DCE offers lenten units for Church schools, study groups
The Orthodox Church in America’s Department of Christian Education [DCE] offers a variety of online lessons and activities on lenten and Paschal themes to supplement curriculum materials used in Church schools and adult study groups.
“Journey to Pascha” features units of six lessons for grades 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 and 9-12. In addition, it includes a six-lesson unit for ages 18 and over which can be used with older teens and adult study groups.
“The lessons for all ages help students become more familiar with the elements of lenten and Paschal worship—verses, hymns, icons and readings,” says Matushka Valerie Zahirsky, DCE Chair. “Activities and discussion will enable students to engage in lenten worship with more understanding in ways that relate to their daily lives.”
For grades 4-6 and 7-9, the DCE offers a collection of activities centering on the Old Testament, titled “Activities for Holy Saturday, Pascha and Bright Week”. These three activities, explains Matushka Valerie, give students a chance to look into the prophecies of the Messiah’s coming in the writings of Ezekiel and Daniel and to see how the Church uses them liturgically during the Paschal season.
Activities based on the life of Saint Gerasim, whose feast is celebrated on March 4, and the Book of Proverbs, frequently read during Great Lent, are the focus of “Activities for Great Lent”. The unit offers two activities for grades 2-3, 4-6 and 7-8 enabling students to relate the wonderful story of Saint Gerasim and the lion to their own lives while learning memorable passages from Proverbs.
Clergy, teachers and parents will find many other educational resources for all ages on the DCE website.