Balkan Orthodox Youth Association

THE 3RD SEMINAR ON CATECHISM IN THE BALKANS
“CATECHISM IN THE CHURCH AND THE CHURCH IN CATECHISM”
Soko Monastery, Holy Diocese of Sabac-Valjevo, Serbian Orthodox Church, 12 – 17/05/2003

“CATECHISM IN THE ORTHODOX TRADITION – CONTEMPORARY CONTEXT”

Rev. Charalambos Theodossis, The Head Priest of Saint Nectarios church.
Holy Diocese of Attika.

Reverend Fathers,
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
CHRIST IS RISEN!
It gives me great pleasure to be with you once again.
With my Bishop’s blessing, His Eminence Bishop Panteleimon of Attika, I am with you today to present in brief the above topic.

Catechism, in fact, is a presentation of the principles of the Holy Scriptures, of the doctrines of our faith which lead us to God, to salvation and to happiness. Furthermore, it is a responsible preparation for all who wish to be baptized in the Orthodox church. Baptism is the most important Holy Sacrament through which the faithful receive Holy Grace and become members of the Church. The Sacrament of Baptism constitutes the foundation for participation in all the other Sacraments and finally to inherit the Kingdom of God.
Over the ages for reasons of spiritual protection of the people, Baptism took place and continues to do so, at the neonate stage, in fact it could be compared to a “Spiritual Vaccination”.

WHO is responsible for Catechism?

Catechism of the future candidates of Baptism and those who have been baptized without learning about our religion, comprises the primary responsibility of the Bishops and Priests.
As our Lord commanded His Disciples:
“Go, then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you.” (Math 28 19-20)
After the neonate baptism, catechism is a vital and compulsory complement. The one needs the other.
The priest, as a spiritual father, baptizes, chrismates, conducts a catechism programme, conducts the Sacrament of confession, gives Holy Communion and guides his spiritual children throughout the course of their lives. Therefore, his pastoral work has a continuity and a unity, so it can be effective.
In parishes today, with the blessing of the priest, the work of catechism, is undertaken by members of the parish who are well known for their strong faith, their Christian way of life and consequently suitable preparation and talent.

Catechism in the Ancient Church

In the traditions of the Church, preparation for baptism was a serious and responsible task. It was a combination of exorcism, catechism, prayer and participation in the life of the Church. Only after it was evident that the person who wished to be baptized (catechumen) was ready the baptism took place.
The Seventh Canon of the Second Ecumenical Council (Constantinople 381 AD) defines the way Church accepts for baptism non-Orthodox people.
• The first day we make them Christians,
• The second day we make them Catechumens
• The third day we exorcise them by blowing on their faces and on each ear three times.
• Thereafter we preach to them and only after attending church services regularly and for a long time, we baptize them.
Whoever wished to be baptized became a Christian from the first day, which involved the reading of special prayers for the start of the catechism.
On the day of exorcism which was the third day, special prayers were read to free the heart from the demons.
After the exorcism catechism took place for the learning of the Orthodox faith. Catechism was continued for three hours a day during the Holy Lent. The catechumens also had to participate in the spiritual life of the church in order to pray to God and the congregation pray for them.
During the Holy Liturgy the catechumens listened to the readings from the Holy Epistles of the Apostles and the Holy Gospel, the sermon and the relevant prayers for them.
This entire preparation lasted for three years according to the needs and progress of each person. Finally after this the church would decide the date of the baptism. For example one such day was the Holy Sabbath.

Contemporary Catechism

• Catechism and Baptism of Adults

Whoever wishes to be baptized and become a Christian must visit the Holy Diocese and meet the Bishop or his representative. He must begin from there, because the Bishop is the Head of the local Church. The Bishop will appoint in writing a suitable priest as a Catechist. The priest must be very experienced in accepting people from other non-Orthodox denominations as well as Atheists. The priest must have his own parish so that the catechumen becomes a member of the parish and through participation in the church’s activities reach the understanding that the parish is the cell of the church and a spiritual family life.
Before the starting of Catechism the priest reads the special prayer which is read on the eighth day after the birth of the child.
The prayer is as follows:
“O Lord our God, we pray to you and beseech you let the light of your countenance shine upon your servant (N) (your servants N …) and let the Cross of your only-begotten Son be healed in his (her) heart (their hearts) and in his (her) (their) thoughts, so as to escape the vanity of the world and every evil plot of the enemy and follow your commandments. And grant, O Lord, that your holy name shall remain indelible upon him (her) (them) so that at the proper time he (she) (they) will be attached to your church and be perfected by the awesome mysteries of your Christ, so that having lived in accordance with your commandments, and having kept the seal inviolate, he (she) (they) may achieve the blessedness of your chosen ones in your kingdom.
Through the grace and love for man of your only-begotten Son with whom you are blessed, together with your all-holy and good and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

After the reading of this prayer the catechumen is registered in the list of catechumens. He is called a Christian even if he is a Catechumen because theoretically he has accepted that Christ is the True God and wishes to keep his commandments.
It is useful for him to participate in the exorcism service, which is held during the Holy Lent if the baptism takes place on the Holy Sabbath.
Exorcisms are the special prayers which are read today during the service for the making of a catechumen and afterwards catechism follows.
The catechumen can participate in the Vesper service and Matins and other services. He/She can also participate from the beginning of the Holy Liturgy until the reading from the Holy Gospel and the Special Prayers for the catechumens.
The duration of the catechism preparation depends on the needs and readiness of each catechumen.

