We continue to move forward towards the ground breaking for our parish school. We have received all requisite approvals from the State of Michigan. We have received tentative approval from Washtenaw County (assuming the ground perks where we have already had a septic system for 30 years, which is extraordinarily likely). We have received several bids on the building of the school and have chosen a contractor. Our School Steering Committee continues to work diligently towards the opening of the school, which is set for the fall of 2020. The Steering Committee has invited a special consultant to join us for St. Vladimir’s Day weekend this year to help form our School Board and provide more detailed information to the parish about Orthodox Christian Classical Education. Barring any extraordinarily unexpected circumstances the school will be built this construction season.

BUT – we still have work to do. First – it is ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL that we continue to entreat the Lord that He bless this work. There is much spiritual resistance in such an endeavor, and your prayers are very important in this regard. Second – it is important that parishioners follow through on the pledges they made to support the school. We have no doubt that everyone who pledged intends to do this. We also are certain that many people will pledge as the work gets underway. But we often forget to follow through on such things. Not because we don’t want to, but because life happens and it distracts us from our good intentions. From a tactical point of view you may want to consider establishing a recurring payment to fulfill your pledge, either by visiting the link below to do that via credit card or debit card:

PLEDGE TO SUPPORT ANN ARBOR ORTHODOX CLASSICAL ACADEMY
OR if you would prefer to set up an automatic transfer from your bank account to the school account to fulfill your pledge please contact our Treasurer, Mikhail Fisenkov, at treasurer@stvladimiraami.org. If you have not made a pledge yet please considering doing so! Thank you for your spiritual and material support as we move forward to create the ONLY Orthodox School in Michigan!

Our next Children's Liturgy is sent for Saturday, June 15 - Pentecost Memorial Saturday. Please sign your child up to participate today! The hours begin at 9:00 a.m. The sign up sheet can be found here:

SIGN UP SHEET FOR CHILDREN'S LITURGY

The leaders of any given evil heresy also attempt to interpret their writings, but their purpose is to harm their followers and deny that truth which is in accordance with piety, using the words of the Spirit against the Spirit. The words of the gospel of grace are lofty and suitable for mature ears and minds, but these words too our God-bearing Fathers softened in their own mouths, making them appropriate for those of us who are less than perfect, just as mothers devoted to their children chew solid food and render it serviceable and easy to take for babies still at the breast. The moisture in their mothers’ mouth is nourishment for the children, and the thoughts in the hearts of our God-bearing Fathers are suitable food for souls that listen and obey. The mouths of evil, disreputable men, however, are full of deadly poison which, when mixed with the words of life, makes even them lethal for careless listeners.

+ St. Gregory Palamas

If from one burning lamp someone lights another, then another from that one, and so on in succession, he has light continuously. In the same way, through the Apostles ordaining their successors, and these successors ordaining others, and so on, the grace of the Holy Spirit is handed down through all generations and enlightens all who obey their shepherds and teachers.

+ St. Gregory Palamas

Please join us for a live broadcast of today's Vigil beginning at 6:00 p.m. at the following link:

http://www.stvladimiraami.org:8000/liturgy.mp3

Please remember - the stream only broadcasts live services. If you would like to listen to previously recorded and edited services please visit our sound blog:

http://soundoftheparish.blogspot.com/

We ask each of our parishioners to make a tithe to the parish.

Some thoughts on tithing from an Orthodox point of view can be found here and may be helpful:

https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/roadsfromemmaus/2015/10/27/6-reasons-why-tithing-is-good-for-an-orthodox-parish/

You can find more in this article, which is on our parish web site.

It only makes sense if we ask our parishioners to tithe that we would arrange for 10% of our festival proceeds would go to charities other than St. Vladimir's (10% of our regular collections go to the diocese by the way). So - when you volunteer for the festival we want you to know that you are supporting St. Vladimir's - but other charitable organizations as well!

VOLUNTEER TO HELP WITH THE FESTIVAL - CLICK HERE!

Our Russia with Love effort is in need of grant writing support. So is our Downriver Mission. We know many of you write grants in your professional life, or at least collaborate on grant writing. That is 100% more expertise that we have in grant writing at present! Please volunteer to help now by emailing info@stvladimiraami.org!

The great feast of the Ascension is Thursday, June 6. At St. Vladimir’s we will mark the feast with Vigil on June 5 at 6:00 p.m. and Divine Liturgy on June 6 at 8:00 a.m. The 40th day pannykhida for Archbishop Alypy will be held at 5:00 p.m. on June 5. A collection will be taken up to help pay for his gravestone in Jordanville. Please join us as your personal schedule allows!

The last day of Pascha is Wednesday, June 5. At St. Vladimir’s we will have one last Paschal Vespers & Matins on Tuesday, June 4 at 6:00 p.m. and one last Paschal Divine Liturgy on June 5 at 8:00 a.m. Pascha is the feast of feasts and the day of days – don’t miss this last opportunity to celebrate the feast!

Faith and contrition make prayer and supplication for the remission of sins effective, once evil deeds have been renounced, but despair and hardness of heart make it ineffectual. Thanksgiving for the benefits received from God is made acceptable by humility and not looking down on those who lack them. it is rendered unacceptable, however, by being conceited, as if those benefits resulted from our own efforts and knowledge, and by condemning those who have not received them. the Pharisee’s behaviour and words prove he was afflicted with both these diseases. He went up to the Temple to give thanks, not to make supplication and, like a wretched fool, mingled conceit and condemnation of others with his thanksgiving. For he stood and prayed thus with himself: “God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers” (Luke 18:11).

+ St. Gregory Palamas