There are many former Roman Catholics in our parish and throughout the Orthodox Church. We tell you this so there will be no questions from the very start: you are welcome in our community! The year 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of “Vatican II” – an event that seems to have changed the Roman Catholic Church forever and frankly moved it away from the core teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ found in the Bible and Holy Tradition. You will find in Orthodox Christianity a Church that values and honors the Bible and Holy Tradition – a Church that your Roman Catholic ancestors would no doubt have found a very spiritually comfortable place to be. And of course this is why many Roman Catholics have already become Orthodox Christians. They have not “moved” spiritually, yet their own Roman Catholic Church has changed to such an extent that it has moved away from them. Orthodox Christianity holds dear the same spiritual teachings that you do: we are a pro-family, pro-life, traditional, loving, caring Church which has at its center the True God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We honor the Mother of God as the greatest of saints and entreat her prayers before her Son and our God. We reverence the saints of God and ask them to intercede before the throne of the Lord for us. We base our communities on the love found within the Holy Trinity – the love which should ideally mark every Christian interaction.
There are some differences between Roman Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity – these center mostly around the office of the Papacy (we do not have an equivalent to the Pope in the Orthodox Church – each of our bishops is equal to each other bishop) as well as some changes that have taken place in the Roman Catholic Church in the last 1000 years or so – since the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Churches split. We hold marriage to be a sacred institution, but just as has always been the case in the Church, recognize that sometimes it is better for the salvation of a couple if they are allowed to be apart rather than together. For that reason the Church allows divorce under certain specific circumstances, and after a period of penance, reintegration into the sacramental life of the Church for those who have been divorced.
Please know that we are not perfect nor do we claim to be. Yet, sinners that we are, we humbly offer our community as a home for those Roman Catholics who have become disenchanted by their own faith – who have kept true to Christianity but seen their Church leave them behind as it changes again and again – to such an extent that it has sadly become little different than the many Protestant denominations. We do not consider ourselves to be somehow “better” than others, but rather we thankfully preserve what our Lord has given to the world for the very salvation of the world: the true and unchanging Christian Faith and His Church. We humbly invite you to join us as we support each other in our Christian journey through this life. For more information please contact our Rector, Fr. Gregory Joyce at the information below, and/or visit some of the links below. May the Lord help and preserve you during these difficult spiritual times!
Priest Gregory Joyce, Rector
734-649-5746 (Cell/SMS)
ogrisha@stvladimiraami.org
General Information about Orthodox Christianity: http://www.stvladimiraami.org/orthodoxinfo.shtml
About Orthodoxy page from the Diocese of Chicago & Mid-America: http://www.chicagodiocese.org/about_orthodoxy.html
Orthodox Christian Information Center Inquirers Page: http://orthodoxinfo.com/inquirers/
Orthodox Christian Information Center “For Roman Catholics” Page: http://orthodoxinfo.com/inquirers/inq_rc.aspx
Orthodox Christian Information Center “History and Doctrine” Page: http://orthodoxinfo.com/general/gen_histdoc.aspx
St. Vladimir Parish Photo Gallery: http://stvladimirchurch.smugmug.com/
St. Vladimir Parish You Tube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/StVladimirChurch
Ancient Faith Radio: http://www.ancientfaith.com
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