The Content of the Catechism Programme

• The Creed (detailed presentation)
• The Lord’s Prayer
• The Life of Christ: Through Prophecies of the Old Testament and The New Testament.
• Heresies, Sects and the Orthodox Position
• Denominations
• The Orthodox Spiritual Life

Guidance after the Sacrament of Baptism

 Participation in the Church Community

The newly-baptized must feel that through the baptism they are a member of the Body of Christ and the particular Parish. Now they have a Spiritual Father and Spiritual Brothers and Sisters.

 The Continuation of Catechism
The duty of the Spiritual Father is to continue the counselling of the newly-baptized and to encourage them to keep the Commandments of Christ in their daily lives.

 Temptations
Sometimes the newly-baptized may become fanatical which is expressed in two ways:
The first involves the criticism of his previous religion and the second the by preaching to others egotistically about how they should behave.
There is also the danger that the newly-baptized may be negatively influenced by the behavior of other Orthodox Christians. They must understand that the Church is made up of “healthy” and “non-healthy” members. If we are not careful it is possible to lose the blessing of the Holy Spirit and become worse than the non-believers.

 The Time Needed For a Life in Christ
The catechumen must realise that a long period of time is needed before his life changes and he lives in Christ fully. Therefore much patience is needed and repentance.
For all the above reasons the catechism of the newly baptized is more difficult than the catechism of the catechumens before the baptism.

Catechism and Baptism of the Young

 The Family
The mother or grandmother usually encourage the children in the first steps of the faith, not necessarily by teaching them but by setting a proper example through their own lives.

 The Godfather
He undertakes to make the child accept Christ and to fill the child’s heart with the love of Christ. This effort begins, with the child’s entrance to the church through the Sacrament of
Baptism and continues for the rest of its life.

 Parish Life
Parish welcome children, in the age of seven and for practical reasons placed them in different groups, depending on their age and interests.
First group: Is addressed to children between 7-9 years old. We try to introduce them to the
ground core of our faith, in a very simple way. Group games, songs, simple chants and maybe
some miracles of our Lord are very useful for this age.
Second group: It concerns children between 10-12 years old. We present topics about the creation, the God- Father’ Love, and the basic crossroads of Jesus Christ’s life. We can offer
much more to them, through the life of Saints Synaxarion.
Third group: High school boys and girls between 12-15 years old are welcomed. In this age,
Some interesting questions come up.
Does God exist?
Who is the Creator?
Is Paradise and Hell, a reality?
What is the scientist’s view?
We must be very careful, when we try to give answers to all this very important subjects.
It’s time to encourage them to pray during the day, to fast, every Wednesday and Friday, and
to participate in the Holy Liturgy, frequently.
Fourth group: For teenagers, 16-18 years old. This age need much care, acceptance, prayer and love. Dialogue is the first priority now. Our aim is to create a feeling of companionship,
to connect with the parish people and to establish a regular communication with a Spiritual Father.
Further details on the above groups, can be found in my previous issue, which is available here.

 Some other occasions for catechism.
1.Youth camps: They are addressed to children between 9-17 years old. During a period of
10-18 days, usually in the summer, our children learn how to live as a team and have a change
to learn what fellowship is all about and develop friendships in Christ. They can also informed on many subjects about our faith, and receive responsible answers to many issues they want to know about.
2. Priest visitations in schools: They usually take place, during the Lend, for discussion or confession, with the students. So, young people take the opportunity, to meet a Spiritual Father and ask everything they want to Know about our faith, or to free themselves from sins.
3.Evening ceremonies: The priest or some other specialist analyzes the meaning of Sacraments, the Sunday’s Gospel, or inform the audiences about the dangers of sects etc.
4.Seasonal meetings: During Lent, usually, every Sunday after the Vesper service, a sermon is given by the local Bishop or by an appointed preacher.
5. The Sacrament of Penance (Confession) : It’s a wonderful occasion for believers, in which they can accept advises by the Spiritual Father, and be informed about the faith and life in Christ. Finally and mostly they receive forgiveness of their sins.
Now, let me finish, my dear brothers and sisters, this humble presentation with this:
All this extensive effort of Catechism that has been described to you, has two main targets:

 To inform with responsibility brothers and sisters of Christ, on everything about our faith
and new life in Christ.

 To encourage anyone who wants to follow Jesus Christ our Lord in the way to the Kingship of Heaven.
Thank you very much for your attention and interest.