Posts

Presentation of Christ: Churching a Baby

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For this week's lesson on Ypapanti : or the Presentation of Christ to the Temple we reflected on our own 40-Day blessing to record that in our "Orthodox Christian Kids Journals."   You can access the free download h ere : The handout includes a coloring icon of the Presentation Icon, a prayer for the infant, a True or False about the mother bringing the child, and a quote to trace. Again, I hope your students enjoy coloring, cutting and pasting these fun boxes into to journals they are decorating as a keepsake of our Orthodox Christian faith.

Three Hierarchs Lesson & Coloring Icon

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Join us to learn more about each individual Saint celebrated during the Three Hierarchs common feastday on January 30th by downloading the handout for free here  or on Scribd located here We are coloring, cutting and gluing this lesson along with the many others in our "Orthodox Christian Kids Journals" that can be found at this link: All files beginning from September have been uploaded for free download! This method of journaling has created truly beautiful keepsakes for Orthodox youth ages 5 to 18 to help them follow the calendar year of the Church.  Each student has used their God-given gifts in a creative, unique way that has planted the seeds of our faith into their memory.

Holy Unction Orthodox Lesson

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We rarely tackle the topic of Holy Unction (Evxalion) in the Orthodox Church with teenagers and youth, so it is rather taken for granted when Holy Week comes along. However, holy oil can be used daily in your homes if you obtain a small jar of blessed oil from a kandili (vigil lamp) burning in front of relics or from your own personal icon corner. Each day as your family reads the morning prayers, complete the experience by eating a small piece of antidoro (blessed bread distributed at the end of Liturgy) and by receiving the sign of the cross with oil by a parent. It also is a good habit for children to kiss the hand of the parent who blesses them as this conveys a deeper respect for the hand that nourishes you.... ultimately reminding children that to receive the blessing of their parent for the day is crucial ....just as we ask the blessing of our parents for college choices, marriage, etc Download the HOLY UNCTION handout here on Scribd or here thru GoogleDocs Here is the link for

Presentation of Christ Activities - Ipapanti

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As you and your families prepare to celebrate the Presentation of Christ on February 2 I share with you the following activities. Page 16 of 39 in this Orthodox coloring book has the icon  to print & color https://www.scribd.com/doc/14024263/Orthodox-Christian-Icon-Coloring-Book Click, Print and Enjoy!

Theophany Lesson Orthodox Journals

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For the feast of Theophany, this free lesson and handout on Scribd or here at GoogleDocs for Orthodox Christians reaches back to the well known story of the holy Prophet Noah and the ark to understand God's plan for our salvation. You may ask your students to cut around the components of the icon to glue and create their own festal icon with the blue Jordan river and barren desert as you read aloud the Gospel text. The discussion for the lesson should lead to God's revelation of the Holy Trinity, 3-in-1 and 1-in-3. In fact, if our students only learn the Troparion or festal hymn for the feast of Theophany they will see that it encompasses the complete theology of the Church in that the Holy Trinity existed before all time! Wishing your families and students a blessed illumination for 2019!

Theotokos: Her Life in Mosaics

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Did you know that in the history and tradition of the Orthodox Church we have more scenes depicted from the life of the Theotokos than anyone else? You might be surprised to learn that there are over 16 different mosaics to teach us about Panagia's life at the Church of St. Savior in Chora (Kariye Camii) in Constantinople, Turkey. This Church was once part of a monastery, but is now Museum, and has one of the best-preserved collections of Byzantine mosaics and frescoes. Here are just a few of the scenes depicted: **A PDF of most of the Mosaics with short descriptions has been posted here on our Scribd Orthodox Group. Please take a look - it is a valuable teaching tool** 1. Joachim's offerings at the Temple 2. Annunciation of Saint Anne (the angel of the Lord announcing to Anne that her prayer for a child has been heard) 3. Meeting of Joachim and Anne 4. Birth of the Virgin Mary 5. First seven steps of the Virgin 6. The Virgin given affection by her parents 7. The Virgin blesse

Orthodox Jeopardy

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Gather Orthodox Christians of all ages for a fun and interactive game of Orthodox Jeopardy . Created in Microsoft Powerpoint, you'll sing along to the familiar theme songs of the television gameshow while testing your knowledge of the faith. Create teams or play individually. Even set up a laptop and projector screen to host this game at Youth Night or Retreats with popcorn and sleeping bags! The questions range in difficulty and topics include: The Saints, Art & Architecture, Music & Hymnology, The Bible, Faith & Traditions , Miracles...plus more! Click here to download this file from our Orthodox Scribd Group or better yet please e-mail eleniemarie@gmail.com for the most accurate Powerpoint layout since it's distorting quite a bit thru the web. Best results have been had by downloading and opening it in Powerpoint itself. This activity is also very adaptable for local traditions, languages, levels of difficulty, etc. Hope you enjoy it~