Forthcoming events:
<Click here> to display calendar
- 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)
Saint Glyceria suffered as a martyr for her faith in Christ in the second century, during a persecution against Christians under the emperor Antoninus (138-161). She came from an illustrious family, and her father Macarius was a high-ranking Roman official. Later, the family moved to the Thracian…
Saint Glyceria was tortured at Heraclea in Thrace during a persecution against Christians under the emperor Antoninus (138-161).The martyr was then thrown into prison onto sharp stones. She prayed incessantly, and at midnight an angel appeared in the prison and healed her of her wounds. When the…
The scarcity of information about Saint Glykeria (Γλυκερία) indicates that she kept the details of her life and ascetical struggles hidden from those around her. She was the daughter of Panteleimon, an official of Legoscha Street in Great Novgorod. On July 14, 1572, her body was found…
The Relics of the Hieromartyr Macarius, Archimandrite of Kanev, were transferred on May 13, 1688 from Kanev to the city of Pereslavl because of the threat of enemy invasion. The main Feast commemorating Saint Macarius is on September 7.
The Holy Martyr Alexander suffered for Christ at the beginning of the fourth century. He was a soldier serving in the regiment of the tribune Tiberian at Rome. When he was eighteen, the Roman emperor Maximian Hercules (284-305) issued an edict that all citizens were to go to the temple of Jupiter…
Saint Pausicacus, Bishop of Synnada, lived at the end of the sixth century in the Syrian city of Apamea. He had been raised in the Christian Faith by his pious parents, and he began to lead an ascetic life of prayer, vigil and fasting in his youth. The Lord gave him the gift of healing sicknesses…
The Holy Confessor George suffered for the veneration of holy icons at Constantinople in the first half of the ninth century. The emperor Theophilus demanded that Saint George renounce the veneration of holy icons, but the brave confessor refused the order and told the impious emperor that in…
Saint Irene lived in Constantinople in the first half of the ninth century. When her husband Saint George was sent into exile because he venerated the holy icons, she and their children went with him.
Our holy Father Euthymius was from the town of Tao in Georgia . He was the son of pious, noble and wealthy parents. When his father renounced the temporal and perishable splendor and glory of this world, preferring poverty in Christ which leads to heavenly riches, he donned the angelic schema of a…
No information available at this time.
No information available at this time.
No information available at this time.
Georgian monks began to settle on Mt. Athos in the middle of the 10th century, and a Georgian monastery, Ivḗron, was founded there not long after. At that time foreign armies were constantly invading Mt. Athos. In the 13th century the Crusaders stormed through the region, and between 1259 and…
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. |
|
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. |
|
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". |
|
1938 |
Early in the year, the Society was operating. Programs were planned and committees assigned. By February 27, activities were in full swing. |
|
1943 |
Our first Church building at 5780 14th St. and Antionette was purchased and religious services were celebrated. |
|
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. |
|
1946 |
A choir and church school was organized. |
|
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. |
|
1949 |
Archpastoral visit of Metropolitan Theofan for the benefit of the Theological Student Trust Fund. |
|
1951 |
Under the direction of the parish president a new church building committee was formed. |
|
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. |
|
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. |
|
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. |
|
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 |
|
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. |
|
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. |
|
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. |
|
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. |
|
1985 |
An American flag that flew over the Capitol Building in Washington, DC was awarded to St. Thomas Parish on December 31. |
|
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. |
|
| 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 |
|
1999 |
70th Anniversary Celebration on St. Thomas Sunday (Apr 18, 1999). |
|
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. |
