Church School

St. Mary's Church School Program


St. Mary's Church School staff and its programs plant seeds of faith that enable our children to grow. These seeds are essential to our youth, for they are the foundation whereby our youth will realize their potential and grow toward Christ, each other, and their families.

Church School meets from 11 to 11:45 AM on Sunday following the 9 AM Divine Liturgy

To register your child, please click here.

Preschool Children
Calendar Hightlights
Curriculum by Grade
PreK 3 and PreK 4
These classes provide our 3 and 4 year olds with an introduction to the Orthodox Faith.  They will hear bible stories from the Old Testament such as the story of Creation and Noah’s Ark and some New Testament stories.  Crafts are geared to reinforce the stories, and they also work on crossing themselves and begin to recite small prayers. 
Textbook:  God is With Us text.
 
Kindergarten
Children are given instruction on stories from both the New and Old Testaments for its main course of study.  Our Kindergarten class also gets its first introduction to the study of the Divine Liturgy. 
 
1st Grade
First graders continue to deepen their understanding of the Old Testament as well as the Divine Liturgy.  They will also begin their study of the Sacraments of Baptism and Chrismation.  Learning of the Trisagion prayers is continued.
 
2nd Grade
Second grade is a big transition year as teaching begins to focus on specific areas of study.  Students in 2nd grade will review bible stories from the New Testament with a focus on the Gospels of Great Lent that is relevant to their study and preparation for the Sacraments of Holy Confession and Holy Communion. 
Texts:  Making Things Right and We Return to God
 
3rd Grade
Third grade studies the structure of the Orthodox Church.   This includes both the study of the Liturgical cycle and how the physical buildings are designed.  Students are taught about feast days, saints, and sacraments and how they correlate to the Liturgical cycle.  They will then look at why structural elements are where they are in the Cathedral.  These students will discover that every Orthodox Church is built on Biblical grounds. 
Textbook:  New Life in the Church 
 
4th Grade
In 4th grade students study the Divine Liturgy.  Students are guided through the many prayers that form the Divine Liturgy.  They also stop and learn the history and formation of the Creed as well as how many of our prayers come right out of the Bible.   
 
5th Grade
At the start of the Church School year students entering the 5th grade are presented on behalf of the parish of St. Mary’s with a bible of their own, and their main focus of study is the structure of the Holy Bible.  Students are given assignments to help them become familiar with the many different books of the Bible and where they are located. 
Textbook:  Finding Your Way Through the Bible
 
6th Grade
This class studies the laws, prophets, wisdom, and worship of the Old Testament along with where the bible comes from.  Students will also compare the various Liturgical Services of the Orthodox Church and why they change during lent.  Students’ knowledge is tested in weekly games of Bible Jeopardy. 
Textbook:  In The Beginning 
 
7th Grade 
An in depth look at each of the seven sacrament is the object of study for this class.  The student will learn about the biblical history of each sacrament as well as the role that each sacrament plays in our lives and the life of the Church.
Textbook:  Worship by Thomas Hopko


8th Grade
This class learns about the numerous symbols in the Orthodox Church.  Students will learn what symbols are and the meanings behind the use of candles, incense, blessed water, and more.  They will also learn the importance of the Theotokos and the saints of the Church in the light of symbolism.  These students read from the book
Textbook:  Sacred Symbols That Speak
 
9th Grade
Church History is the subject of this class.  Students will be taken down the Church’s memory lane.  From the birth of the Church and its humble beginnings to St. Alexis bringing the parishioners of St. Mary’s back to Orthodoxy, this class will learn about the people, places, and events that have shaped the Orthodox Church.
Textbook: Bible and Church History by Thomas Hopko
 
 
10th Grade
Tenth grade provides the opportunity to look at the Church’s doctrine, pulling from history, liturgy, sacraments and lives of the saints, cementing together the knowledge that has been acquired by the students in their religious education at St. Mary’s, at home, and elsewhere. 
Textbook:  Doctrine and Text developed by Kay Wakaruk
 
11th Grade
This final year of our program focuses on how the students can apply an Orthodox doctrine into their everyday lives.  Guest speakers talk about how an Orthodox belief has effected the decisions they made in life, at home, and the work place.  The class holds group discussions about current events and as a class participate in stewardship events throughout the year.  
Contact Information
Church School Directors:
Julie Miller, Kirsten Rohmann

1701 Fifth Street NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413

phone: 612-781-7667
fax:     612-781-5047

 


 

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