Please find lots of new sound files at our Sound of the Parish Blog:

http://soundoftheparish.blogspot.com/

You can sign up on the blog to receive updates via email every time we post a new file. OR - if you would like to get an update every time we update that page, our home page, our You Tube Channel, and more - please follow up on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/stvladimiraami

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: the explanation of last Sunday's Gospel reading by Blessed Theophylact:

http://chrysostompress.org/c_fourth_lent.html

For Children – an activity based on last Sunday's Gospel reading for various ages:

http://www.antiochian.org/sites/default ... 4-10-a.pdf

This year we continue our practice of serving Great Vespers after several of the Great Lenten Lectures. Please find more at this link and please join us as your personal schedule allows:

http://stvladimiraami.org/flyers/sunday ... rs2016.pdf

What a great, great weekend! Thank you to ALL who worked so hard to make the visit of the Kursk Icon to St. Vladimir's such a huge success over the last weekend! The church was full to overflowing, we had lots of volunteers (and lots of visitors) for the Saturday to Sunday overnight vigil, the choir was wonderful, the food was plentiful and delicious – everything was just wonderful! Thank you to all who made this all possible and gave us a little tasted of Pascha a few weeks early with the visit of the Mother of God to our parish family!

Learn more about the Kursk Icon at the links below.

English:

http://stvladimiraami.org/pamphlets/kurskicon.pdf

Russian:

http://stvladimiraami.org/pamphlets/kurskicon_ru.pdf

Wednesday – Matins, Great Canon, Life of St. Mary of Egypt 6:00 p.m.
Thursday – Great Lenten Hours, Typica, Presanctified Liturgy 5:00 p.m.
Friday – Matins, Hours, Presanctified Liturgy 8:00 a.m. (Liturgy begins about 11:00 a.m.)
Friday – Matins for the Laudation of the Theotokos (Akathist Saturday) 6:00 p.m.
Saturday – Divine Liturgy for the Laudation of the Theotokos 8:00 a.m.
Saturday – Open Time/Confession 3:00 p.m.
Saturday – Church School 5:00 p.m.
Saturday – Vigil 6:00 p.m.
Sunday – Divine Liturgy 10:00 a.m.
Sunday – Great Lenten Lecture following Liturgy
More information: http://stvladimiraami.org/flyers/greatl ... ns2016.pdf
Sunday – *FINAL* Great Lenten Sunday Vespers following Lecture
More information: http://stvladimiraami.org/flyers/sunday ... rs2016.pdf
ORPR Camper Meeting 4:00 p.m.
More information/RSVP: http://goo.gl/forms/CGS82zAv1b
Monday – St. Vladimir's Parents Group 5:30 p.m.
More information/RSVP: http://goo.gl/forms/3ivdHPVF72

Michigan Deanery General Unction Service at Dormition Cathedral April 11

Please save the date! With the blessing of Bishop Peter, the annual General Unction service for our Michigan Deanery will be held at Dormition Cathedral at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, April 11. The address for Dormition Cathedral is:

2101 Livernois St.
Ferndale, MI 48220

Unction is a sacrament of the Holy Church and thus although we welcome all to be present at the beautiful Divine Service, only Orthodox Christians who have recently been to confession (within the last three weeks before the Unction service) may be anointed. The ideal situation would be to confess and partake of the Mystery of Holy Communion on Sunday, April 10 and then partake of Unction on April 11.

The Sacrament of Unction is tied very closely to both repentance and healing, and thus, although this sacrament is generally reserved for those who are very sick (to aid in their healing or their prayerful departure into the next life) the practice is to hold this service one time per year during Great Lent to strengthen all of us on our path towards spiritual healing through repentance – the path we tread each year during Great Lent. Please see Fr. Gregory with questions and please plan to prepare yourself and to partake of this Holy Mystery as an aid to spiritual (and bodily) healing at Dormition Cathedral on April 11.

More about the Mystery of Unction:

http://www.stvladimiraami.org/flyers/my ... nction.pdf

Please note that we have moved the Children's Liturgy from May 7 to May 2. That is, from Bright Saturday to Bright Monday. This is important because we are urging parents to have their children excused from school on May 2 if at all possible. At least for the morning. We realize this is not as convenient as having the Liturgy on a Saturday, but because of some scheduling conflicts that cannot be resolved we have had to move to Monday. Thank you for your understanding and please plan to join us! Parents should sign up for their children to fill the various duties surrounding the Divine Liturgy at this link:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/137Tvs8DyJyoluZ-2N0lrWu06RjLDLITO4aGzU92FSQg/edit?usp=sharing

Please note that Great Lent began this year on March 14. During Great Lent we abstain from meat and dairy products including fish (although fish is allowed on the Annunciation – April 7, and Palm Sunday – April 24). Let us recall that fasting is a tool given to us by God to aid us spiritually. For some it is easy to fast, for others it is difficult. However, what is most important is that we make a sincere effort to follow the fast. Why? Simply because the fast helps us to see our sins by helping us to focus spiritually. Eating “light” foods, or perhaps rather, abstaining from “heavy” foods such as meats and cheeses, allows us to be less focused on our stomachs and more focused on our souls, and of course, in this season when we undergo our journey to the Resurrection of our Lord we dearly wish to improve ourselves spiritually that we might meet the risen Christ better than we were when we began Great Lent. St. John Chrysostom writes that we abstain from meats that we might abstain from our sins. This nicely sums up the reason the Holy Church, as a loving mother, gives us the gift of fasting. Pascha is May 1 – may God grant us all a spiritually profitable Great Lent!

The Holy Church appoints several special Saturdays throughout the year on which we especially commemorate our departed friends and loved ones. At St. Vladimir’s we will serve the following memorial services on the following dates this Great Lent:

March 5: Divine Liturgy 8:00 a.m. (Vespers and Matins for the departed the evening prior at 6:00 p.m.)
March 26: Divine Liturgy 9:00 a.m. (Matins for the departed the evening prior at 6:00 p.m.) - All English Cycle
April 2: Divine Liturgy 8:00 a.m. (Matins for the departed the evening prior at 6:00 p.m.)
April 9: Divine Liturgy 8:00 a.m. (Matins for the departed the evening prior at 6:00 p.m.)

Please join us for those services that you are able to and for those you are not: please assure the commemoration of your friends and loved ones at the services by emailing their names (please distinguish between Orthodox and non-Orthodox departed) to info@stvladimiraami.org or by otherwise contacting Fr. Gregory.

Please find the April schedule of services and activities (and yes - Bright Week is there too!) at this link:

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

Please find the April Vladcast at this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldcvCsEibU0

Happy April! Please make this month spiritually profitable for you and your family by joining us for as many of the Divine Services as your personal schedule allows!