Dormition Cathedral | Успенcкий Собор
Russian Orthodox Church of Metro Detroit Michigan

Additional Information

• Why Do We Fast?
• Wonderworking Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God - visited on March 13
• Loneliness in Modern Life: What to Do?
• The Holy Fathers on Piety
• Dean of the Diocesan Pastoral School in Recent Interview
• Metropolitan Philaret on the Power of Faith
• Is There a Way to Attend Church Services More Often & How?
• Reading in Church: Where and how can I learn to do this?
• Monthly Parish Family Prayer List
• New Orthodox Christian Application Available for iPhone and Android Phones
• Discussions on Our Faith
• Your Name's Day
• On the Stages of Spiritual Growth
• 2013: The year of service to God and His Holy Church
• Daily Reading of the Holy Scriptures

Why Do We Fast?

The purpose of fasting is to bring us closer to God by denying the body worldly pleasure. Although the fast influences the body, the emphasis is placed on the spiritual facet of the fast rather than physical deprivation. Orthodox theology sees a synthesis between the body and the soul, so what happens to one affects the other.

It is not enough to fast from food; one must also fast from anger, greed and covetousness.

Зачем мы постимся?

Согласно христианской традиции в основе поста лежит сознательное, добровольное самоограничение, цель и смысл которого – избавиться от всего лишнего, ненастоящего, ненужного, обрести независимость, стать сильным, счастливым и по-настоящему свободным.

Для верующего человека самая главная свобода – это свобода от греха. Самая страшная зависимость – это зависимость от греха для нас. Покаяние это самое важное во время поста, не только признать свои грехи а изменить себя (свою жизнь).

Одной из главной задачей поста, помочь человеку задуматься о своей жизни, увидеть свои недостатки и с Божией помощью их исправить.

Без этого человек неможет в полноте вкусить великую радость пасхи.

Поэтический подвиг начинается у человека плачем о своём несовершенстве, о своих грехах. А заканчивается торжеством и радостью воскресшего Господа и Спасителя нашего Иисуса Христа.

Read more about this wonderworking icon in Enlish & Russian

Loneliness in Modern Life: What to Do?

Read article in English (source: Pravmir.com)

The Holy Fathers on Piety

By means of the senses, the body desires to delight in things corresponding to it, and the more it is satisfied, the more it desires. But this is counter to the striving of the soul. Therefore, let the first care of the soul be to put a bridle on all the senses so as not to delight in the sensible. Since the more powerful a body becomes, the more powerfully it strives toward what is akin to it; and the more powerfully it strives toward this, the more unrestrained it becomes, it behooves the soul [to do] the second thing - to endeavor intensely to mortify the flesh by fasting, vigil, standing and other deprivations, in order, by having worn out its strength, to have it humble and readily submissive in all spiritual matters... -Venerable Theodore of Edessa

Not he who shows mercy to many is pious, but he who offends no one. Study virtue by word, but preach about it by deed. -Venerable Nilus of Sinai

Some one of the saints said: Think of the good, in order not to think of the bad, because the mind does not tolerate being in idleness. Occupation with vain thoughts gives birth also to vain deeds; while occupation with good thoughts gives birth also to good fruit. -Venerable Ephraim the Syrian

Metropolitan Philaret on the Power of Faith

This is a very edifying and relatively short sermon by Metropolitan Philaret of Eastern America and New York about the need for faith and how the Apostles sought this from the Lord. We too should seek to strengthen our faith at every opportunity. Reading this spiritually profitable work would be one of those opportunities. We commend it to our readers highly. Learn more in English/Russian

Dean of the Diocesan Pastoral School in Recent Interview

Protopriest Martin Swanson, Dean of the Pastoral School of the Diocese of Chicago and Mid-America of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, a Doctor of Philosophy, recently granted an interview to the program "Come Receive the Light" on the Orthodox internet radio Orthodox Christian Network. It can be heard here

We would like to note that the final period for submitting documents for the Pastoral School this year is September 1. More information can be found here

We urge those interested in the program to submit their documentation quickly. Visit The Pastoral School's website

Is There a Way to Attend Church Services More Often & How?

We all desire to attend the Divine Services more often, but the question arises as to how to practically do that. As a rule most of us attended Sunday Divine Liturgy regularly. This leaves us looking, sometimes with trepidation, at the Matins and/or Vigil service. Let us not fear! Matins and Vigil are both spiritually edifying and educational! Still, both the Matins and Vigil are not short, and be assured that we value your time!

