urges each and every one of our 15-18 year old gentlemen to participate in the Summer Youth Program at Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY! The experience our young men can have at this special program is unmatched – there is no other better way to be exposed to the life of serving the Church (whether that be in the monastic life, as a clergymen, or as a lay leader in a parish) than by participating in this unique opportunity. Please visit the link below for more information, REGISTER EARLY, and please contact Fr. Gregory with questions:

http://summer.jordanville.org/index.html

Do you have 10 extra minutes per week? Could you put those ten extra minutes per week together once per month to visit one of our parishioners in the hospital or unable to leave their home? If so – please contact Fr. Gregory! Your 30 to 40 minutes per month could make the difference in someone’s life! Members of our parish family deserve better than to be lonely! Train your children in the pious Christian virtue of caring for those less fortunate – visit our parish family members in the hospital, nursing home, and at home this month! Those who are aware of parish family members who are in hospitals, nursing homes, or who are home-bound should contact Fr. Gregory so that these parishioners may be added to our list of those to be visited and spiritually cared for.

Please find at the link below an outstanding Russian language documentary about Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY - the "Lavra of the Abroad". The documentary also discusses at some length the history of the St. Job of Pochaev Brotherhood and Metropolitan Laurus. Well worth the 25 minutes or so it takes to watch the film.

http://www.russianorthodoxchurch.ws/syn ... ntary.html

Our parish family has committed to serving breakfast to the families living at the local homeless shelter for families this coming Sunday. We need a few more people to help out. The work is done before we begin services at St. Vladimir’s. In fact, after serving breakfast at Alpha House and cleaning up you will arrive at St. Vladimir’s just in time for the start of the Divine Liturgy. Alpha House is on Jackson Rd. not far from the church. Please help if you can! For more information please contact Roman Vershynin (rlvershynin@gmail.com or 734-276-7548).

Please find below a very edifying sermon by St. Luke (Voyno-Yasenetsky) of Simferopol. This sermon was delivered on May 6, 1954 and is still, perhaps even more so in our days, absolutely applicable to our spiritual lives.

English:

http://www.pravmir.com/courage-and-cowa ... hy-bearer/

Russian:

http://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Luka_Vojno-Ja ... 3_22.shtml

For our St. Vladimir’s parishioners you may find it interesting to note that St. Luke was not only a renowned man of spiritual life, but also one of the best surgeons in the Soviet Union. He was the medical instructor of the sister of our own Olga Feyodorovna Radulovic.

We present here a short educational offering for both children and adults. Parents are asked to review the children’s portion with their children. It is very important for us to attend the Divine Services on Sundays and whenever else we are able, but in addition it is our spiritual responsibility to educate ourselves and our families in the faith. It is our hope that this mid-week offering will be an aid in this regard. Please contact Fr. Gregory with questions or suggestions.

For Adults – Explanation of the most recent Sunday gospel reading from Blessed Theophylact:

http://www.chrysostompress.org/c_fourth_pascha.html

For Children – an activity based on last week's gospel reading for various ages:

http://www.antiochian.org/sites/antioch ... jn05-a.pdf

Please join us after the Divine Liturgy on May 20 for our Children’s Pascha Celebration! On that day we will have an egg hunt, games, and all kinds of fund for our children in honor of the feast of feast and the day of days: our Lord’s Glorious Resurrection. Don’t miss it! Invite your friends!

Tomorrow the Holy Church celebrates a minor feast of the Lord, but “minor” does not by any means denote “unimportant”. Please read an explanation of the feast below and please join us for the Divine Services as your schedule allows. Matins tonight begins at 6:30 p.m. (note the new time please). Divine Liturgy begins tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. immediately followed by the small blessing of water.

English:

http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2011/05 ... f-mid.html

Russian:

http://www.pravmir.ru/segodnya-prepolov ... esyatnicy/

Please note that due to a conflict that cannot be resolved the Evening Divine Services on Tuesday, May 8 will begin at 6:30 p.m. rather than the scheduled 6:00 p.m. We apologize for any inconvenience to our parishioners.

