Catechism Journey

Your Journey Bag

Diptych of Icons: Find a place in your house, facing east, where you can set up a prayer corner, with the Crucifix, icon of our Lord the Pantocrator, and the Holy Virgin St. Mary. This is only your first installment. In time you can add more to your personal sanctuary.

Prayer Rope (in church bookstore or online): This is a traditional spiritual “sword” that allows you to pray the Orthodox prayer known as the “Jesus Prayer.” For every time that you say the prayer, you count one bead in between your thumb and forefinger. The prayer goes like this: “My Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” It is well known for its concise “punch.” You can pray it at any time of the day, and anywhere. It provides an opportunity for you to “pray without ceasing” as St. Paul commands in his letter to the Thessalonians. The Jesus Prayer is not magic, but as the Gospel says, there is power even in Jesus’ name. Strive to focus on the prayer and you will not regret it!

Morning, Day and Evening Prayers (in church bookstore): The Coptic Orthodox Book of Hours, known as the “Agpeya”, includes morning prayers, prayers during the day and evening prayers. You can pray the psalms, gospel and litanies of the hour in your prayer corner, making the appropriate prostrations or bows (signing yourself with the cross) as you pray “Kyrieleyson” or “Lord Have Mercy”. Speak with your priest to work out a spiritual canon (prayer rule) that includes prayer from the Agpeya.

Journal: This will allow you to more easily keep a daily journal if you so choose. In your journal, you log bible verses that speak to you in your reading and your contemplation or thoughts about these verses. This is how you will learn the words of the Bible, and even better memorize bible verses faster.

Liturgical Calendar: The Liturgical Calendar can be found in the Coptic Reader app (available for Apple iPhone and Android). Coptic Reader provides you with the daily liturgical reading of scriptures, the saints commemorated for each day, and a breakdown of feast days and fast days for the entire liturgical year. This is a wonderful resource for focusing your life around the Liturgical cycle. We do this in order to try to catch the grace of each unique day. You may also find online the daily Liturgical Calendar at www.copticchurch.net.

Catechumen Requirements: The Catechumen requirements will give you a general sense of what your journey will look like. Please review these requirements and set up a time to meet with a priest for further questions/directions.

It is recommended that you be paired with a Sponsor. The Sponsor may be your Catechumens Class instructor, your Priest, or a convert who came into the Orthodox Faith and is appointed to this role by your Priest. Talk to your Priest to decide what will best help you on this journey.

As a Catechumen, you need to exemplify commitment and consistency in Church attendance. Despite the fact that you will not partake of the Eucharist until you have been fully received into the Orthodox Church, it is important to immerse yourself in the various services and sacraments. The Divine Services are both instructive and transformative. You can read thousands of books, the Bible and all of the Church Fathers, but nothing compares to experiencing the Liturgy in its fullness. Sundays and the Great Feast days of the church are very important; Vesper prayers on Saturday evenings get you prepared for the Sunday Divine Liturgy; and weekday services, if you are available, are truly a blessing.