St. Thomas the Apostle
Orthodox Church
With the blessing of Metropolitan NICHOLAS of Eastern America & New York
Sunday, July 28th 2024:
5th Sunday after Pentecost
Greetings St. Thomas Family,
We pray you have had a blessed week, and will join us for our upcoming services.
The schedule is as follows:
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Save the date!
We are excited to share that all women (and girls!) at St. Thomas invited to join us on Saturday, August 3rd, for a casual get-together and afternoon of fellowship. While there will be a wide assortment of teas and some sweet and savory refreshments available, ladies who wish to do so can also bring something to share.
Rsvp by 8/1 encouraged so we can get an approximate headcount for food, but don't let this discourage you from coming if your plans change.
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We are grateful for all who contribute as well as those who volunteer their time for the benefit of St. Thomas Orthodox Church. May God keep our parishioners safe and bless these worthy endeavors.
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As mentioned recently in the Sisterhood meeting, are working to develop a system for parishioners to exchange itmes that they no longer need that may be a blessing to someone else. To this end, we are trialing this google document( available via the button below) as a format for this: anyone with the link can enter and copy the blank template on the first page (a sample entry can also be found on the first page) and then fill it out on the second page with the information for the item they want to gift. Whoever is interested can reach out and communicate about setting up a pickup/exchange. No sales allowed! However, if there is interest in for-pay services offered by parishioners, let Thaisia Millary know and a St. Thomas Classifieds could be created in the future. Any tech issues or questions, also let Thaisia know.
The Parish Needs list is available below. Please reach out to Cecilia (Noel) McDowell with any questions.
Our cleaning team infomation is available below:
Notes on featured icon:
Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Great Prince Vladimir
Commemorated on July 15
Few names in the annals of history can compare in significance with the name of holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Vladimir, the Baptiser of Rus', who stands forever at the onset of the foreordained spiritual destiny of the Russian Church and the Russian Orthodox people. Vladimir was the grandson of holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga, and he was the son of Svyatoslav (+ 972). His mother, Malusha (+ 1001) – was the daughter of Malk Liubechanin, whom historians identify with Mal, prince of the Drevlyani. Having subdued an uprising of the Drevlyani and conquered their cities, Princess Olga gave orders to execute prince Mal, for his attempt to marry her after his murder of her husband Igor, and she took to herself the children of Mal, Dobrynya and Malusha. Dobrynya grew up to be a valiant brave warrior, endowed with a mind for state affairs, and he was later on an excellent help to his nephew Vladimir in matters of military and state administration.
The "capable girl" Malusha became a Christian (together with GreatPrincess Olga at Tsar'grad), but she preserved in herself a bit of the mysterious darkness of the pagan Drevlyani forests. And thus she fell in love with the austere warrior Svyatoslav, who against the will of his mother Olga made her his wife. The enraged Olga, reckoning as unseemly the marriage of her "housekeeper" and captive servant with her son Svyatoslav, heir to the Great Kiev principality, sent Malusha away to her own native region not far off from Vybut'. And there in about the year 960 was born the boy, called with the Russian pagan name – Volodimir, meaning peaceful ruler, ruling with a special talent for peace.
In the year 970 Svyatoslav set out on a campaign from which he was fated not to return. He had divided the Russian Land amongst his three sons. At Kiev Yaropolk was prince; at Ovrucha, the centre of the Drevlyani lands, there was Oleg; at Novgorod there was Vladimir. His first years as prince we see Vladimir as a fierce pagan. He heads a campaign, in which the whole of pagan Rus' is sympathetic to him, against Yaropolk the Christian, or in any case, according to the chronicles, "having given great freedom to the Christians", on 11 July 978 he enters into Kiev, having become the "sole ruler" of the Kiev realm, "having subdued the surrounding lands, some – by peaceful means, and the unsubmissive ones – by the sword".
Young Vladimir indulged himself in a wild sensuous life, though far from being the libertine that they sometimes portray him. He "shepherded his land with truth, valour and reason", as a good and diligent master, of necessity he extended and defended its boundaries by force of arms, and in returning from military campaign, he made for his companions and for all Kiev liberal and merry feastings.
But the Lord prepared him for another task.... READ MORE...