We think it won’t happen to us – no one we know would ever have a heart attack. And of course we would never be in a position to have to help someone who is having a heart attack. If we think this WE ARE WRONG! It could happen! What would you do? Learn more by visiting the site below:

http://www.heartrescuenow.com/

Join our St. Vladimir team NOW to support the American Heart Association as we participate in the AHA Heart Walk. It is our responsibility to care for the bodies the Lord gave us. Yes – most certainly they are fleeting – we will only use them for 100 years at most. But the Lord gave us our bodies as a gift. If you are careless with a gift that a friend or loved one gives you this is considered to be in bad taste. How will we answer the Lord if do not take the time to care for the gift He has given us? And how will we answer if we could not save someone from an untimely death from sudden cardiac arrest because we didn’t take the time to learn? LET’S NOT PUT OURSELVES IN THAT POSITION! Please view the video above and please join us for the Heart Walk! Register now by visiting the link below or register at church!!!

http://heartwalk.kintera.org/faf/search ... 9&cj=Y

At Bishop Peter’s direction we ask each of our parishioners following the Divine Liturgy to listen to the Thanksgiving Prayers after Holy Communion as we come to kiss the cross and receive the blessed bread. Those who have not communed should listen to the prayers and thank God that others did have that opportunity while reflecting on when they themselves could next partake of the Holy Mysteries. Those who communed, of course, should listen very attentively to the prayers and thank God for the great gift which they have received at the Divine Liturgy. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD ANY CONVERSATIONS TAKE PLACE DURING THIS TIME except brief exchanges with the priest at the cross. The Divine Liturgy ends only when the curtain of the altar is closed after all parishioners have venerated the cross. Only after the curtain is closed should candles be blown out or conversations take place. We thank you for your attention to this important aspect of our worship. Questions in this regard should be directed to Fr. Gregory or our Starosta, Karl Meyer.

This evening at Vigil and tomorrow morning at Liturgy we celebrate, in addition to the Sunday of the Paralytic, the Holy Church commemorates the Great Martyr St. George, truly one of the universal saints of the Orthodox Church. To encourage the veneration of this Great Martyr we include here the life of St. George.

English:

http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsLife.asp?FSID=101184

Russian:

http://days.pravoslavie.ru/Life/life918.htm

His Grace Bishop Peter of Cleveland will lead a diocesan pilgrimage to the Holy Land this September. Please find more information about the pilgrimage at the diocesan web site:

http://www.chicagodiocese.org/news_120202_2.html

Bishop Peter is uniquely qualified to lead such a pilgrimage, having led pilgrims to the Holy Land many times and having been the head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem for the three years immediately proceeding his consecration as Bishop of Cleveland. Fr. Gregory strongly recommends this pilgrimage to any of our parishioners who have been considering a trip to the Holy Land. This will literally be a trip of a lifetime.

We have two great opportunities to really put our faith into action this month! On both May 13 and May 20 we will be serving breakfast to Alpha House residents (more information on Alpha House, the local shelter for homeless families, is below) from 8:35 a.m. to 9:40 a.m. The beauty of this opportunity is that when you finish at 9:40 a.m. on Sunday morning (both these dates are Sundays) you are about a 10 minute drive from St. Vladimir’s. That means that not only will you have helped the families at Alpha House, but you will be at church 10 minutes before the Divine Liturgy starts! To lean more or to reserve your spot (space for volunteers is limited) please contact Roman Vershynin (rlvershynin@gmail.com) or see him in church.

Alpha House:

http://www.alphahouse-ihn.org/Home.aspx

We hope our readers will enjoy this collection of photographs by Vladimir Khodakov, one of the photographers who regularly covers the services of Patriarch Kyrill through photos. The photos are of Church Life in Russia through the lens of a very experienced photographer.

English:

http://translate.google.com/translate?s ... mp;act=url

Russian:

http://www.pravoslavie.ru/foto/set532.htm

This Sunday we will take up a collection at the cross to benefit Project Life Novosibirsk. This charity supports mothers in Novosibirsk, Russia who choose to carry their babies to term rather than have an abortion. Abortion continues to be a terrible problem in Russia and this is our small way of helping those that choose to keep their children. Project Life provides mothers with food, diapers, clothes, and other essential supplies that ease the burden on the family of the newly-born child. Our parish has committed to supporting Project Life Novosibirsk in 2012. Our donations allow Project Life to run their office, which in turn allows them to leverage more donations locally. For those who will not be present this Sunday but would like to make a donation please see Fr. Gregory or our Treasurer, Molly Martinchek.

The anniversary of the repose of our first parish Rector, Archpriest Paul Karas, is May 6. Following Divine Liturgy that day we will serve a pannykhida for Fr. Paul and then enjoy a memorial meal together as a parish family. Please plan to join us to honor Fr. Paul’s memory and the foundation of Christian love that he established in our parish – a foundation we continue to build upon today. May the memory of this good Pastor of Christ’s flock be eternal!

Our youngest youth group will visit some of our older parishioners who cannot come to church and greet them with Christ’s Resurrection after the Divine Liturgy this coming Sunday. Please plan to join us! For more information please contact Dmitry or Snezhana Knysh or email info@stvladimiraami.org. Please plan to join us!!!

