In the Orthodox Church, children are not future members. They are members now. A baby baptized at forty days old receives Communion that same week, and from then on is part of everything the Church does. St. Mary’s has been raising children in the faith on this prairie for more than a century, and we would love to help raise yours.
In church
Children stay in the service with their families. There is no separate children’s church, because the Liturgy is theirs too. Little ones absorb far more than we think: the singing, the candles, the smell of incense, the rhythm of standing and bowing. A restless toddler is a normal sound on a Sunday morning, and a walk to the entryway and back is always fine. Older children can hold a candle, carry an icon in procession, help in the altar or sing with the choir.
Baptism
Orthodox babies are baptized by full immersion, usually within the first few months, and are chrismated and given Communion at the same time. Godparents promise to help the parents bring the child up in the faith. To arrange a baptism, or to ask about baptizing an older child, contact Fr. Tikhon.
Church school
Church school meets after the Sunday Liturgy at about 11:00, from the second Sunday of September until Pascha. Classes are small, friendly and grouped by age, and they cover the Bible, the feasts, the saints and the prayers of the Church. Children of visitors are welcome to join at any time in the year.
Confession and Communion
Children receive Communion from infancy. Around the age of seven they begin to make their own confessions, gently and briefly, with a priest who has been talking with them for years. There is no first-Communion ceremony because there is no first Communion; there is just the Communion they have always shared.
At home
Most of a child’s faith is formed at home: an icon corner, a short morning and evening prayer, grace at meals, a feast day remembered with a special dinner, a saint’s story at bedtime. None of it needs to be elaborate. Fr. Tikhon and the church school teachers are glad to suggest prayer books and children’s books; a few are listed on our Resources page.
Teens
Young people are encouraged to serve in the altar, sing, read the Epistle, help at the Slavic Fest and take part in diocesan youth gatherings. The teenage years are when many young Orthodox Christians make the faith their own. We try to give them real responsibility and honest answers.