Today marks the beginning of the last week in which we eat meat before Great Lent begins. We do not provide this announcement to promote gluttony, but rather, to alert you to use the remainder of the meat products in your home this week, and if you cannot, to freeze the rest to save them for after Pascha. Next week we will do the same with dairy products - use them up so that they are not wasted when we begin Great Lent on March 14. Please contact Fr. Gregory with questions about fasting, or any aspect of Orthodox life.

This year Youth Choir will be held each Saturday at 4:00 p.m. at the church. Altar Server training will take place the first Sunday of the month after the Divine Liturgy. Young boys who are six and above are welcome to participate in the Altar Server Training. Please see Subdeacon John Zroika or Fr. Gregory to assure that your child participates. Generally young boys begin to serve in the altar at about seven years of age (or whenever they begin to confess regularly).

As of 5:30 PM no one has signed up for the Adult Group meeting this evening. Therefore we will cancel tonight's meeting. Thank you for your understanding.

We have started a new blog to allow our parish family to discuss spiritual issues. All are encouraged to read and participate in the blog! You can find the first few posts here:

http://blogtushka.blogspot.com/

Please join us!

His Eminence Metropolitan Jonah will visit St. Vladimir's Saturday and Sunday February 27 and 28 with the blessing of His Grace Bishop Peter, Administrator of our Diocese. Vigil on February 27 will begin at 5:00 p.m. with Divine Liturgy on February 28 at 9:00 a.m. Please make plans now to join us for the Divine Services and please stay after the Liturgy on Sunday for a banquet in the Metropolitan's honor at which he will give the inaugural lecture for our 2016 Great Lenten Lecture Series. We look forward in your participation in what is sure to be a great weekend at St. Vladimir's!

Flier about the Metropolitan's visit to share:

http://stvladimiraami.org/flyers/bishopvisitsflyer.pdf

Please join us for our monthly meeting of our Adult Discussion Group on Friday, February 26 at 7:00 p.m. at Fr. Gregory's home in Saline. More information and RSVP is here:

http://goo.gl/forms/Lg2TK1QSwr

We hope to see you Friday evening!

The akathist and the festival meeting tonight are cancelled at Saint Vladimir's. The roads are simply not safe to travel on and there is little hope that they will be by the time the evening activities were have to begun. Thank you for your understanding!

We have begun our 2016 festival meetings and you - YES YOU - are invited! Please join us every Wednesday after the akathist. The akathist begins at 6:00 p.m. and the festival meeting about 7:00 p.m. Last year's festival was great - pitch in now to make this year's even better! Contact our Starosta, Nathan Longan, for more information.

The annual meeting mailing goes out today. However, we have advertised this for some time in our emails and on our web site. For those who haven't yet read the mailing and just can't wait for it to arrive in the mail, please find it here:

http://stvladimiraami.org/flyers/annualmeeting2016.pdf

Here is the parish membership form – just in case you haven't filled it out yet:

http://stvladimiraami.org/flyers/membershipform.pdf

Please join us on March 6 and please join us as a member of the parish if you have not done so yet!

No, in fact it is not. Despite the fact that the annual calendars we sent to your homes say that it is Cheesefare this week. That is an error. Cheesefare Week is March 7-13. Great Lent begins March 14. THIS WEEK is the annual non-fasting week following the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee. This is a non-fasting week not to promote gluttony, but to send us the message that we shall not fast proudly - as the Pharisee did. Please contact Fr. Gregory with questions regarding fasting - or any aspect of our faith.