We’ve got moms – lots of them! Those who have young children may be interested in a new group we are starting in our parish. This group is a sort of combination play group/support group that will allow moms with kids to have their children play together on a regular basis AND give the moms some quality interaction with other moms to share best practices, support each other in their parenting and faith, and otherwise make each other’s lives more pleasant during this special time of life.

FIRST and most important – we need a mom or two to head up this group. Please contact Fr. Gregory if you would be willing! We’ll go from there. What we can say for sure is that there are young moms in our parish that will really benefit from this group – please volunteer to help if you can!

Our parish will be participating in the Washtenaw County Heart Walk on Saturday, May 19, 2012. The leads in planning this important opportunity for community involvement and education in our parish will be Militsa Manojlovich and Joanne Gabl. Our goals are big! We hope to have 100 St. Vladimirians participate in the walk (men, women, children, and dogs are welcome!) and to raise $1000 for the American Heart Association. Funds raised at the Heart Walk are used for research on one of the leading killers in our society (and especially in Michigan!): heart disease. For more information please contact Militsa or Joanne, and please reserve the morning of May 19 on your family’s calendar – you will be glad you did!

To SIGN UP NOW please visit our team page on the American Heart Association site:

http://heartwalk.kintera.org/faf/search ... 9&cj=Y

You can also sign up at church – there is a sign-up sheet posted on the bulletin board near the back doors. Please plan to join us!

Our parish is holding a garage sale at the Obertas home on Saturday, May 12th. We need your usable items brought to church (in a box, please), or make arrangements to deliver them to the Obertas home. We are looking for household items, kitchen items, tools, office supplies, jewelry, toys, etc. Please no clothing or shoes. For questions contact:

• Gloria Hovan: tahovan@ameritech.net
• Leta Nikulshina: letanikulshina@gmail.com
• Olga Obertas: oobertas@umich.edu

St. Vladimir’s Church School began January 15. Classes will be held every Sunday morning beginning at 9:30 a.m. through May 19 with the exception of April 15. Please do not be late! We have condensed the classes to the greatest extent possible for the convenience of our busy families – we value your time. Please do us the favor of valuing the time of the teachers and other volunteers who make our Church School possible by being on time. The school schedule is:

9:30 a.m. Prayer
9:30 a.m. Law of God
10:00 p.m. Divine Liturgy

All children are urged to participate in the Divine Liturgy to the greatest extent possible by ringing bells, serving in the altar, singing, helping in the kiosk, and most importantly by being present in the church and praying with their parish family, AND ESPECIALLY by partaking of the Holy Mysteries. The Liturgy is not a spectacle or event that we watch, but a prayerful “work of the people” that we participate in through our prayerful involvement. Please contact Fr. Gregory with questions in this regard. To learn more about our Church School please contact the Church School Director, Tatiana Scrochi: 734-680-0948 or tatianacolmenares@gmail.com

This article is the final project for an undergraduate research experience by a student at the University of New Hampshire. For this project the author visited Holy Trinity Monastery in upstate New York. Both for those who have visited the monastery as well as for those who have not this article will prove to be informative and pleasant reading:

http://www.unh.edu/inquiryjournal/12/ar ... enzie.html

Please note our upcoming parish pilgrimage to Holy Trinity Monastery. Those interested in learning more or reserving a place on the pilgrimage (June 1-3, 2012) should contact Dmitry Knysh (dmitriknysh@hotmail.com or 734-358-5996) or Fr. Gregory.

With Bishop Peter’s blessing our annual parish pilgrimage to Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY is set for June 1-3, 2012. Remarkably we were able to reserve rooms in the guest house for the monastery feast day – the Sunday of Holy Pentecost. This is the biggest pilgrimage weekend of the year for the monastery and will be a wonderful opportunity for our parishioners to experience the patronal feast of the monastery. Please plan to join us! To learn more please contact Dmitry Knysh (dmitriknysh@hotmail.com or 734-358-5996) or Fr. Gregory.

We would like to know when each of our parishioners celebrates their name’s days (and for our Serbian parishioners – your Slava). Please share that information with us so we can acknowledge you and see to it that you are appropriately commemorated at all services connected with your name’s day – even if you cannot be in the church on that day. Please send information to info@stvladimiraami.org Thank you!

This Sunday marks the feast of the Myrrh-Bearing Women. On this Sunday we also commemorate the Noble Joseph and Nicodemus. On this Sunday only – just this once in the year – several of the hymns sung in the church are sung to the special melody “The Noble Joseph” – the same melody sung during Holy Week. Please join us for a very special Sunday as we commemorate in song those who were so central to the narrative of Holy Week and Bright Week.

