Sunday School

Holy Cross Church offers a Sunday School program for children 3 to 18 years old. We use a curriculum that combines textbooks published by the Orthodox Commission for Christian Education with our own, in-house developed materials. Curriculum for the younger grades (ages 4 through 12) cycle through three topics in a three-year period: The Life of Christ, The History of the Holy Community, and Our Spiritual Life. The high school class studies five topics, most of which take a full academic year: The Gospels, The Old Testament, Church History, Orthodoxy and Other Faiths, and Living an Orthodox Life in America. The school year begins on the Sunday before Labor Day and ends on the Sunday before the first camp session at Antiochian Village.  In addition, the children participate in the Panorthodox Fall Fun Festival and St. Nicholas party, a Christmas pageant, a Theophany party, participation in the Antiochian Creative Arts Festival, a monastery trip for teens, and a Panorthodox camping trip for everyone.

Classes meet immediately after liturgy and vary in length, depending on age. All children are invited to come and venerate the cross before the rest of the congregation, immediately after the end of the service, and then go to the parish hall to eat lunch. Children 3 years old stay with their parents in the parish hall for lunch, to proceed directly to the nave for a short class. Children 4 to 9 years old are asked to take their lunch to St. Raphael’s House, where their classes meet for about 20 to 35 minutes. Children 10 to 18 years old have their lunch in the parish hall and proceed, together with their teachers, to Father Gregory’s house for class, which lasts about 30 minutes for middle school and 40-50 minutes for high school.