Catechumen Classes Beginning

For those who have attended our New Member Class, and are ready to begin serious preparation for entrance into the Church, our series of catechumen classes is starting up!

Our classes for catechumens will begin again on

Saturday, July 31st at 11 am.

Catechumen classes at St. George Church are typically are held on the 2nd and fourth Saturday of the month, and are for those interested in learning about the Orthodox Christian faith and preparing for entrance into the Orthodox Church.

Though forgotten by many Christian ‘churches’ today, the period of instruction and formation preparing new members for Christian life – traditionally called the ‘catechumenate’ was an important and essential time of preparation for entrance into Christ’s holy Church.

Here is more from Orthodoxwiki:

In the ancient Church, the catechumenate, or time during which one is a catechumen, often lasted for as much as three years and included not only participation in the divine services but also catechesis, formal instruction from a teacher, often the bishop or appointed catechist. Exorcists often performed the catechetical role, as well, following their initial prayers of exorcism over the one being made a catechumen, which is the traditional manner of receiving a catechumen into the community of the Church.

Catechumens are understood to be Christians upon beginning their catechumenate, and should they die before baptism, they are traditionally given an Orthodox funeral.

As the Church eventually became the majority religion of the lands in which it sojourned, the catechumenate as an institution gradually died out in many places, as most Christians were being baptized shortly after birth. As Orthodoxy has moved into the West and Far East and begun gaining converts to the faith, the catechumenate has been significantly rejuvenated.

Catechetical instruction in Orthodoxy in America does not typically last the three years which was common in the time of St. John Chrysostom, but typically can last from six months to a year, depending on the practice of the bishop, his jurisdiction, and the level of spiritual maturity of the catechumen. Local parish priests typically oversee the catechesis of those preparing to be received into the Church.

Those desiring to take this class should let Fr. John know. The classes are free.