Read a short by edifying article explaining the most important feast of the Church - the Pascha of the Lord:

http://www.chicagodiocese.org/article.php?id=22

Please find a short but very instructive sermon by the great Russian ecclesiastical educator and theologian of the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th Centuries, Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) at the link below – WELL worth the read:

http://www.pravoslavie.ru/english/53064.htm

Fr. Gregory strongly urges all our youth eligible to participate to do so!

FIRST COME FIRST SERVED – REGISTER NOW!!!

The Synod Youth Department announces the beginning of registration for a youth pilgrimage to Russia July 7-18, 2012. Fluency in Russian is not required. Ages that may participate: 18-28. The pilgrimage commemorates the 5th anniversary of the signing of the Act of Canonical Communion between the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate. His Grace Bishop Theodosius of Seattle will head the pilgrimage delegation.

The Pilgrimage itinerary includes:

* Participation in the 3rd annual International Congress “For Life” with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kyrill (to take place in Moscow July 10-12). It is expected that His Holiness will deliver the keynote lecture at the opening of the congress.
* Volunteer work in orphanages, hospitals, and other institutions for the elderly and disadvantaged where our youth will provide support for the residents and provide entertainment
* A pilgrimage to Ekaterinburg – to the places associated with the martyric struggle of the Russian Royal Martyrs
* Participation in roundtable discussions with representatives from various Church-based charities
* Visits to the holy places of Moscow

To apply for inclusion in the pilgrimage one must write a one-page essay on the theme “The Meaning of the Reconciliation of the Russian Orthodox Church – Five Years of One Russian Orthodox Church”. This essay must be sent to rev.a.sommer@synod.com. You may also address questions to that email address. The $65 fee must be sent to:

Archpriest Andrei Sommer
75 E. 93rd St.
New York, NY 10128

The $65 registration fee includes lodging, meals, local transport, and airfare between Moscow and Ekaterinburg. The fee DOES NOT include transportation to and from Moscow or visa costs.

Please take the time to read – all the way through – this excellent sermon on the Sunday of the Apostle Thomas by Archpriest George Mitrofanov, Professor of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. Those who read this will be glad they did and it may just change the way they think about doubt as a part of living a Christian life…

English:

http://www.pravmir.com/sincerity-and-ho ... as-sunday/

Russian:

http://azbyka.ru/days/dni_pamiati_sviat ... -all.shtml

Please note that we have made additions to the schedule of services and activities at St. Vladimir’s. The main change is additional available time to meet with Fr. Gregory and the addition of a Liturgy on Midpentecost. These additions were made possible because Fr. Gregory’s planned trip to Russia at the end of April and beginning of May has had to be postponed until later this year. Please view the updated service schedule at the usual link:

http://www.stvladimiraami.org/calendars ... lendar.pdf

Please read the Encyclical from Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople at the link below:

http://www.pravoslavie.ru/english/52950.htm

Below please find an interesting article which will be helpful in preparing ourselves for the Vigil tonight and the Liturgy tomorrow - Thomas Sunday.

http://www.pravoslavie.ru/english/46216.htm

This sermon by St. John of Kronstadt is specifically targeted at those who, in his days, celebrated the feast of Pascha (and other feasts) in an inappropriate way. Although we have great hope that such inappropriate celebrations no longer take place in our days, nonetheless, the words of the great Pastor of Kronstadt are still edifying for us even now. We hope our readers find St. John’s words enlightening and useful in their continued quest to live a balanced spiritual life.

http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/sjok_pascha.aspx

On Sunday, April 1 Dmitri Knysh, a member of our Philanthropy Team, made a presentation at St. Vladimir's about how each of us can help to reach our goal of raising $1,000,000 in gifts and pledges to support the building of the new church and educational center in 2012. Any member of our Philanthropy Team would be happy to meet with you at your convenience to review this presentation and discuss in detail how you can help us reach this goal. WE CAN DO IT with your help and the Lord's blessing. Please pray for the success of our capital campaign and please contact one of our Philanthropy Team members below to make an appointment.

Dmitry Knysh
734-358-5996
dmitriknysh@hotmail.com

Nathan Longan
734-678-8042
nathanlongan@gmail.com

Karl Meyer
734-945-0490
kmeyer4995@aol.com

To see the design renderings of the new church please visit the link below:

http://www.stvladimiraami.org/stewardsh ... -13-11.pdf

Our young adult group meets at Fr. Gregory’s home in Saline this Sunday at 6:00 p.m. Please join us for dinner and a discussion! The main topic will be the Lord’s Resurrection, but other topics will be allowed as well! :) We will talk about our participation in the American Heart Association Heart Walk too – and more! RSVP to Fr. Gregory ASAP so the right amount of dinner can be prepared!

