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

Please find the annual appeal for the St. John Kochurov Society here:

http://www.stvladimiraami.org/pamphlets ... al2014.pdf

Our parish has had the largest number of members of this society since its inception in 2009. The society supports Youth, Missions, and Monasteries in the Diocese of Chicago & Mid-America. That is our diocese! :) Please help if you can. Even a small donation can make a big difference when it is added to many other small donations.

Please feel free to share this information with others – the more people we can get to be members of the St. John Society the more support we can provide for these worthy endeavors in our diocese!

The yearly feast of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica is November 8 on the civil calendar. That date is this tomorrow! At St. Vladimir's we have the unique blessing to have the relics of St. Demetrius in the foundation of our parish church. Therefore, it is both our duty and our pleasure to hold Divine Services on the feast of St. Demetrius each year. We will mark the feast with Vigil this evening at 6:00 p.m. and Divine Liturgy at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. This is very big day for our parish - a sort of second patronal feast. Please join us as your schedule allows! Learn more about St. Demetrius at the links below.

English:

http://oca.org/saints/lives/2014/10/26/ ... essalonica

Russian:

http://days.pravoslavie.ru/Life/life4593.htm

Of course we are joking – it is GOOD to come to the Divine Services early, but we also want you to remember that we “fall back” one hour on Sunday, November 2, 2014. That is, Daylight Savings Time ends and we adjust our clocks before going to bed by turning them back by one hour. If you forget do not worry – confessions begin at 9:00 a.m. each Sunday in any case, so you will really be right on time! :)

The memorial Saturday which falls before the feast of the Great Martyr Demetrius generally falls on the Saturday proceeding St. Demetrius' commemoration, October 26/November 8. This year, however, that Saturday is November 1 and the feast of St. John of Kronstadt. Thus, Demetrius Saturday falls two weeks before the feast. At St. Vladimir's the memorial Demetrius Saturday will be celebrated on October 25 at 6:00 p.m. And October 26 at 8:00 a.m. Please join us as your schedule allows! More information about Demetrius Saturday can be found at the links below.

English:

http://www.holy-transfiguration.org/lib ... usSat.html

Russian:

http://www.holy-transfiguration.org/ru/ ... at_ru.html

Please join us for the feast of the Optina Elders this evening at 6:00 p.m. and tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. The monastic saints of the Optina monastery are not simply historical personages, but rather are those, as are the other saints of the Church, who have attained a place at the throne of God and entreat Him on our behalf. Thus, they are important for us in our days, just as they were important for those who were their contemporaries. Please learn more about the Optina Elders at the links below and please join us this evening and tomorrow morning as your schedule allows!

English:

http://www.holy-transfiguration.org/lib ... ptina.html

Russian:

http://www.holy-transfiguration.org/ru/ ... na_ru.html

Please note that the memorial services for Demetrius Saturday have been moved. Since we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the glorification of St. John of Kronstadt on November 1 the services for Demetrius Saturday has been moved to TWO Saturdays (rather than the usual one Saturday) before the feast of St. Demetrius. Thus, Evening Services for Demetrius Saturday are set for 6:00 p.m. on October 24 with Divine Liturgy on October 25 at 8:00 a.m. followed by a pannykhida for all departed parish family members. Please join us!