Diocese: Albanian Archdiocese
Deanery: Great Lakes Deanery
Address
29150 Ten Mile Rd
Farmington Hills, Michigan 48336-2814
Email:
Website: stthomasalbanianorthodoxchurch.org
Office: 248-471-1059
Parish Contacts
Lay Leadership
Directions
From Detroit Metro Airport
Take I-275 north to M5 east, turn north on Middlebelt Road to Ten Mile Road turn right (east), 1/4 mile on right hand side.
From I-96
From the east exit Inkster Road (north) to Ten Mile Road, turn left (west) 3/4 mile on right hand side. From the west exit Middlebelt Road (north) to Ten Mile Road, turn right (east), 1/4 mile on right hand side.
From I-696
Take I-696 to Orchard Lake Rd exit (south) to 10 Mile Rd (east—left) to Middlebelt—1/4 mile east of 10 Mile Rd.
Schedule of Services
6:00 PM Great Vespers during GREAT LENT and CHRISTMAS FAST.
Saturday Evening
9:00 AM Proskomedia; 9:15 AM Matins; 9:30 AM Church School; 10:00 AM Divine Liturgy, followed by Coffee Hour.
Sunday Morning
Confessions are heard following Vespers, during Lenten seasons and by appointment.
Confessions
For a complete list of upcoming services, please call or visit the Monthly Calendar on the parish website.
During Advent, Adult Education classes are held on Monday evenings, and Advent Services are held Wednesday evenings.
Parish Background
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.
Althogh 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 Rd 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.
