This evening at 6:00 p.m. we will serve Vespers and Matins for Apostle Phillip, and tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy. This is our all-English cycle for October. Please join us as your schedule allows and please invite friends, loved ones, neighbors, strangers, and everyone else that you can possibly think of that would like to experience the Church's theology in action – the Divine Services – fully in English. All are welcome!

The Synaxis of the Optina Elders is celebrated each year on October 10/23. At St. Vlaidmir's we will have services this evening at 6:00 p.m. and tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. Please join us as your personal schedule allows. We congratulate all our parishioners with the feast, and especially those who are celebrating their name's days!

This is your LAST CHANCE to register for our marriage retreat which will take place the weekend of October 24-25. With the blessing of Bishop Peter, Archpriest David Moser will lead this retreat. Fr. David has been a priest and a family counselor for many years and his insights from both his spiritual and secular work will benefit all our St. Vladimir's families.

Don't think you need this retreat? THINK AGAIN – you do! Join us to strengthen your marriage, to prepare for marriage, and to actively and proactively solve marital issues we ALL have!

To register for what promises to be a really wonderful weekend, please visit this link:

http://goo.gl/forms/HRBSniiu2Y

“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. Volunteers 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

We are pleased to announce our Marriage and Family Retreat this year will take place the weekend of October 24-25. We are also pleased to announce that with the blessing of Bishop Peter, Archpriest David Moser will lead this retreat. Fr. David has been a priest and a family counselor for many years and his insights from both his spiritual and secular work will benefit all our St. Vladimir's families.

To register for what promises to be a really wonderful weekend, please visit this link:

http://goo.gl/forms/HRBSniiu2Y

Church School began this year on Saturday, September 26. Click on the link below to see why you should register your child immediately:

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

To register, please visit this Google doc:

http://goo.gl/forms/BVWIlgDJ9y

Please note that both our 9-12 year old youth group and our college age/young adult group meets this coming Sunday. Check for more details and a sign up sheet under "Upcoming Activities" on our home page or click on the appropriate link below. Please plan to join us!

9-12 Year Old Group

http://goo.gl/forms/NZPxhvyo8L

Young Adult Group

http://goo.gl/forms/G4msJFuv03

Today in Chicago the triennial Diocesan Assembly begins. From St. Vladimir's we have three delegates in addition to Fr. Gregory representing our parish:

Mark Chaffee
Nathan Longan
Zhanna Skalitzky

In addition to these three delegates, Karl Meyer, as a member of the Diocesan Council, is automatically a delegate as well. We congratulate all our St. Vladimir's delegates on the beginning of the Diocesan Assembly and ask the prayers of our readers for the successful work of the assembly.

Today the Holy Church celebrates the feast of the Protection of the Mother of God. This is the feast of our Diocesan Cathedral in Des Plaines, IL. At St. Vladimir's we will not have services today since Fr. Gregory (and all the clergy of the diocese) is in Des Plaines for the feast there. However, we present below a short entry on the feast itself, which we recommend to all our readers.

English:

http://days.pravoslavie.ru/Life/life1638.htm

Russian:

http://oca.org/saints/lives/2015/10/01/ ... d-and-ever

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!