Sunday School News - December 2024/January 2025
- Dr. Jane Brasko Kelly
- Nov 21, 2024
- 6 min read
Hello Sunday School Students and Families,
Below is the Sunday School class schedule for December 2024/January 2025:
DECEMBER
• December 1 No Classes, Thanksgiving Break
• December 8 Worship and Classes, Spark Sunday, and Christmas Pageant Rehearsal
• December 15 Worship and Classes, and Christmas Pageant Rehearsal
• December 22 No Classes, Christmas Pageant immediately following Divine Liturgy
MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR
JANUARY
• January 5 Worship and Classes, Spark Sunday; Theophany Eve
• January 12 Worship and Classes
• January 19 Worship and Classes
• January 26 Worship and Classes, Sunday School readers for Commemoration of the Three Hierarchs
Annual Christmas Pageant
Elsewhere in this Epistle, you will find a letter from our Christmas Pageant Director, Faithe Kalisperis. The letter contains important information about registering your child for the pageant, rehearsals, and other pertinent information. This year, there are two mandatory practices: 12/8 and 12/15. The first rehearsal will take place on Sunday, December 8th, and will last approximately an hour. Students will be fitted for their costumes at the first rehearsal.
Participation in the pageant is a true highlight of the year for our students and their families. We look forward to having as many students as possible join this wonderful St. Luke tradition on December 22nd following the Divine Liturgy.
You can register for the Christmas Pageant by clicking on this link, or by copying
St. Luke Youth Worker Ambassador Award
On behalf of the entire Sunday School staff, we are excited to share that this year’s Youth Worker Ambassador Award was presented to our Sunday School Co-Director, Sophia Milinkovic, at the Metropolis of NJ Ambassador Awards Dinner on Sunday, November 3rd. We are grateful that Sophia’s devotion to our Lord and the Religious Education of His children has been recognized in this manner. Whether serving as an educator inside her fifth-grade classroom or looking at the bigger picture as a Sunday School Co-Director, she is a forthright, tireless, and passionate advocate for our St. Luke Sunday School students. May God grant Sophia many happy and healthy years to nurture our young people's spiritual growth. Axia, Sophia!
GOYA Retreat: YOU ARE THE SAINTS!
On behalf of the Sunday School, we thank Danny Milinkovic, Sophia Milinkovic, and Evan Palmieri for planning an incredible retreat again this year for our GOYANs. The retreat took place at Camp Innabah in Spring City from November 8th to November 10th, with over ninety (90) campers attending. Additionally, we thank all of our former Sunday School students who served as counselors at the retreat, including Arianna Berryman, Evi Karros, Markos Karros, Savvina Karros, Marianna Kevgas, Tony Mironidis, Chris Palmieri, Evan Palmieri, Nicolette Papadopoulos, Evie Touring, Anna Trantas, and Chris Tsetsekos. Our campers found comfort in knowing so many of the retreat’s counselors. More importantly, our GOYANs witnessed the faith of their counselors and watched these young adults serve their Church, helping others find strength in their faith. Nothing is more beautiful than seeing former students return and do good work for our Lord. We love you all, and thank you for your tireless work at the retreat and for being such wonderful role models for our youth!
Why Not Prosper/ PICC Thanksgiving Outreach
On November 12th, the St. Luke Sunday School delivered supplies for a Thanksgiving meal to 300 women currently incarcerated at PICC, the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center. The organization collecting the supplies for the meal is a non-profit called Why Not Prosper. Why Not Prosper was founded by a formerly incarcerated woman to serve and support current inmates and women recently released from prison. We saw this as an opportunity not only to share with others, but as a chance to introduce our children to prison ministry and the needs of a part of our community that probably feels remote and unfamiliar to them. Our deepest thanks to all those in our Sunday School family who donated more than 300 Thanksgiving-themed plates, napkins, cups, aluminum serving pans, and serving spoons for the dinner. Please keep the women at Why Not Proper and PICC in your prayers throughout the year.
