The next 8 week session begins in September 2025. Registration will begin in August, please check for announcements at that time.
Stages of the Journey
Inquiry
Often a person's first contact with Orthodoxy is initiated outside of a parish, online, or through conversations with others. This is often followed by a period of individual inquiry, reading, and research. Eventually, if it is blessed, the inquirer will find a parish and begin attending services. Communal worship is the essential element of Orthodoxy and is absolutely required. A new inquirer is expected to regularly attend services for at leas a couple of months before committing to the next stage of the journey to entry into the Orthodox Church. Once that period has passed and the inquirer has felt called to seriously pursue entry into the Church they are expected to attend catechism class before being officially enrolled in the catechumenate.
Catechism Class
Two separate 8 week sessions of the catechism class are held each year. In Fall the classes occur on Wednesday evening and in Spring on Monday, both from 7-8pm. Registration for either session begins one month before the start of class and, while not required, is greatly appreciated.
Catechumenate
After completing a catechism class, the inquirer will be officially enrolled as a catechumen through prayer. The period of the Catechumenate lasts from 1 to 2 years (often including time spent as an inquirer, but at the discretion of the priest). Catechumens are expected to attend most of the services of the parish as their continuing education through homilies, the reading of psalms and hymns, and discussions with the clergy. Additionally, catechumens should participate in the life of the parish, establishing a regular rule of daily prayer, learning to fast and fostering relationships with others in the parish. Multiple conferences with a priest are expected during this time. The clergy will determine the appropriate time for baptism or chrismation after the catechumen has declared their desire to convert. Catechumens are understood to be part of the Church upon beginning their catechumenate, and should they die before they are baptized, they are traditionally given an Orthodox funeral in recognition of this.
Supplemental Materials
No texts are specifically required for catechism class however the following books can be purchased from the St. Anthony bookstore, and most are available online both new and used.
Highly Recommended
- Antiochian Archdiocese, A Pocket Prayer Book for Orthodox Christians
- Holy Transfiguration Monastery, The Psalter According to the Seventy (also in a pocket version)
- The Holy Bible: New Testament (NKJV,RSV,OSB, or similar)
Recommended
Sacraments, Spirituality and the Ethos of Orthodoxy
- Archimandrite Meletios Webber, Bread & Water, Wine & Oil: An Orthodox Christian Experience of God
- Met. KALLISTOS Ware, The Orthodox Way
History and Doctrine
- Met. KALLISTOS (Timothy) Ware, The Orthodox Church: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity
Worship
- V. Rev. Patrick O'Grady, Come, Let Us Worship: A Practical Guide to the Divine Liturgy for Orthodox Laity
