Sunday Schools – the real face of Catechism.
For the Christian, teaching the truths of the Faith to others is a major pillar of the spiritual life. Of course, the earlier we start this work in the life of the members of the Church, the more successful we are going to be in our effort. Hence, Sunday Schools have overtaken all other forms of Catechism in the life of the Church. Systematic organisation of Sunday Schools in Sydney, began in 1955 and continues, with the Grace of God to this day. These facts are well known to everyone, and we shall not dwell on them further.
Certainly, teaching children the principles of our Faith is the essential part of our mission:
- By instilling into their hearts the life-saving teachings of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the exalted lives of our glorious Lady Theotokos and all-holy Maria (Panagia), as well as that of the Saints, and
- By helping them, by word of mouth and our own example, how to practise in their lives the command how to practise in their lives the commands of Jesus Christ and imitate the example of Panagia and the Saints of the Church in their life.
The contribution of Sunday School to the life of the child is enormous. By making them understand that we have many weaknesses in our character, which need correction or elimination, so that our life be free of internal conflict, and through the Grace of God given to those who partake of Holy Confession and Holy Communion, they come to know God better whilst their Faith is also strengthened. These make them able to withstand the strengthened attacks of temptation, and have the power to do good deeds, suitable to their age. Nothing has such enormous value in the life of human beings than a clear cons a clear conscience and a pure heart, and these can be offered to the children only by the Church through the Sunday Schools.
In the Christian environment of Sunday School, the children and particularly adolescents, will find real friends, and we all know how important and enduring are friendships established in that period of life. We must encourage this to the hilt, with all our power, because we offer to them a most important means of an excellent and stable psychological development. Remember, “He who found a faithful friend, has found a treasure” (Sirach 6:14). But apart from the Christian values offered by the Sunday Schools, they make an enormous contribution to the social development of its pupils and offer our society at large, people who are upright, sincere, moral and responsible members, who can contribute to the betterment of our social whole. Such people are always successful in this life, firstly because they have the blessing and protection of God, and secondly their upright personality sees them through the difficulties of life.
What has been said so far, is also aimed at our you is also aimed at our young generation of parents with school children and generation of parents adolescents, who ignore the spiritual and psychological wellbeing of their children, but instead they leave them to grow up without paying attention to their friends, their idiosyncrasies and their faults. Raising children is perhaps one of the more difficult tasks in one’s life, and one of the more difficult tasks in one’s life should not be left to chance. Connecting your children with the Church and Sunday School, you contribute significantly to their happiness and their future.
Source: Lychnos April / May 2017