The fall 2025 series of Christian Education classes will be held on Wednesday evenings. Vespers will be served at 5:00pm followed by class at 6:00pm (central time) and will be held in person at St. Mary's. The class will also available online via zoom for parish members and parish inquirers who are unable to attend in person. Those who can attend in person are strongly encouraged to do so. Inquirers and parish members of St. Simon Church in Ironwood are welcome and encouraged to join the class.
Starting in December we will be alternating the Wednesday evening catechism classes with book study. The first book we will be reading and discussing is Bread & Water, Wine & Oil: An Orthodox Christian Experience of God by Fr. Meletios Webber. For those interested, there are several copies of this book available in our church libarary and it is also available to purchase as an audio book on audible and/or as a kindle e-book.
There will NOT be class on November 12th. Class will resume on November 19th.
Class Outlines:
Prayer Series Class Guide: Oct. 8 - Nov. 5th
Handout for Oct. 1st: Building Blocks of Orthodoxy
Class Handout for Sept 17 & 24
Zoom Notes: For those joinng the class via zoom please use the following login information and join with your camera on. We will open the class waiting room once Vespers concludes. Please make sure to update your zoom software prior to the class. Zoom will not let you login unless you are running the most current program software.
Below are the directed reading guides and focus questions for the series The Orthodox Faith, 4 Volume Set by Fr. Thomas Hopko. A full set of these books can be found in the church library. This series of books are introductory handbooks on Orthodox Faith and life. Presented in brief chapters, this series is excellent for quick reference or study, and provides valuable teaching material for both teens and adults.
Volume #1: Doctine and Scripture
Questions and Reflections for Discussion to be used with Volume I, Doctrine and Scripture
Questions and Reflections for Discussion to be used with Volume II, Worship
Questions and Reflections for Discussion to be used with Volume III, Church History
Questions and Reflections for Discussion to be used with Volume IV, Spirituality
These books are all available to borrow in our church library. Please come check out these and much, much more.
Introduction to Orthodoxy & General Interest Books
Bread & Water, Wine & Oil: An Orthodox Christian Experience of God by Fr. Meletios Webber
Know the Faith: A Handbook for Orthodox Christians and Inquirers by Fr. Michael Shanbour
Welcome to the Orthodox Church: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity by Frederica Mathewes-Green
Father Arseny: A Cloud of Witnesses
Father Arseny: Priest, Prisoner, and Spiritual Father
Becoming Orthodox by Fr. Peter Gillquist
The Orthodox Church by Bp. Kallistos Ware
Building An Orthodox Marriage by Bishop John (Abdalah)
Books on the Lives of Saints
A Daily Calendar of Saints: A Synaxarion for Today's North American Church by Fr. Lawrence R. Farley
Marriage as a Path to Holiness: Lives of Married Saints by David and Mary Ford
Saint Paul the Pharisee: Jewish Apostle to All Nations by Fr. Stephen De Young
Everyday Saints and Other Stories by Archimandrite Tikhon
Glorified in America: Laborers in the New World
The Art of Myrrhbearing: Encountering Christ through Serving Others by Elissa Bjeletich Davis
Books for Parents and Families
Blueprints for the Little Church: Creating an Orthodox Home by Elissa Bjeletich & Caleb Shoemaker
Patterns for Life: An Orthodox Reflection on Charlotte Mason Education
Paving the Road to College Through an Orthodox Christian Perspective
The Good Samaritan: A Children's Catechism by Fr. Michael Shanbour
A Walk Through Acts: An Overview of the Acts of the Apostles Christian Education Program
Books for Children
The Little Way of a Pilgrim by Jennifer Anna Rich
The Cellarer's Celery by Fr. Jeremy Davis
The Monk Who Grew Prayer by Claire Brandenburg
Heaven Meets Earth: Celebrating Pascha and the Twelve Feasts by John Kosmas Skinas
101 Orthodox Saints by Sarah Wright and Alexandra Schmalzbach
102 Orthodox Saints by Sarah Wright and Alexandra Schmalzbach
Books for Women
The Scent of Holiness: Lessons from a Women's Monastery by by Constantina R. Palmer
The Perfection of Women in Christ By Abbess Theologia
Songs of Praise: A Psalter Devotional for Orthodox Women by Sylvia Leontaritis
Under the Laurel Tree: Grieving Infertility with Saints Joachim and Anna by Nicole M. Roccas
The Ascetic Lives of Mothers: A Prayer Book for Orthodox Moms by Annalisa Boyd
An Orthodox Catechism by Patristic Nectar A broad introduction to Orthodox Christianity designed to expose catechumens to the countours of Orthodox faith and life. This series was developed to aid priests and parishes in preparing catechumens to be received into the Church, as well as edify Orthodox individuals seeking a better understanding of their faith. This is 16 part series by Fr. Josiah Trenham.
The Prayer Rule Series by Patristic Nectar This series of lectures will examine the content and order of the prayer rule, giving special emphasis to the prayers of repentance, the rule of prostrations, the giving of thanks, the use of the Jesus Prayer and spiritual reading. This is a 6 part series by Fr. Josiah Trenham
Orthodox Worship and the Divine Liturgy In this 10 part series the mysteries of the Holy Liturgy are explained with patristic commentary: the 25 foundational principals of traditional Christian worship derived from the Holy Scripture are outlined and the unbroked traditions of the church are explored.
Healing Our Diseases: The Church as a Spiritual Hospital This 10 part series explores the theraputic nature of the church as a spiritual hospital providing a means for aquiring divine power and grace for the healing of diseases of the soul and body.
Lectures are available for free at the Patristic Nectar website. You must create a free account before you will be granted access. Patristic Nectar also has a mobile app that can be downloaded from the app store if you prefer to listen on your phone or tablet.
It’s all too easy to recite something so familiar without questioning whether we really understand it. The Lord's Prayer is God’s own instruction in how to pray. Maybe it's time we unpack this prayer to really understand how God intended us to pray.
Podcast: The Lord’s Prayer, Part One
Podcast: The Lord’s Prayer, Part Two
Being in the services, hearing the chanting and listening to the Word of God will touch their souls and leave deep impressions in their hearts. These moments will live in them and keep them in the faith throughout their lives. “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” (Matthew 19:14-15)
A few years ago, I was asked: “Father Thomas, if you summarized, in the shortest form, what a practical life of a believing Christian, of a human being who believes in God and believes in Christ, what would it be like? What kind of maxims or rules or whatever that would be, what would that include?”
The 55 Maxims of Fr. Thomas Hopko (podcast)
A 10-part series on the litanies of the Divine Liturgy by Fr. John Oliver. Fr. John shows us how important our intercessory prayers are for world and it’s people.
Part 6: In the next litany of the Divine Liturgy, we pray for our Bishops, Priests, and Deacons.
Part 7: Fr. John now reflects on the litany for those in civil authority and our armed forces.
"Sometimes called the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Orthodox Church is the first Christian Church, the Church founded by the Lord Jesus Christ and described in the pages of the New Testament. Her history can be traced in unbroken continuity all the way back to Christ and His Twelve Apostles. For twenty centuries, she has continued in her undiminished and unaltered faith and practice. Today her apostolic doctrine, worship, and structure remain intact. The Orthodox Church maintains that the Church is the living Body of Jesus Christ."
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.