On Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th of July, at the invitation of His Eminence Peter, Archbishop of Chicago & Mid-America, His Eminence Nicholas, Metropolitan of Eastern American & New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, paid an archpastoral visit to St. Vladimir Church in Ann Arbor, MI, where he officiated the divine services for the parish’s patronal feast day.

A violent thunderstorm, with winds exceeding 80 miles per hour, swept through Ann Arbor on Wednesday, July 26. Many trees were toppled and electricity was widely knocked out in the region. St. Vladimir parish has a full building generator; nonetheless, the divine services for the parish feast day were warm both literally and figuratively. The joy of having Metropolitan Nicholas officiate the services, however, perished all thoughts of physical discomfort, as the parish family gathered to laud their Heavenly patron – the Holy Equal-of-the-Apostles Great Prince Vladimir.

Serving alongside His Eminence at All-Night Vigil were:

• Archpriest Gregory Joyce (parish rector)
• Archpriest Michael Carney (rector of St. Herman Church in Lake Odessa, MI)
• Priest Colin Bower (parish cleric)
• Priest Jesse Rimshas (cleric of St. Jacob Mission in Marquette, MI)
• Protodeacon Alexander Petrovsky (cleric of St. George Church in Cincinnati, OH)
• Deacon Matthew Kaminsky (cleric of St. Sergius Cathedral in Cleveland, OH)
• Deacon Vladimir Pyrozhenko (parish cleric)
• Deacon Dmitriy Kashchenko (parish cleric), and
• Deacon Dmitri Mihaliov (parish cleric).

Following the Vigil, a meal was held for Metropolitan Nicholas, attended by the parish council, choir, and clergy. Pictures of the Vigil can be found here.

On Friday morning, Metropolitan Nicholas arrived to the peal of the parish bells and was met by parish warden Alexey Mitchell, as well as a group of the parish children, dressed in traditional costumes and bearing the tradition bread and salt.

Having been vested in the midst of the parish church, His Eminence celebrated Divine Liturgy in the temple, overflowing beyond capacity. Most all those present partook of Holy Communion. Following the reading of the Thanksgiving Prayers Metropolitan Nicholas led a procession around the church, blessing the church with water which had been blessed before the meeting of the Metropolitan that morning.

Joining the above-mentioned clergy at Liturgy were: Priest Mikhail Volzhanskii (cleric of Dormition Cathedral in Ferndale, MI), Priest Micah Chisholm (rector of St. Sebastian Mission in Traverse City, MI), and Deacon Ioann Feloniuk (cleric of Dormition Cathedral).

After the procession and the conclusion of Divine Liturgy, Metropolitan Nicholas greeted the gathered clergy and parishioners, thanking Archbishop Peter for the opportunity to serve in Ann Arbor. His Eminence then presented Fr. Gregory Joyce a ROCOR Centenary jeweled cross. Fr. Gregory, on behalf of St. Vladimir parish, presented Metropolitan Nicholas a copy of the icon of the Holy Hierarch Mardarije of Libertyville, painted by Protodeacon Paul Drozdowski. The icon depicts St. Mardarije, who went to his Heavenly Reward while in Ann Arbor seeking treatment for tuberculosis at the University of Michigan Hospital, working in his study. With Archbishop Peter’s blessing, St. Mardarije is the patron saint of the parish’s Ann Arbor Orthodox Classical Academy.

Pictures of the Divine Liturgy can be found here.

A meal was offered to the many faithful gathered at the only parish in Michigan named after St. Vladimir under the beautiful Michigan sky, the parish having erected a large tent for the occasion.

Following the meal, Metropolitan Nicholas was given a tour of the Ann Arbor Orthodox Classical Academy building which is under construction and slated to be completed by the beginning of the school year on September 1/14, 2023.

Pictures of the Ann Arbor Orthodox Classical Academy can be found here.

The website of the Ann Arbor Orthodox Classical Academy can be found here.