Matins and Vigil take about one and three quarter hour and two and a half hours to complete respectively. We must say first that this is time well spent for a Christian, as the Matins and Vigil teaches us much about the feast or saint being commemorated the next day and is an important part of preparation for partaking of the Holy Mysteries. The Matins and Vigil services have about 50% variable content while Divine Liturgy has about 10% variable content. Divine Liturgy is clearly the most important of the Divine Services from a theological point of view, but from an educational point of view you will learn much by attending the Matins and Vigil service. Further, for adults the Matins and Vigil service are the preferred time to go to Confession (rather than Sunday mornings).

Still, the service is not short and we recognize that. All should be aware that confessions are heard before every Matins and Vigil service. Also, please note that about half way through the Vigil (Matins portion) the Gospel is read and the faithful are anointed with holy oil. This is a very logical time for those who cannot stay for the entire evening service to take their leave (that is, after having been anointed). This is not the ideal (that is, we are not URGING you to leave early), but is completely acceptable.

Please consider making the Matins and Vigil part of your spiritual struggle this year. By establishing this as a pious family practice we hope that more and more of our parish family members will join us for Vigil throughout the year for their education and salvation!

Reading in Church: Where and how can I learn to do this?

In mid-January, Assumption / Dormition Cathedral conducted an Orthodox Reader Workshop. Given the success of this event another workshop will be planned for 1st week of Great Lent after Forgiveness Vespers. This workshop will focus on the practical elements on reading in Church for the Divine Liturgy. If you are interested, would you please contact Fr. Viktor or Fr. Ioann (734.395.2434).

Monthly Parish Family Prayer List

The Holy Church presents to us the 'Royal Law' (Luke 10:27, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with your entire mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.') which asks us to pray for one another as fellow Orthodox Christians. See our monthly parish family prayer list to help with this effort.

New Orthodox Christian Application Available for iPhone and Android Smartphones

A new application for Ancient Faith Radio was released the week of 29-Jul-12 for iPhone and Droid smartphone owners. The app is simple and free to download and can be found in your download application in your respective phone. If you have further questions would you please contact Fr. Ioann.

Discussions on Our Faith

These Orthodoxy discussions will be held the second Sunday of each month following Chaska Chi. Anyone interested in asking any questions of Father or learning more about the Orthodox Church is welcome to stay.

Your Name's Day - Please Share Your Information

With Fr. Viktor's blessing, we would like to know when each of our parishioners celebrates their name's days. Please share that information with us so we can acknowledge you and make sure that you are appropriately commemorated at all services connected with your name's day - even if you cannot be in the church on that day. Please send information to [email protected] (Fr. Ioann Feloniuk) and type in Name's Day in the subject of the email. If you do not know your name's day please feel free to talk to Fr. Viktor or Fr. Ioann to find out when your name's day is.

On the Stages of Spiritual Growth

November 15 marked the third anniversary of the repose of Patriarch Pavle of Serbia - a man of small stature but a spiritual giant. Below we include a small excerpt from his writings, but an excerpt that will be spiritually benefitial for all who read it. We commend it to our reader's heartily. (English/Russian)

2013: The year of service to God and His Holy Church

This year at Dormition Cathedral, with the blessing of Fr. Viktor, will be the year of service to God and His Holy Church. As Jesus Christ Himself came to serve and not to be served to (Mark 10:45), each month a new article on how to serve God and His Holy Church will be presented. May God bless each and every one of us to begin and/or continue to serve His Holy Church:

January: Salvation from an Orthodox perspective (Please see link here)
February: What is a Church Ministry? (Please see link here)

Daily Reading of the Holy Scriptures

"This is the cause of all evils: the ignorance of the Scriptures. We go into battle without arms, and how ought we to come off safe?" -St. John Chrysostom, Homily IX on Colossians.

In order to help increase the general knowledge of scripture in our parish family we present here for your edification the scripture readings for the coming week. At least one Gospel Reading and one Epistle reading are assigned for each day of the year. Hearing or reading only those readings appointed for Sunday merely touches the surface of the great spiritual wealth that the scriptures provide us. Some of the readings are easily understandable - others are less so. As Orthodox Christians we do not make private interpretation of scripture, but rather consult the fathers of the Church for their explanations to aid us in our understanding. Those wishing to have access to such explanations are asked to contact Fr. Viktor or Fr. Ioann or inquire in the kiosk for further reading in this regard.

Please visit this link for the daily Epistle and Gospel readings

Please find below several very nice articles on how to read the scripture from an Orthodox point of view.

By St. Justin (Popovich):

By Bishop Kallistos (Ware):

This short article explains to us not just HOW to read the scriptures, but also what our goal should be in reading the scriptures. A short read and well worth it.

As noted in the article above we need God's help and blessing to read and understand the scriptures correctly. What better way to entreat God's help in this regard than through prayer? Please find the prayer before reading the scriptures.

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