And the Two Shall Become One: A Teenage Study-unit on Sex, Sexuality and the Sacrament of Marriage

By Fr. Michael Anderson, Fr. John Matusiak, Linda Kozler, and David Subu

What's Inside:

Before You Start

Before beginning this unit, participants should have completed the study-unit What’s Love Got to Do With It? Everything! available from the Orthodox Christian Publications Center (OCPC). Also read the "How to Use This Book" section. It includes the basic framework of the unit and provides suggestions for inexperienced teachers. The coordinator of this unit should inform the parents/guardians of all participants about the basic content of the unit in order that they can be prepared for any questions which may arise at home.

Disclaimer: This unit does not attempt to cover the myriad of issues surrounding sexuality in our culture. Nor does this unit attempt to serve as a form of sex education program comparable to that in public schools -- we do not cover the biology of the sexes, sexual reproduction, sexual diseases, or how to use birth control. It does however, attempt to provide a means of teaching the Orthodox Christian view of sexuality and marriage to teens and young adults.

This unit is intended to accomplish the following:

To foster an understanding that marriage and sexuality are gifts from God meant to be part of His plan for our salvation.
To present the holistic approach of the Church towards marriage and sexuality to teens as healthy, safe, beneficial, and practical.
To provide teens with facts they need to know about marriage and sexuality.
To offer teens an opportunity within the context of the Church to discuss their feelings and concerns about sex and sexuality.
To open channels of honest communication about marriage and sexuality between teens and caring adults in the Church.

Age and Grade Level

This unit is designed to be discussed with youth between the ages of 13-18.

Reproducing this unit: All educational units designed by our Unit on Education and Community Life Ministries are designed to be reproduced locally. Every teacher and staff member should have his or her own copy.

Suggested Reading

In addition to the texts mentioned in the session outlines, the following resources can be a great help to leaders as they prepare

1. Synodal Affirmations on Marriage, Family, Sexuality, and the Sanctity of Life: These affirmations, issued by the Holy Synod of Bishops on the occasion of the Tenth All-American Council, outline the Church’s basic teachings on these areas of life. They can be downloaded from the OCA web site at [url=https://www.oca.org/OCA/All-American-Council/10-Miami-1992/Synodal-Affirmations.html]https://www.oca.org/OCA/All-American-Council/10-Miami-1992/Synodal-Affirmations.html[/url]

2. Sacrament of Holy Matrimony Service Book: Available from the Orthodox Christian Publications Center (OCPC).

3. Pastoral Encyclical on Marriage: Available from OCPC.

4. The Sacrament of Love by Paul Evdokimov: Available from Saint Vladimir’s Seminary (800/204-BOOK).

5. Family Life: Christian Family in Today’s World compiled by the OCA’s Unit on Education and Community Life Ministries: Available from OCPC.

6. Marriage as a Path to Holiness: Lives of Married Saints by David and Mary Ford: Available from St. Tikhon’s Bookstore (888/454-6678).

7. HIV, AIDS & U: A 3-session Discussion Guide on Christians and HIV/AIDS. Available from the OCA’s Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries.

Materials

Sessions will require the use of a chalkboard or other similar, large writing surface. Participants will also do work in a journal or workbook. You may wish to supply them with blank composition/diary books for keeping journals. Such books make excellent keepsakes and can be used with other study-units, allowing participants to trace the progress of their religious education in your ministry.

How to use this book:

This book is divided into seven sessions. Each session is designed to take between 45 minutes to 1 hour to complete with the option of expanding even further into additional activities. Each session is, itself, divided into the following nine sections:

1. Aim: Also known as the rationale, this section provides the basic principles and reasons of the session. The “Aim” section also defines the goal(s) of the session, which is the general outcome for the unit session.

2. Guidance for Leaders: This section briefly provides further discussion of the rationale or motivation for the session, and give the leader some things to keep in mind when teaching.

3. Objectives: This section lists specific tasks that participants should be able to accomplish as a result of finishing a session. They include skills, experiences, and ideas to be acquired. Objectives are usually framed in terms of goals. For example, "By the end of this unit, students should be able to . . . ."

4. Useful Texts: This section lists references to any texts that you should use during the session. Sometimes they will include the useful texts described at the beginning of the entire unit (above), though mostly they include scriptural passages, liturgical texts, and lives of the saints. Teachers should keep these texts on hand during each session and should read and reflect on these before the time of the session.

5. Materials: This section lists materials needed for the activities in the session, such as those for writing, or creating expressions of participants’ experience. All sessions require a chalkboard-like surface and journals.

6. Procedure: This section provides the general overview of the session in terms of procedure, what needs to be done. Feel free to follow or adapt activities according to local need.

7. Check-In and Review: Each session begins with a brief check-in and warm-up. This section describes a warm-up to suit each particular session. The main idea of the check-in is for participants to describe their own progress in a manner that will get them thinking about the contents of each session in a new way. After check-in, it is important to briefly review the content of the last session. Suggested review questions are given for each session. Reviewing is an important way of tying the unit together and making it possible for newcomers to catch-up on what they missed. Check-in and review should take no longer than 5 minutes.

8. Activity: This section describes the activities that will be used during the session. Each activity is described first in terms of the time required and the purpose behind it. In the main text of the activity, parts which should be spoken (preferably paraphrased in your own words if possible) are in bold type. Possible answers to these questions are provided for you in brackets []. Occasionally, the answers may reflect synodal proclamations and similar expressions of the Church’s position. More often, however, the answers given reflect a range of possible views that might be encountered in daily life and will be flexible enough to encourage students to come to a suitable conclusion of their own. The answers are given to you in order to assist in starting the discussion. The more they discuss the ideas of the unit, the more they will learn and make the ideas their own. Text not in bold print signifies instructions to the instructor. Text in italics signifies quotations from useful texts.

9. Session Conclusions: This section describes a recommended "exhortation", or summary of the session's main ideas. Before ending, briefly review the session’s main ideas to test if the objectives have been achieved. Occasionally, suitable prayers or take-home activities are included.

Important!

Remember that your preparedness and your interest in the subject and in the participants are invaluable. If you think that what you do together is important, the example will rub off on them.

Please read and think about each session well before you are scheduled to teach it. You may want to gather materials, consult with your priest about some point of information, or get data from the parish library, public library, or an Orthodox book service before the session. It is always a good idea to reflect on the lesson several days before presenting it. Good ideas often come over time.

Begin and end each session with a prayer [i.e., O Heavenly King, It is Truly Meet]. Check with your parish priest about what would be most appropriate. It is important that participants understand that doing God’s will is always achieved when we continuously call on His name for guidance.

Finally, be flexible and creative! This study unit demands local input, talent, and creativity. Do not be afraid to alter the sessions to fit your own circumstances. The more you can make this material to the youth in your area, the more successful we all will be!

Let us hear from you!

If you use this unit, in its present form or in your own adapted fashion, please let us know. Share your experience and your photos with The Orthodox Church newspaper! Many people throughout our Church need to see that programs like this are being done. You can contact our unit at Orthodox Church in America, Education and Community Life Ministries, PO Box 675, Syosset, NY 11791 or at yyacm@oca.org. We hope this unit is helpful in your ongoing ministry!