2025 St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival - Topics and Message from our Parish Co-Chairs
The St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival is an awesome program offered each year to 7th - 12th graders to prepare a speech and compete (if they choose to) by presenting it at our parish level event (date TBD - est. late February). From there, the winners will compete at the District (March 15, 2025, at Holy Trinity, Egg Harbor Township, NJ), Metropolis (April 26, 2025, St. George Cathedral), and Archdiocesan (May 30- June 1, 2025, St. Nicholas Cathedral, Pittsburgh) levels. We strongly urge you to encourage your children to participate. This experience teaches our students many skills. One of the most important things students learn is public speaking. We can all agree that most of today’s students do not talk to one another, look one another in the eye, share in conversations, or present ideas in a public forum. This is their opportunity to do so! These skills are invaluable when they get into their post-secondary education and careers. In fact, we can all benefit from hearing about the festival topics from an Orthodox perspective.
Participants will have advisors available to help with topic selection, creating an outline, writing their speech, and developing their thoughts into an Oratorical presentation. Time flies, and we would love to start working with your children. Please let us know if you have any questions. Art Karros, akarros@gmail.com, and Peter Pavlis, ppavlis7104@gmail.com, are the Parish Festival co-chairs. The 2025 Topics are listed below.
SENIOR DIVISION
(GRADES 10-12)
1. His All-Holiness, the Ecumenical Patriarch, is recognized as the highest Primate in the
Church. This title signifies a unique leadership role within the Orthodox Church, where
authority and primacy are balanced with equality among Patriarchs. Discuss the practical
implications versus the theoretical aspects of His All-Holiness' role in the Orthodox Church.
What does it mean for him to be both "first among equals" and "first without equals”?
2. The Seven Ecumenical Councils are regarded as seven of the most important parts of
Church History, which came after the completion of the Bible. Pick one of the Council’s and
explain why it is important.
3. The Bible is full of figures, both good and bad, who, while not talked about frequently, can
be hugely helpful in understanding both salvation history and our place in it. Pick a lesser-
known figure from the Bible, explain who they are, how they fit into the Biblical narrative,
and what we can learn from them.
4. While every church building is different, there are specific guidelines and practices that
describe how and why they are built the way they are. Research them, and then explain
their theological significance.
5. As the world grows increasingly tumultuous and fearful, today’s youth appear to be more
anxious about the future. Discuss Christ's role as the bringer of hope and how that fits into
modern life.
JUNIOR DIVISION
(GRADES 7-9)
1. Philanthropy is an important part of the Church’s mission. It involves more than giving
money. Why is it important to support people in different ways besides just donating? In
what ways can we offer support, and how can these other forms of help make a difference
in the lives of individuals and the community?
2. In Psalm 4, we are told to "be angry, but sin not." Why would we be encouraged to be
angry? How does anger fit into the life of an Orthodox Christian?
3.The Orthodox Church is filled with repetition: we sing “Lord, have mercy” dozens of times
every service, we sing the Paschal Troparion all throughout Pascha, and we repeat the
same Divine Liturgy every single time. What is the importance of repetition in the
Orthodox Church?
4. The Russian Orthodox novelist, Fyodor Dostoevsky, once said that “Beauty will save the
world." What is the role of beauty in the Church and in the world at large?
5. What is the symbolism of the liturgical vestments worn by a deacon, priest,
and bishop, and how do these vestments reflect and correlate to their specific roles
and responsibilities within the Divine Liturgy?
More details, along with the tips and resources, may be found here:
Readers for Commemoration of the Three Hierarchs
We need 2-3 volunteers to represent the Sunday School on Sunday, January 26, 2025, at the end of Liturgy, by reading short biographies of the Three Hierarchs: St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian, and St. John Chrysostom. We will send the readings to our volunteers in advance so they can practice reading the text aloud before January 26, 2025. For further information or to volunteer your child, please contact our Sunday School Directors, Jane Kelly, Panayota Kevgas, and Sophia Milinkovic, at stlukesundayschool@gmail.com.
Readers for Divine Liturgy
Please encourage your children to volunteer to read the Epistle or the Communion Prayer during Divine Liturgy. This is a great way for your child to become involved in the worship of our faith and practice public speaking. We will send you the reading(s) ahead of time so that your child can practice and become comfortable with the texts beforehand. To volunteer your child, please contact our Sunday School Directors, Jane Kelly, Panayota Kevgas, and Sophia Milinkovic, at stlukesundayschool@gmail.com.
Questions about Sunday School?
Please contact Miss Jane, Miss Panayota, and Miss Sophia at stlukesundayschool@gmail.com. Or visit https://www.ss.st-luke.org, which will be updated throughout the year with additional information and resources for families.
Christ is Born! Glorify Him!
Christ is Baptized! In the River Jordan!
