SAVE THE DATE! More information soon to come, but please reserve these dates on your child's summer calendar.

We often make kits for the IOCC, but we don't often share with you what happens to them after we make them. Please find at the link below a thank you letter to all those here who recently made Hygiene Kits at the link below:

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

Let's keep working hard to serve others however and whenever we can!

Please join us on Sunday, June 26 for the Day of Youth in ROCOR at St. Vladimir's. Very importantly, we will have a plate collection this day. This plate collection is the ONLY philanthropic effort to support the Diocesan Youth Fund the entire year. Please plan to participate and be as generous as your personal financial situation allows.

We will also hold the biggest, widest, deepest session ever of "Stump the Priest". This will be for both young people and their parents and everyone and anyone can ask questions. Certainly someone will object - the young people won't ask questions in front of their parents of their peers, and the parents will not be much different! Indeed! Thus, we have TWO options for you. The first is to ask your question anonymously at this link:

http://goo.gl/forms/AHyiy8gtjiY5CjSu1

All questions will be compiled before the event and we will do all we can to answer all questions asked on line. We will also provide you the opportunity to ask questions using 3x5 cards at the event itself - anonymously.

For the younger kids: we'll have games outside on this special day.

Please join us!

Please join us for our annual parish feast day! This year we are privileged to have His Grace, Bishop Peter preside at the Divine Services. The schedule is:

Wednesday, July 27: Vigil 5:00 p.m.

Thursday, July 28: Divine Liturgy 9:00 a.m.

Following the Liturgy on July 28 we will have a festive meal. ALL ARE INVITED! Please ask for the day off NOW to assure that you can participate on July 28. The patron feast day of a parish is equal to PASCHA. We would never miss Pascha and we don't want to miss our feast day either! This year we celebrate 35 years as a parish. This is a significant milestone – please join us to mark it! Like to help? Please contact Snezhana Knysh (info@stvladimiraami.org). Snezhana is leading the planning of the event. See you on July 28!

Flyer to share:

http://stvladimiraami.org/flyers/stvladimirday16.pdf

ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!

The great feast of Pentecost is June 19. Please join us on Saturday, June 18 for a Memorial Divine Liturgy beginning at 9:00 a.m. Following the Liturgy we will decorate the parish church with boughs, branches, and flowers for the Pentecost vigil. This is a similar activity to our Lazarus Saturday church decoration in preparation for the Palm Sunday vigil. Many good memories are waiting to be had at these sorts of events. Please bring your children! It is especially important for them to participate in these sorts of activities. All are welcome!

Please visit the St. Nicholas Greek Festival this weekend! The festival starts tonight and runs through Sunday afternoon. More information here:

http://www.annarborgreekfestival.org/

Without the help of the St. Nicholas Festival folks we would not have our own festival – full stop. They have helped us SO MUCH! So please, if it is at all possible, visit St. Nicholas this weekend and support their festival!

As the weather warms it is always a temptation to come to church dressed a bit too lightly. We provide the information below as a guide to help make good decisions about what to wear to church:

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

PARENTS: it is YOUR responsibility to assure that your child is dressed appropriately.

TWO ISSUES WE STRUGGLE WITH EVERY YEAR: no shorts and no uncovered shoulders - no matter the age.

ANOTHER ISSUE WE STRUGGLE WITH: we have skirts and shawls to share if needed. But these are not items to be used as weapons in the attack of a visitor, but to be offered lovingly if it is clear that someone feels out of place because they innocently came to church dressed inappropriately.

Please contact Fr. Gregory with questions or concerns.

Our next Children's Liturgy is set for Saturday, June 18. This is the Soul Saturday immediately before Pentecost. We held a Children's Liturgy on this particular Saturday last year and it worked out quite nicely. We are looking forward to this year's effort being equally successful. 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

With Bishop Peter's blessing, this year summer courses will again be offered in the Pastoral School of the Diocese of Chicago & Mid-America. The following courses will be offered this year – dates for the courses are June 20 – August 6, 2016 (Liturgics is slightly longer in duration):

Liturgics
Church Slavonic
Byzantine History
Parish Management and Operations
Thesis Writing Workshop
Homiletics – NEW
New Testament Greek – NEW
New Testament Latin – NEW

All Pastoral School summer courses are available to the general public without the need for a formal application to our complete Diploma program. To register please visit the following link:

http://www.orthodoxtheologicalschool.or ... iew/summer

To learn more about the summer courses and all the offerings of the Pastoral School please visit this link:

http://www.orthodoxtheologicalschool.or ... scriptions

For more information or with questions please contact the Dean of the Pastoral School, Archpriest Gregory Joyce (fr.gregory.joyce@orthodoxtheologicalschool.org).

Please join us for the Great Feast of the Lord's Ascension on Wednesday evening at 6:00 p.m. and Thursday morning at 8:00 a.m. As we move forward in the liturgical year this feast always comes with mixed feelings. We are happy to see the Lord ascend to the heavens – this is indespensible for our salvation. Yet, here we bid farewell to the beautiful time of Pascha. Nonetheless, this is a joyful feast for us and we will celebrate it with great joy! Please participate as your personal schedule allows – ideally at church – but also on our live stream.