Our catechumenate process is offered in three different intensities, as it were. As this suggests, the difference between the three paths is one of duration and level of study, not one of content or scope. As soon as you will decide on becoming Orthodox and are made a catechumen, the Priest will explain the three programs to you. At that time you will also sign up for one of the programs. The catechumenate classes are required of all catechumens over the age of 14! (Younger kids will be received without classes.) Do keep in mind that your sponsor will accompany you throughout the program, so you must have the sponsor chosen before the program starts! Here is the common content and scope of all three programs.  

The content and scope of the program

What is Orthodoxy, especially in relation to other Christian faiths? This is an essential question. And a short answer is: In comparison to other Christian faiths Orthodoxy is not simply a replacement of certain convictions for others, of certain worship practices for others, a correct rearrangement of right ideas, an alternative way of seeing things, a different system of beliefs and practices, or a different method of reading the Scriptures. It is not all these simply because Orthodoxy is not a system, is not a method, and is not a sum of beliefs and practices. It is not external, formal, ethical, deductive, definitional, or intellectual. Our faith is life itself and it reaches down into all the sinews and corners of our souls. It is internal, inherited, informal, natural, ascetical, simple, therapeutic, and soteriological. It comes down to living—both in this world and the the world to come—the life which God has given us through his revelations from the beginning of time all the way through today, revelations to the forefathers, the patriarchs, the prophets, apostles, evangelists, ascetics, martyrs, etc. This life which God gave to our ancestors and which we inherit is the life of God himself.  He has not simply taught them things, shown them ways, and given them commandments and liturgy, but in all these, he has given them his own being, his own life. The Orthodox faith lives the life of God.

And the living of God’s life comes down to the death of the ego, not comprehension, self-mastery, and self-consciousness. The living of God’s life consists of spiritual life, out of which come all other aspects of Tradition as natural expressions of it—doctrine, liturgy, etc. Procedurally, our Tradition does not favor dogmas, out of which one would be subsequently supposed to gain a sort of right positioning before God. Rather, our Tradition does, and does always, the death of the ego, as much as we could bear. 

This is why all the aspects of Orthodoxy—doctrine, scriptural exegesis, mission—are first and foremost liturgical. To be Ortho-dox means to “glorify properly” or to “worship rightly.” Specifically, the aspects of Orthodoxy are embodied in two churches at once: the church which is brick and mortar, and the church which is the human heart. To be Orthodox does not mean to be a believer who worships a few hours a week. Rather, we are inscribed in a perpetual worship, our tie to God himself in virtue of our creation and of our re-creation in baptism. 

Yet, the extent to which this is clear to us depends on our preparation for the liturgy. This is an essential distinction: one thing is the liturgy, which is a given and which contains all things, all time and all space, and another thing is our experience and awareness of it. And this is spiritual life: the gaining of this awareness, the preparation, the integration into the liturgy so that it does not remain an external thing, an act, but it becomes the very dance of one’s inner music played out by the Spirit on the sinews of one’s soul.  

Therefore, the goal of your going through this essential period of your life is not to gain a certain knowledge, nor to adopt certain concepts and attitudes, nor to subscribe to certain ethical positions, but rather it is, as St. Porphyrios put it, to acquire the poetic soul that a Christian is. A soul which sings to God at all times and which thus communes with him in fear and love.

What does a catechumen do?

What are you to do at this essential time of being a catechumen? During this time you will be tested for the two commitments made as an inquirer. What does this mean specifically? First and foremost, you ought to attend our worship as often as possible, at least once a week. This is essential! Our faith is first and foremost liturgy and prayer, and these two are linked: there is no prayer without liturgy. So, do not make excuses for being absent, but rather accept only the “right reasons” for being absent, which are usually physical impediments (as the eucharistic prayer of the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil puts it). The thing is, if you are not in church now, when the faith is fresh to you, you won’t be in church later on.

