Tomorrow marks the annual feast day of America's first saint: Venerable Herman of Alaska. At St. Vladimir's we will make the feast with Vespers & Matins tonight at 6:00 p.m. THERE WILL BE NO LITURGY TOMORROW AT ST. VLADIMIR'S! Rather, we will join our brothers and sisters in Christ at the St. Herman of Alaska parish in Lake Odessa, MI for their feast day. Liturgy there begins at 10:00 a.m. More information and directions can be found at their parish web site:

http://www.stherman.net/

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Dear St. Vladimir’s Parishioners! We would like to urge you to consider whether making a donation to the parish before December 31, 2015 would be helpful for you as you consider your tax liability for the year 2015. Donations to St. Vladimir Church are deductible to the greatest extent allowable by law. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions in this regard. It is also very important that your address be up to date in our parish database. If you have moved this year please contact our parish Secretary, Alexandre Alexandrov, with your new address.

-Nathan (Nathaniel) Longan, Starosta (starosta@stvladimiraami.org)

Our audio and video ministry is big and it is important. But it is difficult from a time perspective for Fr. Gregory to do all the editing of these files before they are posted. This is not hard work, and in fact it is quite pleasant work (Fr. Gregory states that he likes to do this – but there is simply not ample time to do this as quickly as it needs to be done). Can you help? Would you be willing to spend an hour or two per week editing the raw audio and video files we generate into publishable work? This is a great way for one or two of our parishioners to execute a ministry that really MAKES A DIFFERENCE to so many both within our parish family and all over the world. Thank you for your consideration. Please contact Fr. Gregory if you can help or if you would like to learn more!

Our Diocesan Cathedral of the Protection of the Mother of God is sponsoring a raffle to support the building of the Diocesan Center. This center will house the diocesan offices, living quarters for Bishop Peter, and other needed administrative and programming space for the diocese. Each ticket costs $50 and the grand prize is $2,000 cash or ground arrangements for Bishop Peter's upcoming pilgrimage to the Holy Land (May-June 2016). Please contact Karl Meyer or Fr. Gregory to learn more or to purchase a ticket. Please help out if you can by buying a raffle ticket or two!

More information:

http://chicagodiocese.org/news_151028_1.html

We congratulate all our parish family with the beginning of the yearly Lenten period preceding the feast of our Lord’s Nativity! This Lenten period begins November 28 each year and runs until January 7 – the feast of our Lord’s Nativity. This Lenten period is much less stringent than Great Lent. During this fast, as usual, we abstain from meat and dairy products. But fish is allowed on many days. Please consult our parish schedule (linked below) for more details on the culinary aspects of fasting. Of course, the culinary fast is a tool to aid us spiritually to prepare for our Lord’s Nativity – it is not an end unto itself. If you have not fasted in the past please consult Fr. Gregory or Fr. Michael for practical advice on how to be successful in fasting. Fasting a very important way that we place ourselves in obedience to the Church, the Ark of our salvation, and extraordinarily helpful in our spiritual struggle to draw nearer to our Lord at this special time of year.

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

Today marks the feast of St. Sabbas the Sanctified. At St. Vladimir's we will celebrate with a molben this evening at 5:00 p.m. Note the unusual start time. We start early because at 6:00 p.m. we begin the vigil for St. Nicholas. Liturgy for St. Nicholas, which will be a Children's Liturgy, begins at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, December 19. Please join us as your personal schedule allows and please learn more about St. Sabbas and St. Nicholas at the links below!

St. Sabbas - English:

http://oca.org/saints/lives/2015/12/05/ ... sanctified

St. Sabbas - Russian:

http://days.pravoslavie.ru/Life/life3066.htm

St. Nicholas - English:

http://oca.org/saints/lives/2015/12/06/ ... a-in-lycia

St. Nicholas - Russian:

http://days.pravoslavie.ru/Life/life3072.htm

Our Teen Youth Group and our Young Adult Group meet this Sunday. The teens at 3:00 p.m. and the young adults at 6:00 p.m. RSVP and more information at the links below - please join us!

Teen Youth Group - UPDATED!:

http://goo.gl/forms/YEcNRSHoRD

Young Adult Group:

http://goo.gl/forms/QTR9pGhi1V

Today marks the dual feast of the Great Martyr Barbara and the Venerable John of Damascus. Tonight at St. Vladimir's we will hold a moleben in honor of both saints at 6:00 p.m. We congratulate all celebrating their name's days today! Please learn more about these important favorites of God at the links below.

St. Barbara - English:

http://oca.org/saints/lives/2015/12/04/ ... s-in-syria

St. Barbara - Russian:

http://days.pravoslavie.ru/Life/life6475.htm

St. John - English:

http://oca.org/saints/lives/2015/12/04/ ... f-damascus

St. John - Russian:

http://days.pravoslavie.ru/Life/life3062.htm

Thank you to all who worked so hard to make our Sisterhood Bake Sale on Saturday, December 12 such a great success! To those who baked of course, but also to those who worked at the bake sale, those who set up and broke down, and to everyone who contributed in any way we say: THANK YOU!