Catechumen Class

St Nicholas Church Catechumen Class

Our catechism class at St Nicholas will begin on Tuesday, September 9 at 7:30 by zoom with an orientation class. The book for the class is “The Orthodox Way” by Met. Kallistos Ware. The class instructor will be Polly (Veronica) Hughes, author of several Eastern Orthodox books.

Faith is a way of life and a way of prayer – what we live by and with.

God waits for us to give Him permission to enter our hearts. He does not want to force us to come to him. He gave us free will so that we could freely choose to come to Him and love Him.

Eastern Orthodox Christianity is a lifelong journey — a journey to love. 

We step out on this path by committing ourselves to the path. Getting a blessing to become catechumen is our first big commitment. When we make a commitment, even if we’re scared, that is our signal to God that we need His support and the support of our Christian community to choose this way of life. Commitment allows God’s grace to freely come to us when needed to help us with the big and little storms will encounter along the way.

Just as our God is a living God, so is our faith, a living faith. Worldly knowledge is interested in facts: what can be seen and it’s always on the lookout for things that reinforce our need for survival. Spiritual knowledge comes from the Holy Spirit in the present here and now. We never know where or what or who will help us to be touched by the grace of God and deepen our relationship with Him. 

The class will meet twice a month on Tuesdays from 7:30 to 8:30 by Zoom and occasionally we will have an in person class at church on Sunday after the liturgy and lunch. This course will be seven months long with a break over the holidays. It is our intention to complete the book by the beginning of Great Lent on March 1, 2026. This class is for people who are not yet Orthodox, who are seriously considering joining the Orthodox Church. It is reserved for those who are not already an Orthodox Christian.

Please email Veronica at: pollystjohnhughes@gmail.com if you are interested.