Forthcoming events:
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- or - go to the "SERVICES" page...
See pictures below on the services and building updates !
NOTE: Confessions can be scheduled before services or by appointment...
(see the CONTACTS page for telephone #'s and email related information)
From September 15 until the Leavetaking, we sing “O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ. O son of God crucified in the flesh, save us who sing to Thee: Alleluia” at weekday Liturgies following the Little Entrance.
The Holy Martyrs Trophimus, Sabbatius and Dorymedon suffered for Christ during the reign of the Roman emperor Probus (276-282). A pagan festival was being celebrated in the city of Antioch. Sacrificial offerings were brought, the wine was poured, and vile acts were performed. The Christians…
The holy right-believing Prince Theodore of Smolensk and Yaroslavl, nicknamed the “Black” [i.e. “dark” or “swarthy”], was born at a terrible time for Rus: the Mongol invasion of 1237-1239. At Baptism he was named for the holy Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates…
The Martyr Zosimas the Desert Dweller lived during the fourth century. Once, while hunting, Dometian, the governor of Sicily, saw the Elder calmly and amiably conversing with the beasts around him. Seeing the hunters, the beasts fled. They then interrogated the Elder, asking who he was and why he…
Saint Theodore was the eighth Archbishop of Canterbury (668-690), and one of England’s great saints. He was a Greek from Tarsus, the home of Saint Paul. He was a highly-educated monk living in Rome who was quickly advanced through all the clerical ranks and consecrated as Archbishop of…
The Holy Prince Igor of Chernigov: The mid-twelfth century was a grievous time of incessant internecine strife over the Kiev principality between two princely factions: the Olegovichi and the Mstislavichi. They were all close relatives, they were all great-grandsons of Yaroslav the Wise. The…
Church services - 10/13/2021
Pictures from celebrated church services (from 4/4/2021)...
(25 images)
Building updates - 03/15/2022
Pictures showing new building updates (from 12/30/2020)...
(17 images)
1927 |
The Church Association first met in the YMCA building on East Grand Blvd. |
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1929 |
On St. Thomas Sunday, the Albanian Society of Orthodox Christians founded the St. Thomas community in the home of Mr. & Mrs. Racke Kamenitsa. Activities were soon curtailed due to the Depression. |
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1937 |
A program of re-vitalization and re-organization was inaugurated by the St. Thomas Society in order to preserve the faith for the "New Generation". |
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1938 |
Early in the year, the Society was operating. Programs were planned and committees assigned. By February 27, activities were in full swing. |
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1943 |
Our first Church building at 5780 14th St. and Antionette was purchased and religious services were celebrated. |
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1945 |
The Church building on 14th St. is dedicated on September 2. Although working as a group for the benefit of St. Thomas since the 1930's and holding regular meetings and elections since 1941 as the Ladies Auxiliary, the women of the parish re-organized as the Daughters of St. Thomas. This group of dedicated women is supportive and active even to this very day. |
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1946 |
A choir and church school was organized. |
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1948 |
A certificate was presented to St. Thomas Church from the US Government. Four hundred and forty-four "E" bonds were bought and sold by members of St. Thomas, enough bonds to pay for a hospital train car. |
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1949 |
Archpastoral visit of Metropolitan Theofan for the benefit of the Theological Student Trust Fund. |
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1951 |
Under the direction of the parish president a new church building committee was formed. |
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1956 |
Ground breaking ceremonies took place for construction of our second church building. Our new church on Oakman Blvd. and Joy Road was dedicated by Metropolitan Theofan on November 4. A very active clergy association in the Detroit Metropolitan area met at St. Thomas to formally organize a clergy and lay council of Eastern Orthodox Churches under the inspired leadership of Fr. Christo Costa and Fr. Vladimir Lilikovich. Our pastors and laymen have been active participants in the Council of Churches since its founding. |
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1961 |
Early in this year, the first St. Thomas Newsletter, a monthly publication of news, religious articles, and human interest stories was sent to parishoners. In May, the St. Thomas Baseball team played its first game under the expert coaching of the now, Very Reverend Spero (Speed) Page. Our new church was built in 1956 at a cost of $130,000. The mortgage was completely paid in January 1961. On Sunday, November 25, 1961, our Church was consecrated by Metropolitan Theofan. |
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1969 |
Revitalization of the parish Newsletter called the "SPEAR" using St. Thomas's symbol in art as the title as well as an indication of the means of his martyrdom. |
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1978 |
Having been so successful in the past, parishoners from St. Thomas decided to again build another church in Farmington Hills for yet "another generation." During the time following the sale of our own building we found a home and shared facilities and sometimes priests with our sister parishes of St. Michael and St. Innocent, both in Redford, MI |
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1980 |
On May 3, ground-breaking ceremonies for our third building were celebrated by Bishop Mark, Diocesan and local clergy. On October 5, the eve of St. Thomas, actual construction began on our present structure. |
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1981 |
The St. Thomas Men's Club was formed with the objective of sponsoring projects and activities with spiritual, financial, and social stability as their underlying theme. |
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1982 |
With the assignment of a full-time pastor, regular services began again. Construction of the interior of our Church proceeded slowly but steadily and the reorganization of our community was underway. Our Church School and Choir were re-vitalized and our first youth basketball team was formed. |
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1984 |
Through the efforts of the Daughters of St. Thomas our kitchen was completed. And through the efforts of the Men's Club, our parking lot was completed. |
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1985 |
An American flag that flew over the Capitol Building in Washington, DC was awarded to St. Thomas Parish on December 31. |
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1986 |
Many items from our first Church building were brought with us, but time and floods virtually ruined them. Through the God-given talents of our present chairman, Douglas Baker, our Icons were restored and today adorn our Iconostas and Sanctuary. |
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| 1988 | Although there was no mortgage on our present structure, a land contract had been obtained from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. We burned the land contract on our 59th Anniversary -- November 13, 1988. | |
1989 |
For the first time in history, we hosted the Archdiocesan Convention in conjunction with the Consecration of our third building |
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1999 |
70th Anniversary Celebration on St. Thomas Sunday (Apr 18, 1999). |
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2002 |
Fr. Nicholas Liolin, Rector of the parish, was elected as Bishop of Baltimore, Auxiliary to the Metropolitan for the Albanian Archdiocese and Diocese of New England at the Spring Session of the Holy Synod of Bishops. Upon his release from the parish, Fr. Nicholas was tonsured a monk with the name Nikon and consecrated a bishop on May 25, 2002 at St. Tikhon's Monastery, South Canaan, PA. |
