Please take a few minutes now and send a note to info@stvladimiraami.org with a question that you would like Fr. Gregory to address in a future edition of The Path or the Vladcast. Your questions are helpful! When we receive them we don't have to guess at what is important to cover – we KNOW what you want to hear because you yourself are telling us. Thank you for submitting your questions to make our podcasts more focused on our parish family's needs!

I would like to apologize that we were not able to serve Divine Liturgy at St. Vladimir's on Sunday, October 11. Although my first and most important duty as a priest is to serve the Divine Liturgy in the parish that I am assigned to serve in, there will be times, due to my duties as Dean of our Pastoral School, Dean of our Deanery, or Secretary of the Diocese that I will have to be away on a Sunday. These times are rare, but this particular weekend in October is one of those. Each year there is an academic symposium at Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, NY on this weekend and as the Dean of our Pastoral School I really must be present there. However, it is not acceptable to me that the parish should suffer because of my travels. Thus, in addition to my apology I would like to issue a challenge:

We are the largest parish in our diocese for the second year in a row. That is good. But what that also means is this: we have more than ample personnel to provide our own clergymen for our parish. That is, although it is true that I spoke to quite a few seminarians when I was in Jordanville about coming to our diocese, there is no reason that we as a parish – the largest parish in the diocese – cannot provide ample clergymen for our own needs from among our own parishioners. Thus I am challenging all our men who are canonically eligible for ordination (if you don't know whether you are or not please ask me): please seriously consider how you might serve the Holy Church and our parish as a priest or a deacon. Do not make a decision immediately – but do not tell yourself that you will do this when you find the time. You will never find the time – we need to MAKE the time in our lives for those things that are important. And this is important. We need to nourish our parish family with the Word of God, and with His Body and Blood. The Divine Services are the most important ministry that we as a parish execute. There is no reason that our parish cannot have at least three priests and two deacons serving at the Holy Altar. And this should be our goal – at a minimum. Gentlemen – please pray about this, please discuss with your wife, and please discuss this with me. Being a clergyman is not easy. But as with much in life, even if the work is hard the rewards are great. The time for ordination will not be tomorrow. But it cannot be in ten years or even five years. We need help very soon, and you can provide that help. Not someone else - you. Thank you for your consideration and again, please forgive me that we were not able to serve the Divine Liturgy yesterday at St. Vladimir's.

With Love in our Lord Jesus Christ,

Fr. Gregory

Apple Orchard? Corn Maze? YOU decide! Meet at St. Vladimir's right after Liturgy on Sunday. Find John Hill. Vote for what you want to do. Then go and have some fun!

Register:

http://goo.gl/forms/iX34bq3hGr

Today marks the feast of St. John the Theologian on the Church calendar. The life of St. John is a truly interesting one, and we include it here for the general edification of our readers. We congratulate the brothers of the St. John the Theologian Skete in Hiram, OH on their feast day today!

English:

http://oca.org/saints/lives/2015/09/26/ ... theologian

Russian:

http://days.pravoslavie.ru/Life/life1014.htm

Today is one of the major feasts of St. Sergius of Radonezh and the feast day of our own cathedral in Cleveland, OH. We congratulate our sister parish on their feast! Fr. Gregory will be joining Bishop Peter at the celebrations in Cleveland so we will not have services at St. Vladimir's today. However, we present the life of St. Sergius below for your edification.

English:

http://oca.org/saints/lives/2015/09/25/ ... -of-radone

Russian:

http://days.pravoslavie.ru/Life/life1602.htm

While he was visiting St. Vladimir's recently Fr. Vladimir Klimzo met with several of our parish parents and it became quite obvious quite quickly that we need to work more closely together to support each other in our parenting – in our efforts to raise saints for the Heavenly Kingdom (which is exactly what we are trying to do as Orthodox Christian parents). Thus, we have established a Parent Group for our parish. The first meeting of the group is set for October 19. More information can be found at this link – please visit and sign up or reach out to ask questions:

http://goo.gl/forms/2GOEIBNdCe

We hope to see you on October 19!

FREE BABYSITTING IS PROVIDED FOR THIS EVENT!

Please save the date for our annual fall pilgrimage to Holy Cross Monastery in Wayne, West Virginia. More information will be coming soon, but as always registration will be limited due to the limited capacity of the monastery guest house. Please contact Fr. Gregory or Dmitri Knysh with questions. Please plan to join us!

Our Sister in Christ Addelaide Lanterman has volunteered to head up the greeter team at St. Vladimir's. What the parish wants to do is welcome existing parish members and visitors as they enter St. Vladimir. In order to do that effectively we need to have team of about 8 people that volunteer in groups of two to be greeters each Sunday morning starting September 27th. What does it mean to be a greeter? A greeter will be a friendly person available to answer questions, guide people to the available pamphlets about the parish and Orthodox Christianity, provide them with informational bulletin, invite them to stay for the meal after Liturgy, and make polite conversation with them during the meal if they chose to stay. The greeter is the person that the visitors knows is there to help. Please join us! WE NEED YOU! Contact Addie or Nathan today to participate in this important ministry of welcoming newcomers to the parish!

“The Way” is an introduction to Orthodox Christianity for those interested, and a great opportunity for those of us who are already Orthodox to learn more about our faith. People will be needed to help prepare meals, lead discussion groups at the Tuesday sessions, and help with logistics.

In order to facilitate registration of volunteers we have created this Google Doc – please sign up today:

http://goo.gl/forms/fpLNsgQ6Bq

To learn more about The Way please visit this web site:

http://www.iocs.cam.ac.uk/courses/courses_way.html

Please join us for a truly rare opportunity – a Master Class on Russian Folklore. This event promises to enrich your knowledge about Russian cultural traditions, both theoretically and practically. Anastasia Klimzo, a folklorist from Russia, will present some basic background information and teach hands-on (feet-on, actually) dances and songs which are preserved in the Russian villages from generations past. This event is planned to be in Russian. Translation is available if arranged ahead of time - SO PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU WILL ATTEND AND NEED TRANSLATION. Email info@stvladimiraami.org to let us know this.

Suggested donation of $20 will benefit Davydovo camp for mentally disabled kids and teens! Every penny helps! http://davydovo-hram.ru/autisty-v-derevne-1508

Time: 3:00-6:00 p.m.

Place: St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church Hall, 3109 Scio Church Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48103

Register here:

http://goo.gl/forms/Rzq4eznwDc