Second, the catechumenate is also the time to begin living out the aspects of Orthodox life. Start fasting and especially nurture within yourself an Orthodox habit of prayer. If you have any questions about any of these, do not hesitate to ask me or others in the church.

Third, participate in all our classes. Know that I will not receive into the Church anyone who does attend our classes and is absent from church without “right reasons”!

Now, here is a description of each of the three programs.

1. The regular program

The regular program lasts for approximately 3 years. It is not reading-intensive at all, although during this time you will be expected to go through three books at your own pace, namely:

1. Metropolitan of Nafpaktos Hierotheos, Orthodox Spirituality. A Brief Introduction [better, more in depth, but still accessible] OR Thomas Hopko, The Orthodox Faith vol. 4. Spirituality [less in depth and very accessible, also available online here]
2. Wounded by Love. The Life and Wisdom of Saint Porphyrios
3. Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: The Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

As you advance in your immersion into the Church and read the above books, you will meet with the Priest to discuss your findings and to sharpen this knowledge in its practice.

2. The one-year program

This more accelerated program of approximately one year is meant to introduce a catechumen into the Orthodox life more quickly, but through a paced integration or immersion rather than intense study. The three readings for this program are the same as for the regular program, but they are gone through on a schedule rather than at one's own pace:

1. Metropolitan of Nafpaktos Hierotheos, Orthodox Spirituality. A Brief Introduction [better, more in depth, but still accessible] OR Thomas Hopko, The Orthodox Faith vol. 4. Spirituality [less in depth and very accessible, also available online here]
2. Wounded by Love. The Life and Wisdom of Saint Porphyrios
3. Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: The Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

In this program, expect to have to read once a week, for at least 30 minutes. Keep track of your progress and write down any questions or concerns. This path will have monthly meetings online, dedicated to the readings of that month, and it also expects meetings with the Priest for any unanswered questions. The meetings will be dedicated to the following texts:

1. Hierotheos, Orthodox Spirituality chapters 1 and 2, OR Hopko, Spirituality chapter 1
2. Hierotheos, Orthodox Spirituality chapter 3, OR Hopko, Spirituality chapter 2
3. Hierotheos, Orthodox Spirituality chapter 4, OR Hopko, Spirituality chapters 3 and 4, AND watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nDV_oIl180
4. Hierotheos, Orthodox Spirituality chapters 5 and 6, OR Hopko, Spirituality chapter 5, AND watch this video  https://youtu.be/0oAibwn0xs8?si=W9_gkjSmJD68-7uG
5. Hierotheos, Orthodox Spirituality chapters 7 and 8, OR Hopko, Spirituality chapters 6 and 7, AND watch this video https://youtu.be/7mA0wRMA_2I?si=Pez8LRmLQXJ0LYTl
6. Hierotheos, Life after Death--selection [shared with you in pdf], OR Hopko, Spirituality chapter 8
7. Wounded by Love pages 87-157 
8. Wounded by Love pages 158-194
9. Wounded by Love pages 195-248
10. Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives part II, chapters 1-5 
11. Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives part II, chapters 6-11
12. Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives part II, chapters 12-16
    

3. The intensive program 

The intensive program lasts between four and five months. It is generally offered twice a year, between October-February (for reception at Pascha or Pentecost), and, respectively, between May-September (for reception at Nativity or Epiphany). Yet, it may be offered even more often if there is a high number of catechumens.  

All readings for this program will be shared with you online, in pdf, you need not purchase them. 

Please read not for memorization, but for general comprehension. The readings will be discussed in our meetings. Once you read in this way, expect the weekly amount of readings to take up at most 2½ -3 hours. Yet, the readings will be this long mostly at the beginning of the program. As our program advances, the readings will be fewer and shorter. For the purpose of reading please set aside a time in which you have peace and quiet, a time without distractions, such as an early Saturday morning.

Classes will be 1-hour long and will meet in person once a week, every week, with the exception of major feasts and festive periods. More often than not, these meetings will take place on Sundays after our regular fellowship, that is, between 1:00-2:00 pm. The general schedule of readings is as follows: