Sunday School
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ARCHIMANDRITE LETTER TO PARENTS 2009
SUNDAY SCHOOL SCHEDULE
THE MELKITE HOME
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AND FAITH IN THE DOMESTIC CHURCH
SUNDAY SCHOOL ACCOMPLISHMENTS 2008-2009
August 18, 2009
Dear Parents,
Being a priest for over 40 years really gives one quite a perspective. I am speaking about what happens to our youngsters who attend catholic schools. Before I begin, don't think that I am making a diatribe against the catholic school system, far from it. They do an excellent job. They make their students into good Latin-rite Catholics. That is what they are supposed to do. When our students go to catholic schools, we lose them for our church. My 40 + years have seen this happen over and over again. What to do?
We all want our children to have the best education we can provide. In some cases this takes place in the catholic school system. If your child is enrolled in the local catholic school, you have an additional job to do. You must inform the school authorities that your child is Greek Catholic and therefore has been Baptized, Chrismated and has received Holy Communion at birth. In addition, you must see to it that they are excused from mandatory participation in these classes preparing for these sacraments. Above all, you must not merely prevent them from participating, you must replace them with programs offered here at our parish church.
Why do I stress this? Simply, because I will not preside over a parish that allows its youth to be taken from us in the name of accommodation. If you want your children to stay a part of our church, you have to bring them to Liturgy, to Sunday School, to youth activities. We offer a Religious Education program that is first rate for students from Toddlers thru High School. You must take the responsibility to get them up, dressed and here on time on Sunday mornings. I will be here, I hope you will too.
Sincerely yours in Christ our God,
Archimandrite Joseph Francavilla
JFF/gjk
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June 13, 2010 is the final day of Sunday School. Graduation, awards and attendance certificates will be distributed during the Divine Liturgy. A Lenten picnic will take place after the Divine Liturgy to celebrate the end of a great year. And, classes will resume September 19, 2010.
The Importance of the Parents' Attitude toward Church and Sunday school
The parents' attitude toward Church and Sunday school is crucial. There are parents who are habitually late for Church. There are parents for whom the tiniest little bit of rain will discourage them from Church attendance. Yet most of these same parents would never stay away from work on Monday morning because of rain. So the child early learns that work is more important than God. Is it a wonder, then, that children grow up to adopt a system of values that leaves God out entirely or relegates Him to a hobby or to left-over time. The child is being taught that almost anything is more important than God and our duties and responsibilities to Him. Is it a wonder, then, that children can grow up to adopt a system of values that leaves God out entirely?
There are parents who do not take very seriously their obligation for the Christian education of their children. Children miss classes because of the slightest reason or inconvenience. The continuity of lessons is destroyed because of birthday parties the child "must" attend or relatives the child "must" visit. Classes are disrupted continually by late-comers and early-leavers. After spending time in diligent class preparation the teacher becomes frustrated when parents take less seriously the importance of Sunday school itself. But even more important is what happens to the child. The child knows that for important things one has to be on time, i.e., public school for example. The habit of dismissing Church or Sunday School for insignificant reasons, or the habit of arriving late and leaving early teaches the child that god is not as important as public school or the piano lesson for which one has to be on time.
The parent is the best of teachers. He and she teach best when they practice what they preach, when they regularly attend Church on Sundays and Holy Days, when they themselves get involved in continuing education. A child who constantly hears the positive will see the positive. A child who constantly hears the negative will see the negative. Parents must take responsibility for the perception their children receive about their church, its ministers and God. Parents must take responsibility for the attitude of their children towards God and His church. "Bring up a child in the way he should go…"
Reprinted from: The Christian Home - The Domestic Church
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AND FAITH IN THE DOMESTIC CHURCH
The role of parents in the Christian education of their children is of vital importance. The starting point for faith at home is the daily activities of the family. How family members interact, communicate, make decisions, solve problems - all these are the domestic church in action.
Faith which is celebrated and lived out within the family has certain characteristics:
• Spontaneity - Moments of learning and growing come when they will. Expressing faith at home is best done by making the most of the present. For example, a visit from a friend or relative is an opportunity to practice Christian hospitality.
