The annual Russian Orthodox Festival is always a great event offering two days of fun, but it’s also a time for the community to get to know better the church that organizes it.
One big goal is to be welcoming and open to all. Even as conflict between Ukraine and Russia hits close to home for many in the church, the festival remains an important opportunity this year to show who they are.
“The Russian Orthodox Festival is our biggest opportunity of the year to introduce ourselves to our neighbors and all those interested in Slavic Culture in our area,” said Father Gregory Joyce of St. Vladimir Orthodox Church. “We want to be good neighbors, actively hospitable, and known for being a welcoming community to all.”
The festival is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21 and 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 22. The festival and church is located at 9900 Jackson Road.
Father Gregory said, “The festival gives us a chance to put our goal of active hospitality (a strong Orthodox Christian virtue) into practice.”
“Everyone is welcome at our parish at all times!” he said. “But by hosting the festival we can introduce ourselves to our community on various levels – that is, on any level that anyone is comfortable with. Perhaps someone just wants to enjoy the food, drink, and entertainment. Great! We welcome them! Perhaps someone wants to learn a bit about the Orthodox Church. Super – the church is open for the entire festival and there are several church tours with choir performances each day. Perhaps someone wants to attend a church service. Excellent – we offer that too (Saturday evening at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m.). Everyone is welcome – no matter the level of engagement that they are comfortable with.”
Festival attendees can expect a fun day for the entire family.
Father Gregory said “there is no admission charge, there is entertainment all day, and there is outstanding Slavic cuisine.”
The kids’ corner and petting zoo offers fun for the kids while for interested adults there are some tasty beverages with beers from Eastern Europe and award-winning wines from Michigan. These are just two highlights attendees can expect.
Ten percent of the proceeds from the festival go to charity.
Considering current events and the role being played by the U.S. one question many in the community might be wondering about is the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
The Sun Times News asked if the war has impacted the life of the church.
“Yes – for sure,” Father Gregory said. “The war is a tragedy, as war always is. The Church does not have a side in this fight – our parishes outside Russia and Ukraine have always been populated by people from both countries. Traditionally we have considered those countries to be one people, even if divided by international borders. Thus, like the American Civil War, this is a war between brothers and cousins. And this adds to the tragedy. The Church has, since the first day of the war, prayed for and called for peace. This will continue until the war ends, and likely long afterwards, as the period of healing will likely be as long as the war, if not longer.”
He said their parish is made up of about 50 percent of those who come from the former Soviet Union (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, etc.) and other countries where Orthodox Christianity was historically the majority faith, and about 50 percent of Americans who have no such connection.
“It is good for our wider community to know this and to understand we are a diverse group where they also might find a church home,” Father Gregory said. “In other words, our church is for everyone and we welcome everyone. If you’d like to learn more, the festival is a very good first step!”
To learn more, go to http://russianfestival.stvladimiraami.org/index.php or http://www.stvladimiraami.org/.