As is our usual practice we will visit the graves of our friends and loved ones on Thomas Sunday after the parish meal (we should arrive at Forest Hill Cemetery no later than 2:30 p.m. - hopefully by 2:00 p.m.). For those graves we cannot visit on Thomas Sunday we will visit after the Liturgy on Radonitsa (April 24). On that day we will serve Liturgy at 8:00 a.m. followed by the first Pannykhida after Pascha. Radonitsa will also be the rain date for Thomas Sunday if the weather is particularly bad that day.

Please visit our photo album page to view pictures from our St. Vladimir's Pascha (and Holy Week too!):

http://stvladimirchurch.smugmug.com/2012

Please check back regularly to see additional pictures and videos. Thank you to all who took pictures and videos to record the feast of feast and the day of days at St. Vladimir's!

On the eve of Pascha Sretenskii monastery in Moscow publised a new, free, iPhone and Android App: Orthodox Calendar. Please see the link before for more information. For now the app is only in Russian. Hopefully there will be an English version soon!

http://www.pravoslavie.ru/news/52921.htm

Please find the Paschal Epistle of Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, below.

English:

http://www.russianorthodoxchurch.ws/syn ... istle.html

Russian:

http://www.russianorthodoxchurch.ws/syn ... istle.html

Thank you to all who made this year’s Holy Week and Pascha so wonderful at St. Vladimir’s! There are so many to mention that any list of names would never do justice to the extraordinary effort our parish family put forth to celebrate these most important days of the Christian Year. Thank you to those who sang and read, to those who served in the altar, to those who cleaned, to those who cooked, to those who recorded this week for us through photos and videos, to ALL we say THANK YOU!

Bright Week will quickly slip away from us, but we do our best to celebrate as often as we can this week. Please note the schedule of services for opportunities to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection again and again this week and please join us as your schedule allows!

Photos of the Divine Services from Holy Week and Bright Week are being posted on our parish photo album – please visit the site often to see updates:

http://stvladimirchurch.smugmug.com/

Please find the Paschal Epistle of Patriarch Kyrill in Russian, English, and many other languages at the link below:

http://www.mospat.ru/ru/2012/04/14/news61457/

You can only make a first impression once. That is why it is so important, and the responsibility of each and every one of us, to warmly welcome visitors to our parish. Is the visitor not acting “appropriately”? Assure them that all will be fine and lovingly help. Is the visitor’s child fussy? Assure them that we welcome children in the church and not to worry. If they ask for a place to go to quiet the child please point out the nursery – do not push them out the door. Does the visitor have questions? Answer them if possible, and if not, refer them to someone who can. A smile and a welcoming word can make the difference in someone’s spiritual life both in this life and the next. Please show love one to another so that people will know that we are Christ’s disciples! We want to be known for our warm hospitality as was Abraham – but we all must work together to make our parish as welcoming as we possibly can!

We would like to remind our readers about the excellent resource that is Ancient Faith Radio. Not only does Ancient Faith Radio provide access to Orthodox music 24 hours per day, but it also has very interesting Orthodox talk programs as well. Please visit their site and share it with your friends and neighbors that might be interested in our faith - it is an excellent resource to allow those seeking to find Orthodoxy!

http://ancientfaith.com/

We’ve discussed our Diocese of Chicago & Mid-America Pastoral School extensively over the last few years at our parish. Please understand that the school is for those interested in serving the Holy Church as clergymen, BUT ALSO for those interested in learning more about their Orthodox faith - both men and women. You can learn more by visiting the Pastoral School web site – please see Fr. Gregory with questions.:

http://www.orthodoxtheologicalschool.org/

Have you met people that you think might be interested in joining our parish family? How about families in your neighborhood? How about Russian families you meet at the store or at your child’s school? An easy way to do a very good thing is to invite those that you feel would be interested to join us, and to OFFER THEM A RIDE. There are still many people in our area that don’t know we exist. If they know and they choose not to join us that is perfectly fine, but if they don’t know - then we as a parish family have not done our job. Ask nicely, kindly, with love, but if you know of someone that might be interested do ask. Questions? Please see Fr. Gregory.

Activities for our various parish youth groups will be according to the following schedule AS A MINIMUM. Surely there will be additional activities such as volunteering at Alpha House or the Ice Cream Ice Skate set for February 26. Please join us as often as you can and please contact those listed here for more information and details on our youth activities!

9-12 Year Old Group (Dmitry & Snezhana Knysh)
February 26
March 11
April 8
May 6

Teen Group (Eduardo Volkov)
February 12
March 11
April 8
May 6

College-Age Group (Fr. Gregory & Elizabeth Joyce)
February 19
March 25
April 22
May 20

We all desire to attend the Divine Services more often, but the question arises as to how to practically do that. As a rule most of us attended Sunday Divine Liturgy regularly. This leaves us looking, sometimes with trepidation, at the Vigil service. Let us not fear! Vigil is spiritually edifying and educational! Still, the Vigil is not short, and be assured that we value your time!

