St. Basil Catechetical School Opens September 15 with First Weekly Series

With great joy, we announce the beginning of classes at the St. Basil Catechetical School on Thursday, September 15.

What on earth is a catechetical school?!

A catechetical school is simply a Christian school that educates people in the Christian Faith. In the Early Church, the Catechetical School of Alexandria, which some believe was founded by the Holy Apostle Mark himself, was the oldest and most illustrious of these schools. Its teachers, which included luminaries like Pantaenus, Athenagoras, Didymus the Blind, and Origen, were sought out by students from all over the world. One of the most notable students of the Catechetical School of Alexandria is our own patron saint, the Holy Gregory the Theologian, who visited Alexandria and benefited from the advanced theological teaching provided by the school. In this, we see one of the beautiful connections between St. Gregory and the Coptic Church.

Our parish is pleased to offer the St. Basil Catechetical School as a ministry to educate and help people delve deeper into the fundamentals of the Orthodox Christian Faith. All of our courses will be taught in a sincere, yet accessible, manner.

Will I have to study and take exams?

Generally speaking, no. We encourage people to take notes for their own benefit, but even this is not required. There may be recommended reading that you can pursue on your own if you wish to delve deeper in any given subject.

Special Meeting for Mission and Outreach on September 6

As a Coptic Orthodox parish, what is our mission? How do we relate to the world around us? All too often, local parishes like ours become cultural centers in which meetings and services target a tiny cultural minority.

At St. Gregory, however, we have a different goal. In order to fulfill our mission and participate in Christ’s work for the salvation of the world, we must first discover and be awakened to our connection with the world.

To help in this process, we will have a special meeting discussing mission and outreach to non-Orthodox brothers and sisters on Tuesday, September 6 from 7:00-8:00 p.m. featuring two special guest speakers who recently converted to Orthodoxy in the Coptic Church. They will share their experience with us so that we might better understand what it’s like for the numerous people we hope to reach with our mission.

For servants, this meeting is mandatory, and for all others, it is highly recommended.

Fr. Gregory Bishay at St. Gregory on August 17

On Wednesday, August 17, our parish will be blessed by the visit of Fr. Gregory Bishay for the Vigil of the Holy Theotokos. Fr. Gregory will pray the Raising of Incense from 7:00-8:30 p.m. and offer a meditation on the Holy Theotokos.

You don’t want to miss the visit of this wonderful, loving, and sincere father!