With Bishop Peter's blessing we will hold our first Church School pilgrimage this year December 12-14. We invite all our Church School students, parents, and teachers to participate in this spiritually important growth opportunity! Pilgrimage is a venerable tradition of the Orthodox Church – visiting and supporting monasteries helps the monks and nuns do their important work: praying for the entire world. Such a pilgrimage with our Church School also helps the young people to see that monasticism is a real option in life – something that they can either engage in or at the very least support. The health of the Church has always been measured by the health of the monasteries. Participating in pilgrimages helps to strengthen these crucially important spiritual institutions. Our pilgrimage will be to Holy Dormition Convent in Rives Junction, MI. This is a beautiful monastery with many divine services, scenic views, and a very nice guest house. We have reserved the entire guest house – 24 beds. We have many more students, parents, and teachers than this, so PLEASE reserve your space right away by contacting our Church School Coordinator, Lilia Vershynin!

UPDATE: We have started a waiting list since we have filled the guest house. We are working with the sisters in Rives Junction to prepare a program for our pilgrims who will be there overnight as well as those who can only visit during the day. Even though the overnight slots are filled we urge all that want to participate to sign up with Lilia so that we can let the nuns know how many day and overnight pilgrims we will have. Please join us!

UPDATE II: We have had such a huge response to this pilgrimage that we are going to break the group into two. This will allow everyone to have the opportunity to stay overnight at the monastery. More information will soon be forthcoming. Thank you all for your understanding and for the great response!

Our long-time parishioner Bill Wolff reposed in the Lord yesterday, on the feast of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple, December 4, 2014, about 10:00 a.m. There will not be a funeral at this time. Unfortunately this decision is not within our control. But, certainly Bill will be thankful for our prayers, and we encourage our parish family to prayerfully remember Bill – especially during these 40 days. The 40th day is Monday, January 12, 2015. Tomorrow following the Divine Liturgy (at which Bill will be commemorated among the newly-reposed) we will hold a pannykhida. The Divine Liturgy begins at 8:00 a.m. Additional prayerful commemorations of Bill will be held as well – more details in that regard will be shared as soon as possible.

Visitation will be held at the Manns-Ferguson Funeral Home at 17000 Middle Belt Rd, Livonia, MI 48154 according to the following schedule:

Sunday, December 7: 12:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Monday, December 8: 2:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Please remember our newly-departed brother, Reader Basil, in your prayers! May his memory be eternal!

The feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple - one of the 12 Great Feasts of the Church - falls each year on November 21/December 4 - this Thursday. At St. Vladimir's we will make this feast with Vigil on Wednesday evening at 6:00 p.m. and Divine Liturgy on Thursday morning at 8:00 a.m. Please join us as your personal schedule allows! Below please find further information about this feast. Congratulations to all St. Vladimir's family and friends with the feast!

English:

http://oca.org/saints/lives/2014/11/21/ ... the-temple

Russian:

http://days.pravoslavie.ru/Life/life2575.htm

Please see the link below for the December schedule of services and activities at St. Vladimir's:

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

Please join us as your personal schedule allows! See you soon at St. Vladimir's!

For several years we have talked about a parish preschool for our children (and the children of those outside the parish who would be interested in an Orthodox preschool). In order to accomplish this laudable goal we need to gage interest and support from our community – especially our families with young children who would enroll in the preschool. Therefore, during the parish meal on December 14 we will gather all those interested and discuss the best path forward. YOUR INPUT IS WELCOME! We are not exactly sure how we are going to to this, but the support of this idea has been very strong and so we want to investigate this seriously. Please join us on December 14 for this meeting. If you are unable to be present, but you are interested in providing input or in helping to get a preschool off the ground please contact Fr. Gregory. See you December 14! Please spread the word to those you know or suspect would be interested in joining us!

We were unable to hold our November Parish Council meeting as scheduled on November 16. The meeting has been rescheduled for November 29 at 1:00 p.m. at the church. As always, these meetings are open to all St. Vladimir parish family members, but you can't very well attend the meeting if we don't tell you when it will be held. Thus this announcement. Please join us if you like, and please pray for the Parish Council that the Lord will help and guide us in our duties.

Thank you to all who have volunteered to join our Greeter Ministry. We will hold a meeting for all those interested in this very important ministry on Sunday, November 30 following the parish meal. We need English speakers and Russian speakers to help out. Please plan to join us – we appreciate your RSVP by visiting the Google doc below! We only have one chance to make a first impression when someone visits our parish. Let's make every effort to make that first impression so positive that our visitors will come back again and again! Please join us on November 30! If you would like to help with this ministry but cannot join us for this meeting please contact Fr. Gregory and/or note that in the Google doc below. Your help will still be most welcome!

http://goo.gl/forms/lZx3DGu2hx

At St. Vladimir's we have much to be thankful for. The Thanksgiving holiday is perhaps the most Christian of all the civil holidays and it behooves us to take a moment at this time of year to reflect on God's blessings and thank Him for these. In fact, it is a pious practice to reflect on each day past before laying down to bed and thank God for all His blessings upon us during that day. Those who do this will never fall to envy, for they will realize that the Lord blesses us in many ways each and every day. At St. Vladimir's we have much to be thankful for, and for this reason we will serve a special moleben and akathist this Wednesday evening. This is a service of Thanksgiving, and although no doubt many of our parish family members will be traveling on Wednesday, many too will still be in town, and we invite all to be present for this special service. Let us always be thankful people – and in this way avoid the pitfall of envy that so pervades our society. Glory to God for all things!

This Sunday marks the annual collection for the diocesan fund for those in need of assistance. As the diocesan secretary Fr. Gregoryk can vouch for the fact that this fund is one that is used often. In general these funds are used to help those who are not covered by the St. John Kochurov Fund (that fund covers Missions, Monasteries, and Youth), but who are nonetheless in great need. Your generosity at this time of thanks (Thanksgiving is just around the corner and this collection is timed to coincide with that holiday) is greatly appreciated by the diocese, and by those members of the diocese who find themselves in circumstances of privation. If you are unable to join us for this Sunday's liturgy please contact our Starosta to make a contribution to this fund before or after the fact. Thank you!

The feast of St. Michael and all the Angels is held annually on November 8/21. At St. Vladimir's we will have Vigil on November 20 at 6:00 p.m. and Divine Liturgy on November 21 at 8:00 a.m. Please join us as your schedule allows! We congratulate all our Michaels, Michaelas, Gabriels, Gabrielas, Raphaels, Raphaelas, and all others named after the angels in our parish! Learn more about the holy angels at the links below.

English:

http://oca.org/saints/lives/2014/11/08/ ... ess-powers

Russian:

http://www.pravoslavie.ru/put/49947.htm