Vigil takes about two and a half hours to complete. We must say first that this is time well spent for a Christian, as Vigil teaches us much about the feast or saint being commemorated the next day and is an important part of preparation for partaking of the Holy Mysteries. Vigil services have about 50% variable content while Divine Liturgy has about 10% variable content. Divine Liturgy is clearly the most important of the Divine Services from a theological point of view, but from an educational point of view you will learn much by attending the Vigil service. Further, for adults Vigil is the preferred time to go to Confession (rather than Sunday mornings).

Still, the service is not short and we recognize that. All should be aware that confessions are heard before every Vigil. Also, please note that about half way through the Vigil the Gospel is read and the faithful are anointed with holy oil. This is a very logical time for those who cannot stay for the entire Vigil to take their leave (that is, after having been anointed). This is not the ideal (that is, we are not URGING you to leave early), but is completely acceptable.

Please consider making the Vigil part of your spiritual struggle this year. By establishing this as a pious family practice we hope that more and more of our parish family members will join us for Vigil throughout the year for their education and salvation!

This Sunday we will continue to sing “Our Father” together. This will be the case going forward on most Sundays at St. Vladimir’s. Over time, as we become more accustomed to this, we will sing this nearly every Sunday (with the exception of some major feast days). We will rotate singing in Church Slavonic and English using this handout (this will also be handed out on Sundays before we sing for those who would like to refer to it):

http://www.stvladimiraami.org/sheetmusi ... andout.pdf

English speakers will note that we have transliterated the Church Slavonic prayer so that we all may sing together (which is the main thrust of this effort). Please review the transliteration so that you become familiar with it. If you have any trouble with the pronunciation please feel free to ask Fr. Gregory, Fr. John, or one of our Slavonic readers for help.

Bishop Peter has asked that we also sing the Symbol of Faith together on Sundays. Once we have mastered "Our Father" as a group we will begin to work on the Symbol of Faith. More information in that regard will be forthcoming.

During the warm spring and summer months, just as during the cold winter months, we sometimes forget the necessity of dressing appropriately for church services. We include below a helpful guide for appropriate dress in church. Thank you very much for supporting our parish family by conforming to these important standards (which are applicable to all Divine Services – not just Sunday Divine Liturgy)!

http://www.stvladimiraami.org/flyers/properattire.pdf

In the winter months we don’t really have to think about things like dresses that do not cover the shoulder or short pants, but in the summer we do. A few practical tips in this regard:

• If you have a dress that does not cover your shoulders that you would like to wear to church that is just fine, but please cover your shoulders with a shawl or light sweater while in church
• Shorts are not appropriate in church. Somehow we struggle with this every spring and summer as a parish family. This is likely because this has not been made clear in the past and we ask the forgiveness of all for not being as clear as we should have been. So, to be as clear as possible: shorts should not be worn in church by anyone of any age at any time.

Many of our parishioners have expressed an interest in visiting our friend and fellow parishioner Carl Rinne at his retirement home. We can say now that Carl has fully settled into his surroundings he is ready to accept visitors! Those who are interested in visiting are urged to contact Helen Tkach-Gabl (eagletkt@hotmail.com). Helen will explain the best times to visit Carl, give you tips as to how to make the visit most profitable and comfortable, and assure that we all don’t come over at the same time! Please plan to take a few minutes to visit Carl – he will love seeing you!

Our Orthodox Christian faith is a great gift given to us by our Lord and Savior Himself. As with any gift we should be grateful for this one, but realize also that it is our responsibility not just to be grateful in the abstract, but to delve into our faith, to lean about our faith, to know our faith – not as an abstraction, but because it is helpful for our salvation to understand the gift that the Lord has given us. To learn more about your faith please visit the special web page we have created on our site for this express purpose. The address is found below. Please contact Fr. Gregory with questions regarding this or any spiritual topic.

http://www.stvladimiraami.org/orthodoxinfo.shtml

Please be courteous to your fellow worshipers and be sure to turn off your cell phone when entering the church, or at the very lease turn the ringer to the vibrate function. Thank you for you attention to this important matter!

Each of us has a patron saint, and thus a name’s day. On our name’s days we we honor our heavenly protector, that is, the saint for whom we are named. This we do by going to the parish church and partaking of the Mysteries of Confession and Communion, or if there is no service in our parish on that particular day, arranging for a Moleben to be served for our saint in the church on that day and Confessing and Communing on the nearest day possible to our namesday. It is also a pious tradition to invite our friends to our homes on our namesdays for a reception in honor of the saint for which we are named, to sing the saint's troparion, and to read the life of the saint. It is also very important to have an icon of our patron saint in our home icon corner. Some who read this may not know in honor of which saint they are named. For instance, there are at least 23 different saints with the name "John" on the Orthodox calendar. This is nothing to be ashamed of, but it is VERY important to learn about your heavenly patron, to make that saint a focus of daily prayer, and to keep that saint's commemoration (your namesday) in a pious manner. If you are not sure for whom you are named, and your parents also are not sure (this should be part of the baptismal record at the parish where you were baptized), please see Fr. Gregory for help in determining this important information!