• Sharing - The dinner table, the family room, the family car, vacations - these settings bring parents and children together intimately and often evoke earthy and honest sharing. Faith happens in the midst of it all.
• Awareness - For faith to thrive in the domestic church, each person must be aware of the needs of the others. Our program aims at increasing faith in the family by developing the awareness and sensitivity of family members.
• Knowledge - It is important for parents to know what the Melkite Greek-Catholic Church is all about - teachings, traditions, worship and morality - in order to share faith in the family.
• Patience - Developing faith at home requires a great deal of patience. Both parents and children need patience with themselves and with one another. All must learn from mistakes and make strides together.
• Celebration - In a family marked by the spirit of celebration, family meals, holidays, days of joy and days of sadness are celebrated as rituals that reinforce faith and love.
• Prayer - Faith in the domestic church is characterized by an atmosphere of prayer and a spirit of growing together.
It is our hope that the religious education program here at Holy Transfiguration will provide a link between children and parents to help the family grow in faith.
SUNDAY SCHOOL ACCOMPLISHMENTS 2008 - 2009
Toddler Class - Maria Cowen, Teacher
This past school year the Toddler Class covered the "Reaching for Jesus" toddler course book. We started off learning the Sign of the Cross and the story of creation and that God made everything and we thank God in prayer for all His gifts. We sang a song about some of the things that God made and gave us and then sang to thank Him for all His gifts. We talked about prayer - in Church; at home - when we wake up, eat, at bedtime, etc; for family and friends; anytime, like when we are afraid or upset or happy or it's a beautiful day or rain for the flowers. We went over many Bible stories including but not limited to Noah's Ark, Daniel and the Lions' Den; Jonah and the Whale. We did a lot of the stories using sticker sets and coloring pages. We discussed the Church Holy days and to listen when the Gospel is being read and Father's Homily. We went over some of the Bible readings for that day and colored pictures that would help us remember. We talked about behavior in Church and at home. We did counting exercises - 12 apostles, 40 days, 2 of each animal. We talked about how each of us is different and are gifts from God. We identified our eyes, nose, ears, mouth, hands, etc. and why God gave us these gifts. We went over basics - please, thank you, may I please, no thank you, sharing, caring, helping, etc. Rules at home, in church, and that God gave us rules - the Ten Commandments. Which then led into the importance of saying "I'm sorry" when we do something wrong (breaking a rule) and to try not to do it again. We practice prayers. At then end of the school year we talked about the importance of going to Church on Sunday's and Holy days and praying everyday and remembering our manners.
Pre-K and K Class - Michele Poynton, Teacher
2008-2009 was a good year for the Pre-K and Kindergarten Sunday school class. About fourteen children were enrolled, and the class size each Sunday averaged around seven. Most will continue to the First grade next year. My guiding principles were to help them understand basic aspects of our Christian Faith and life, love of God and neighbor, in its eastern expression. Using the text What We See and Do in Church as the basis of instruction, I supplemented with many activities, as young children learn better through doing: field trips to the church, lighting candles, acting biblical stories, class discussion/questions, and craft projects related to the lesson. Given the short time we have the children for instruction, I sent them home with a review sheet to color and to have the parents read, since reinforcement and continuation at home is crucial.
In the overall context of our Faith being about God's love for us and our love in return, we covered areas of liturgy, morals, spiritual life, and scripture. I placed a great emphasis on the Divine Liturgy and the things in the church that help us pray, liturgical seasons and feasts, saints and angels, and the holy mysteries of Baptism and Eucharist. In terms of moral life, the children should now understand the importance of following God's commandments, forgiveness, sharing, and helping. To develop a prayer life, we practiced various prayers, hymns, intercessions, and the Jesus Prayer. Lastly, we often covered stories of the Old and New Testament, building familiarity with our forefathers, the Apostles, and the life of Jesus. By God's grace, the children will continue to grow and deepen in their love of Him and the Faith, through the life of the Church
1st Grade - Mary Battey and Barbara Fleshman, Teachers
What First Grade accomplished:
• Class made individual prayer books.
