Youth Church (Sunday) School

You are the light of the world.
Matthew 5:14

Welcome to Saint Katherine Sunday School! Our Sunday school runs from September to May and classes are held downstairs in the Meletis Charuhas Hall. Classes start immediately following Holy Communion, with approximately 40 minutes of instruction, each Sunday. 

Our Mission:
The mission of our Sunday School is to educate our children in our Orthodox Faith. To instill knowledge of the spiritual values, share the message of Christ’s love and teach them to live that message in their daily lives. In this way we are giving them the moral compass to help guide them through all challenges into adulthood.

In the words of Saint Paul in his letter to the Colossians, the Church’s mission is to . . . “present everyone as fully mature in virtue of their union with Christ” (Colossians 1:28). To encourage and develop this enduring and personal communion with the Holy Trinity, we need to be invested in worship in the Divine Liturgy, honor the Church’s Holy Traditions, and grow in our knowledge and practice of the Holy Scriptures. These are the keys to our growth in grace.

At Saint Katherine our goal is to teach our children how to live their Orthodox faith by teaching them about the life of Christ, the foundation to live Christian lives, share their faith and do good works.

We have Sunday School classes for children from Pre-K (age 3) through 12th grade with an amazing group of dedicated and talented teachers that volunteer their time and talents to lead our children in experiencing their living faith. Our teachers will infuse a positive, loving, enthusiastic and creative way that your child will want to attend Liturgy.

Our Sunday School program is designed to provide foundational and practical Orthodox Christian Education from a young age through mature adult by:

  • Providing separate age group classes with age appropriate and age relevant curriculum, projects, crafts and songs
  • Providing our students with the spiritual and moral foundations through or in accordance with the teachings of Jesus Christ to address their varied and complex spiritual, intellectual, psychological and emotional needs
  • Providing our students with a comprehensive, working knowledge of Orthodox beliefs, traditions, prayer, feast and fasts and liturgical practices
  • Tailoring teaching to answer questions and assist students in facing real world challenges to their faith; and
  • Fostering and developing mature and committed Orthodox Christians with an Orthodox world view to better enable them to live their faith as faithful, active and devoted members of our church, our community and our country.

Each Sunday, students attend Divine Liturgy with their families and proceed to the Sunday School Classroom. After Holy Communion, teachers of the youngest children will meet them in the Narthex and escort them to their classrooms. Classes will be dismissed at noon at which time parents/guardians are expected to “pick-up” their student from the classroom.

Our Teachers:
Pre-K - Andrea Patitsas 

K and 1st - Mary Charuhas and Christina Papadopoulos 

2nd and 3rd - Sophia Tsangali

4th  - Mary Stathopoulos and Tassos Sakkas

5th and 6th - Patricia Rader and Carolyn and Joe Perez

7th and 8th - Nicholas Patitsas and Jonathan Panton

9th - 12th - Sam Fischer and Zachary Contrakis

The 2024-2025 Sunday School Calendar:
Sunday School begins on September 15, 2024 and ends on May 18, 2025. Classes meet each Sunday. Please see below for key dates:

September 15: First day of class
October 6: (Festival – no class)
November 24: (Thanksgiving Break – no class)
November 30: Christmas retreat with all youth groups
December 1: Classes resume
December 15: Christmas Program in church following the Liturgy and Santa's Workshop
December 22, 29 and January 5, 2025: (Christmas Break – no class)
January 12, 2025: Classes resume
March 9: Sunday of Orthodoxy – Class participation in church
April 12: Youth Saturday: Palm making in Chelpon Hall
April 13 and 20: (Easter Break – no class)
April 27: Classes resume
May 18: Last Day Graduation Ceremony

Registration:
As registration for the current school year has completed, please register your student with the classroom teacher when you join our program, or use the QR code or link below. New students are welcome at any time! 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScPYu3PsOr2fQQY1OiQddn989eED8mzoqAanVt6KGJWXxEpcg/viewform

Contact information:
For more information on our school, to register, or if you are interested in teaching, you may contact the church office at 703-671-1515 or by email at sundayschool@stkchurch.com.

Students and parents are encouraged to be involved in special events sponsored through the Sunday School program (i.e., Christmas Pageant, Oratorical Festival, etc.).