As a parish we no longer own P.O. Box 2072 in Ann Arbor. Having two separate addresses seemed to be duplicative and so we ask that you direct all future correspondence to the parish physical address:

9900 Jackson Rd.
Dexter, MI 48130

The dates of Parish Council meetings for 2012-13 are the following:

March 11, 2012
April 8, 2012
May 20, 2012
June 17, 2012
July 22, 2012
August 19, 2012
September 16, 2012
October 21, 2012
November 18, 2012
December 16, 2012
January 20, 2013
February 17, 2013 (Likely Date of 2012 Annual Meeting)

Deviations from this schedule will be posted on our home page.

We would like to have more photos and videos of services and activities at St. Vladimir’s. Not every service necessarily, but certainly more than we have now. Our photo album is a huge missionary outreach tool for us, and adding more video will be even more helpful. Let us be clear: this is a ministry! Your work in this regard will help others come to the faith. We would like to have one or two more folks taking photos regularly and one or two folks regularly shooting video. If you are interested in helping please contact Fr. Gregory. We are greatly indebted to those who take photos now and we don’t want you to stop! We just want to broaden this aspect of our ministry to our parishioners and to those who are seeking a church home.

The St. John Kochurov society promotes and supports major diocesan initiatives:

The Diocesan Pastoral School
Diocesan Youth Ministry
Mission Planting
Support of our Hierarchs

It is our goal that our parish have the most members of the St. John society of any parish in the diocese! Please view the St. John society's pamphlet below, print it out, and make your pledge today!

St. John Kochurov Society Flyer:

http://www.stvladimiraami.org/flyers/st ... ociety.pdf

To view a smaller version of the flyer in a lower resolution please visit this link:

http://www.stvladimiraami.org/flyers/st ... -small.pdf

Of course whenever we come to church we want to behave appropriately. After all, the church is God’s house. We believe this little two-page pamphlet is very helpful in this regard. The pamphlet is in both English and Russian and includes the meaning of the bright lampadas above the Royal Doors at St. Vladimir’s. We suggest that all our parishioners review this pamphlet and we thank you kindly for doing so!

http://www.stvladimiraami.org/pamphlets ... church.pdf

Please see Fr. Gregory with questions.

We have occassionally find things damaged in and around the church – sometimes things that are somewhat expensive – because someone didn’t know how to use these things and subsequently destroyed them. Please, if you don’t know how to use something or how to do something: ask! We VERY MUCH APPRECIATE everyone’s willingness to help, but we ask that if you get into a situation in which you aren’t sure how to run a piece of machinery or use a certain chemical or open a locked area, etc., that you call our Starosta at 734-945-0490 or Fr. Gregory at 734-649-5746. It is our Christian obligation to be good stewards of those things the Lord has given to us. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

We would like to know when each of our parishioners celebrates their name’s days (and for our Serbian parishioners – your Slava). Please share that information with us so we can acknowledge you and see to it that you are appropriately commemorated at all services connected with your name’s day – even if you cannot be in the church on that day. Please send information to info@stvladimiraami.org Thank you!

St. Vladimir's warmly welcomes students from the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, and all our local institutions of higher education. Need a ride? Please let us know (info@stvladimiraami.org)! We will be happy to pick you up and bring you to church. Interested in spiritual growth? We have a college age youth group just for that. We realize you might not be here every Sunday. We are good with that! But we do hope you will join us as often as you can! Welcome to St. Vladimir's!

As many of us are aware, the Lord chose 12 close disciples and taught them continually during His own ministry to continue that ministry after His Ascension. These 12 close disciples were called Apostles, and this year at St. Vladimir’s we will focus on the life, teaching, and example of each of these twelve apostles. There were also seventy other Apostles chosen later, but we will concentrate on just the twelve for now – one during each of the months of this year. We encourage each of our parish family members to delve deeply into the life of the Apostles – the first ministers and preachers of the Gospel after our Lord Jesus Christ. The lives of each of the Apostles will be available the first week of each month of the year according to the following schedule on our home page and in our weekly bulletin, “Sunday Reading”. Monthly discussions will be held at St. Vladimir’s about each of the Apostles, including during our Great Lenten Lecture Series.