• Lessons based on first grade book - Me and My World. We were able to go thru most lessons.
• Made Ikons and discussed what they represented.
• Learned vocabulary words pertaining to the Liturgy, our faith and Icons by using cards and a learning tree.
• Kept a prayer board to help learn prayers.
• Made a St. Nicholas garland showing his gifts.
• Made a prayer chain for the Christmas tree.
• Prayed for our clergy during Great Lent.
2nd Grade - Victoire deLeusomme, Teacher
What the children learned this year:
• That they are made in the image and likeness of God, that they are an Icon of God and to think of others as Icons of God, too.
• They learned they are old enough to be responsible for how they act toward others and how to question their own behavior.
• The children learned ways to question themselves and examine their behavior with family, school mates and society in general as well as how they care for themselves.
• They learned they should be responsible for their own prayer time and to pray for others, including those who may be a problem to them (i.e. bullies, siblings and those who temp them to anger.)
• The class studied the commandments in class and emphasis was on those the children at this age can easily understand. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 7 have received the most time in class.
• They have learned that "we sin when on purpose, we choose not to show love for God and others.
• Most importantly, they know there is a path to forgiveness when they make a mistake and are truly sorry for not treating others and themselves as God's laws teach us to behave.
The children made prayer baskets to put in their Icon corners at home. This exercise was meant to help them remember to pray for others and for themselves. They wrote the names of those they wanted to pray for on hearts - put the hearts in the basket - to be taken out a prayer time to remind them to pray for those people.
The children learn they should be responsible for their prayer time that along with family prayer they should develop the habit of personal prayer and review their day each evening. To help them the children were given a mini Icon corner in the form of a wooden box with a hinged lid. Inside the box was a battery powered votive light, flowers, golden cross, 2 mini Icons of Jesus and Mary, prayer rope, holy water, laminated cards with - commandments, beatitudes and the prayer of St. Ephraim.
3rd Grade - Judy Handal, Teacher
The 3rd Grade focused on learning, understanding and appreciating the celebration of Divine Liturgy: the liturgical items used, priestly vestments worn, the order of prayers in the liturgy, the historical tradition and purpose of the prayers used in the liturgy. The Divine Liturgy Activities booklet provides the children with various activities to make their learning fun. Throughout the year, emphasis has been on how God has revealed His love for us and how we are to more attentively, fervently and devoutly approach and participate in Divine Liturgy, the greatest way to show our love for God. Finally, to encourage appreciation of the Word of God, the children memorized and reflected on 5 scripture verses pertaining to the greatest commandment (Mark 12:30-31), prophesy regarding the Incarnation (Matthew 1:23), God's love and the sending of His Son (John 3:16) and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).
4th Grade - Joseph Korban, Teacher
• We completed the course of the first 4 Units of the book "Growing with God" in detail with reviews, then we continued the last 2 Units in a summary fashion.
• We learned how to use the bible covering all the scripture readings of the Sundays during the school year, by reading all the Epistles and Gospels.
• We also learned about the Sundays during the school year by identifying each particular Sunday. We also learned about the major feasts of the church for the entire year. We also learned about Great Lent and how important this time is for us.
• We learned the prayers for the Mother of God and Psalm 50. We learned how to remember things.
• We did various activities and homework that reinforced what we covered in class.
• We emphasized the importance of Repentance and worked to improve on our preparation for Holy Confession.
5th Grade - JoEllen Quint, Teacher
This past year my class spent several weeks studying the Liturgy in detail. We learned the parts of the church, the icons and their placement on the iconostasis, and we took the Liturgy piece by piece and discussed it so that the children are familiar with our customs and how and why we do what we do.
We talked about faith and believing. We spent every Sunday that we had confession going over behavior and thoughts so it could be "real" and not just mechanical, confessing the same thing i.e. "I fight with my brother all the time".
As Lent approached we took each Sunday of preparation and discussed it in detail, including the theme of repentance. We practiced Psalm 50 and the Prayer of St. Ephraim. When Lent began we took each week and discussed why Lent is so important to us and why we do what we do. During the weeks of preparation and during the Great Lent we read the Gospel for each Sunday and made sure we understood what it was about.
