Saint Mark of Ephesus Orthodox Cathedral Church School

Boston, Massachusetts

The Church School program at Saint Mark of Ephesus Orthodox Cathedral offers catechetical instruction for preschool through high school-aged children. (There are, in addition, occasional talks by the clergy for adults from college age on up.) The program includes instruction in the Orthodox Christian Faith, learning Byzantine hymns, and the production of an annual Nativity Program.

The Church School academic year runs from September through May. During these months, one of our clergy delivers the ser¬mon (or homily) not in the usual place immediately after the Gospel but at the end of the Divine Liturgy, which allows the children from nursery school age through high school to go to their Church School lessons. Classes are held in the church hall for the duration of the preaching and the announcements that follow the dismissal of the divine Liturgy.

General Outline of the Curriculum

Preschool most basic external expressions of Orthodox Christian piety, such as making the sign of the Cross; kissing icons and the hands of the clergy; fasting; prostrations; dress; saying prayers at meal, arising from sleep, at bedtime, traveling, going to school, etc.; lighting candles; offering incense

Kindergarten review of prior year’s material; interior of the Orthodox Church building; beginning instruction on certain basic, well-known Old Testament events, especially creation, Adam and Eve, tower of Babel, Noah, and Abraham

First Grade more intensive interpretation of Old Testament, with studies of the Prophets, Moses and the Exodus, Jesus the son of Navi (also referred to as Joshua the son of Nun), the Three Children, Daniel, Jonah, Elias (also referred to as Elijah), Job, etc.

Second Grade lives of Saints, with special focus on the more well-known, such as SS. Demetrius the Great Martyr, George the Great Martyr, Nicholas, Barbara, Nectarios of Pentapolis, John the Baptist, Mark of Ephesus, Constantine and Helen, Anna the mother of the Theotokos, Spyridon, Elizabeth the mother of the Baptist, Stephen the Protomartyr, Three Hierarchs, etc.

Third Grade the great Feasts of the Church, including the feasts of Our Lord and Savior, the Mother of God, the Elevation of the Cross, etc.

Fourth Grade New Testament parables of the Lord, such as the talents, the prodigal son, the good Samaritan, etc., together with the miracles of the Lord, such as the five loaves, the ten lepers, the man who was born blind, marriage at Cana, resurrection of Lazarus, etc.

Fifth Grade the most specific events directly relating to the salvation of man: Incarnation, Virgin Birth, Baptism, Transfiguration, the triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, the Mystic Supper, the Immaculate Passion of the Lord, the Resurrection, the Ascension, and all these as they are incorporated within the Creed, together with a focus on the formation and meaning of the Creed

Sixth Grade history of the Church, commencing with a review of events in the Old Testament, the Apostolic times, the Ecumenical Synods and heresies, the Orthodox state, the local Churches, the Churches in America, etc.

Seventh Grade the Sacred Services of the Church and the overall liturgical cycle and order, including the Sacred Mysteries (sometimes incorrectly referred to as sacraments), such as Holy Baptism, Holy Marriage, Holy Unction, etc.

Eighth Grade the Divine Liturgy and its historical development and symbolism, the Service of Preparation, the Immaculate Mysteries, the clerical vestments, making of Prosphoron, the prayers of the clergy, the prayers before and after receiving Holy Communion

Ninth through Twelfth Grades an in-depth study of the Old and New Testaments from the three perspectives of history, spirituality (church doctrine, morality, and worship), and prophesy and how all of this is expressed in the corporate and private worship of the Church and her members High school students’ curriculum spans four years. The first year is spent studying the Old Testament, particularly the passages from the Creation to the Exodus. The second year focuses on the Prophets. The study of the New Testament comprises yet another year, and a careful review of the Divine Liturgy, including its history and the prayers, completes the curriculum. These subjects are discussed in the light of the history of the People of God (Church history from creation onward) and with reference to relevant texts of the Holy Fathers. In addition, the high school students are encouraged to introduce present-day issues and events into this program of study so they can be addressed from a True Orthodox Christian viewpoint.

Church School Staff

Director
Helen Vlachos

Teachers
Pre-school: Elizabeth George
Kindergarten and First Grade: Helen Vlachos
Second and Third Grades: Catherine Kontogiannis and Maureen Rapsomanikis
Fourth and Fifth Grades: Suzannah Antonopoulos
Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Grades: Ismael Asgarian and Stephanos Karavas
High School: Jim Vlachos, Jr.