January – Apostle Peter

English:
http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsLife.asp?FSID=101841
Russian:
http://days.pravoslavie.ru/Life/life6793.htm

February – Apostle Andrew
March – Apostle James (son of Zebedee)
April – Apostle John
May – Apostle Philip
June – Apostle Bartholomew
July – Apostle Thomas
August – Apostle Matthew
September – Apostle James (son of Alphaeus)
October – Apostle Thaddaeus
November – Apostle Simon
December – Apostle Matthias

“And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. And when ye come into an house, salute it. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.” (Matthew 10:1-20)

“And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,) Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood. For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take. Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection. And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.” (Acts 1:15-26)

We have updated our photo album both with new pictures from this year, but also by reorganizing past pictures. Please take a look:

http://stvladimirchurch.smugmug.com/

As always, if you have pictures of our parish to share please send to info@stvladimiraami.org

Confession and Communion are the two sacraments we most often partake of as Orthodox Christians and thus it behooves us to learn about these, how to prepare for these, and how to best take advantage of the Grace that our Lord freely gives us in these sacraments. At St. Vladimir’s we have created a special web site for this purpose with much information in this regard. Please find the web site listed below and please contact Fr. Gregory with questions!

http://www.stvladimiraami.org/communion ... nion.shtml

Those who pray in Russian or Church Slavonic can now use the iPhone or Android app published by Sretensky Monastery in Moscow. The web link announcing this publication is below. The apps are free. We are now waiting and hoping for the same sort of app in English - God willing soon!

http://www.pravoslavie.ru/news/50544.htm

Did you know that some (in fact many) companies offer matching funds for donations made to non-profit organizations such as our parish? To find out more please contact your Human Resources department at you place of employment. Did you know that if you donate your used car to Charity Motors you can direct that the proceeds from the sale of the car go to our own St. Vladimir parish? You can find out more at their web site: http://www.charitymotors.org Please consider these options to support your parish!

St. Vladimir’s participates in the Good Shop program. Many of us buy things on-line all the time at web sites like amazon.com, bestbuy.com, target.com, and others. You can support St. Vladimir’s by purchasing from the very same on-line retailers you usually do, but through the Good Shop portal. It is easy to do! Simply visit this web site:

http://www.goodsearch.com/goodshop.aspx

Then type in “St. Vladimir” and choose our parish from the small list of St. Vladimir parishes listed there. You can distinguish ours by the fact that we are the only one in Dexter, MI (you have to double-click on our parish’s name). Finally, just navigate to the left side of the page and choose the broad category that you wish to shop in. You will shop at the same retail web sites you normally do, but St. Vladimir’s will receive a percentage of your purchase as a donation. You will also find a banner for Good Shop on our home page. Thank you for supporting our parish by purchasing the SAME GOODS YOU USUALLY DO from the SAME WEB SITES YOU USUALLY DO! You can also purchase travel, lodging, and other similar services from Good Shop. All it takes is a few extra clicks to support your parish!

It has come to my attention that at Sunday meals a significant amount of food goes to waste because children are not supervised during meal time, often take too much food, and do not eat what they take from the table. We ask parents to be diligent in overseeing their children in this regard so that we teach our children the virtue of moderation rather than the vice of waste. Please contact me with questions or concerns. -Fr. Gregory

We think that some of our readers may be interested in visiting this web site, which explains icons not only from an Orthodox point of view, but also in such a way that this can be very beneficial to our friends and loved ones who believe that icons are idols or otherwise have a somewhat visceral reaction to the icons in our homes and in our churches. We hope you find this interesting, informative, and edifying.

http://orthodoxinfo.com/general/icon_faq.aspx

Please help us to compile a list of businesses owned by St. Vladimir’s parishioners! We would like to do this so that when we need goods and services we can support the members of our parish family. For instance, if you need something sewn or mended why would you (as a St. Vadlimirian) go anywhere else but to Elena Kashchenko’s shop? But there are MANY more of us who own businesses or provide services. Please contact Fr. Gregory or Karl Meyer with your information so that we can support you as a member of our parish family!

Please be aware of the many children who are playing outside at our parish at this time of year. Of course, we urge parents to have the children inside for the Divine Services, but we also realize that the services are long and children sometimes need a break. Drivers are driving into the driveway and towards the church ENTIRELY TOO FAST. Someone is going to get seriously hurt or killed if we do not begin to slow down. PLEASE, for the sake our children be careful! We appreciate the zeal to get to the Divine Services on time, but we would rather have you a minute or two late and everyone safe, then on time and a tragedy. Last spring we installed a speed bump on the driveway as an aid to our parishioners in this regard and the speed bump will soon be back now that the snow plowing season has (hopefully!) passed. Thank you for your attention to this matter.