6th & 7th Grades - Philip Battey, Teacher
In the 6th and 7th Grades Class, we covered the sacramental life of the Church within the framework of the shift from the legalism of the 10 Commandments and the Judaic law of the Old Testament to the Life in the Holy Spirit of the New Testament.
In addition, we spent classes discussing charity in the context of the Feast of the Nativity, genocide in the context of the experience of Greek and Armenian Christians in the late Ottoman Empire, St. Patrick in preparation for St. Patrick's Day, and a short history of the Church from c. 33 A.D. to the present.
Finally, we spent two classes preparing for Great Lent and two classes preparing for Holy Week and Pascha.
8th & 9th Grades - Linda Black, Teacher
This is our year to focus on the Bible and help the kids become comfortable reading it. Opening prayers are always from the Psalms, and the kids are encouraged to memorize Psalm 50, which is always the opening prayer on days we go to confession.
We start the year with an introduction to the structure of the Bible and making sure the kids can find their way around the Old and New Testaments. We read the creation story in Genesis very closely, paying special attention to what it means to be made in the image and likeness of God. At this time we also read excerpts from Archbishop Cyril's book on the Creed.
We then read the Ten Commandments in Exodus and Deuteronomy, and these become our focus for preparation for confession on those Sundays when it is our turn for the sacrament. On those Sundays the kids copy out one or two of the commandments while others in class copy out other scriptural references pertaining to that command, preferably something Jesus has said, and this is followed by discussion.
On all other Sundays we read the Gospel of Mark closely, along with commentaries by the Church Fathers on what we read. Special emphasis is given to the structure of the Gospel, Mark's use of particular words (immediately, astonished, amazed, authority, the way), theophany in Mark, the disciples, Jesus in relationship to the Pharisees, the biblical basis for the sacraments, how long it takes for the disciples to understand who Jesus is, that Christ's 3 predictions of his passion are followed by His calling us to carry our cross and serve others, and then a very close reading of His final days in Jerusalem.
At the beginning of the year I had lots of quizzes, with results sent home by email, which is a good way for the kids and their parents to realize that Sunday School requires their active participation and that I take it seriously. During the week I would always email a review of the lesson so they would have notes from which to study. Unfortunately I had parents tell me that with my good notes they did not always make the effort to bring the kids (one parent told me he preferred to sleep in on Sunday morning) because they could just read through the notes with them at home. I found this tremendously discouraging and stopped sending detailed emails. The kids are very bright, but this year's class had spottier attendance than previous year's classes, and this slowed us way down and we were not able to complete the Gospel. If anything can be done to impress upon the parents the importance of bringing their children regularly and on time that would be extremely helpful. For a variety of reasons I firmly believe that those kids who are regular Sunday School attendees become active and faithful parish members.
10th, 11th & 12th Grades - Phillip & Anne Benedicto, Teachers
Our identity as Melkite Christians is always the theme for grades 10-12. From year to year, only the materials and approach are altered. This is our last chance to strengthen our children's foundation as members of the Holy Transfiguration family before they go out on their own.
This year 10-12 grade Sunday School spent their time addressing our identity as Melkite Christians. We covered "how we relate to" and "how we are different from" other faiths. Using the book For the Life of the World by Schmemann, we discussed the context for our beliefs and how we, as Melkite Christians, understand the role of our church. We discussed how our church is more than just a ceremony that we attend. It is left here by Christ to do God's work and to spread the joy of our salvation to the world. This curriculum was also supported by our weekly review of the Gospel for each week, discussing traditional Eastern Christian understanding of the scriptures. Occasionally, we would use clips from movies (rated PG-13 or under) to show examples (positive or negative) of the concepts being covered.
Every 6-8 weeks, we conducted an open forum session to discuss any other questions that the students may have about how to respond to trials and conflicts of everyday life. These classes are very popular with the students, but are most effective when the students have had a chance to spend time with each other outside of class (such as during youth group activities) so they feel free to exchange ideas.
Sunday School will resume on September 20, 2009
Georgianna Kostak
Sunday School Coordinator