Practical Resources for Living the Orthodox Faith
Over the past few months, I have been collaborating with Patristic Nectar Kids to create feast day videos for Orthodox Families. So far we have created 10 Episodes! You can see direct links to these episodes below!
If you’re looking for a paired down printable of this resource guide, check out this printable available for the month of March!
Pascha Passport and Sticker Sheet by St Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church - I’ve mentioned this before, but as we begin Lent, I want to mention it again. Much like a real passport, this small booklet has many spaces for stamps that correspond to each service attended during the Triodion season, Lent, Holy Week, and other Special “Destinations” (such as Confession, the Jesus Prayer, etc). The passport “stamps” (sold separately) are icons stickers! We’ve used these for the past few years and my girls LOVE that they get to put a sticker in their passport after each service they attend, and it is a wonderful way to encourage participation and excitement for young children. Not only are these a unique resource, but all of the money raised from this booklets goes toward funding of the Church’s Youth Program. These Pascha Passports are $2 and the sticker sheets are $1 so buy a BUNCH and give them to all your friends!
Sunday of Orthodoxy - or sometimes referred to as the “Triumph of Orthodoxy” commemorates the victory over Iconoclasm and the restoration and veneration of icons. On this day we acknowledge the 7th and final Ecumenical counsel in 787 AD. The counsel cleared up the controversy regarding icons and their place in Orthodox worship. Here is what they decided, “We define that the holy icons, whether in colour, mosaic, or some other material, should be exhibited in the holy churches of God, on the sacred vessels and liturgical vestments, on the walls, furnishings, and in houses and along the roads, namely the icons of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ, that of our Lady the Theotokos (Mary) those of the venerable angels and those of all saintly people. Whenever these representations are contemplated, they will cause those who look at them to commemorate and love their prototype. We define also that they should be kissed and that they are an object of veneration and honor, but not of real worship, which is reserved for Him Who is the subject of our faith and is proper for the divine nature. The veneration accorded to an icon is in effect transmitted to the prototype; he who venerates the icon, venerated in it the reality for which it stands".
On this Sunday, the faithful bring icons from home to the service and generally there is a procession either in the church or outside - triumphantly processing around the church, holding icons of their patron or parish saints. In areas where multiple jurisdictions exist (such as the United States), Pan-Orthodox Vespers are also usually celebrated in the evening. Below you can see a glimpse into our outdoor procession last year at St Vladimir’s Orthodox Seminary in New York.
Activity Ideas :
Bring Your Icons to Church! Set out the night before icons for each person in the family to bring to church in the morning. I usually carefully wrap them up in linen cloth and carry them to church in a large basket so they do not get damaged in transport.
Learn More about Icons in this lesson by Orthodox Pebbles. They also created a great 2 minute video which is also available on YouTube HERE.
Holy Icon Craft by Orthodox Pebbles using items you likely already have on hand including printed paper icons, foil, and any decorative items you have!
Listen to a Podcast about the Triumph of Orthodoxy by Tending to the Garden of our Hearts (8 minutes)
Color the Icon of the Feast from the OCA
Book Recommendations:
Pictures of God : A Child’s Guide to Understanding Icons by John Kosmas Skinas
Goodnight Jesus (Board Book) by Angela Isaacs - is a book for small children, and it introduces veneration (kissing) icons.
Forty Martyrs of Sebaste - The Church commemorates the memory of the 40 soldiers who suffered a martyr's death for Christ at Lake Sebasti in 313 AD. There was a company of forty Cappadocians, brave soldiers who had distinguished themselves in many battles. When these Christian soldiers refused to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, they were locked in prison and stoned. The soldiers occupied themselves with prayer and psalmody, and during the night they heard a voice saying, “Persevere until the end, then you shall be saved.” It was winter, and there was a severe frost and they lined up the holy soldiers, threw them into a lake near the city, and set a guard to prevent them from coming out of the water. In order to break the will of the martyrs, a warm bath-house was set up on the shore. During the first hour of the night, when the cold had become unbearable, one of the soldiers made a dash for the bath-house, but no sooner had he stepped over the threshold, then he fell down dead.
During the third hour of the night, the Lord sent consolation to the martyrs. Suddenly there was light, the ice melted away, and the water in the lake became warm. All the guards were asleep, except for Aglaius, who was keeping watch. Looking at the lake he saw that a radiant crown had appeared over the head of each martyr. Aglaius counted thirty-nine crowns and realized that the soldier who fled had lost his crown. So he took off his uniform and said to them, “I too am a Christian,” and he joined the martyrs. Standing in the water he prayed, “Lord God, I believe in You, in Whom these soldiers believe. Add me to their number, and make me worthy to suffer with Your servants.” Then a fortieth crown appeared over his head. In the morning, the torturers saw with surprise that the martyrs were still alive, and their guard Aggias was glorifying Christ together with them. They led the soldiers out of the water and tortured them and burned their bodies.
Source: OCA website
Fun Fact: The date of this feast may have been intentionally chosen so as to fall during Great Lent. The reasons; (1) the number 40 being both the number of martyrs and the number of days in the Fast; (2) the martyrs’ endurance serves as an example to the faithful to persevere to the end (whether that be during Great Lent or life in general) in order to attain their heavenly reward (participation in Pascha and the Resurrection).
Source: HERE
Activity Ideas :
Bake 40 Skylark Rolls - There is a pious custom of baking “skylarks” (pastries shaped like skylarks) on this day, because people believed that birds sing at this time to announce the arrival of spring. Forty “skylarks” are prepared in honor of the Forty Martyrs. You can find a recipe HERE.
Make 40 Cookies - If you’re wanting to find a simpler way to remember the 40 Holy Martyrs, try baking 40 cookies! What kid will forget the day and/or story when you made 40 cookies? You can make it extra fun by buying a blue plastic table cloth (representing the lake) from the dollar store and let the kids decorate the cookies on top of the table cloth.
Listen to the Story told on the Podcast Let us Attend (43 second clip) or on Saint of the Day (90 seconds)
Book Recommendations:
The Holy Forty Martyrs by Potamitis Publishing ($3.95)
Sunday of St Gregory of Palamas- is the 2nd Sunday during lent and is dedicated to St Gregory of Palamas. St Gregory is most notably known for his teachings/writings on prayer, particularly the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” This simple prayer can be with us at any time- at home, at school, in church, when we’re playing, when we are alone, when we’re with friends. Saying the Jesus Prayer is like walking through a field in the same place every day. What happens if you walk over weeks and brush over and over? You clear a path, a road, right? If we use the Jesus Prayer a lot, we make a path in our heart that keeps us always with God. Prayer is a very important element in our lenten journey, so it is with this week that we re-center our focus on prayer.
Activity Ideas :
Practice saying the Jesus Prayer together: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner”. If you are unfamiliar with the practice of the Jesus Prayer, discuss it with your priest! Some great books for adults to read on the subject are: The Way of the Pilgrim and The Orthodox Church by Timothy Ware. As with most things, if parents begin to establish a rhythm of saying the prayer together with a child, in time the child may continue on their own with this rhythm praying on their own. If your child isn’t ready for this yet, a good alternative is to pray it after the lights are out when they are going to sleep, either in word or song. Wouldn’t that be lovely thing to fall asleep to?
Make a Prayer Bracelet or Prayer Rope - There’s a YouTube video that explains how to make one HERE, or if you prefer to purchase, you can find prayer bead bracelets through this Orthodox Etsy shop HERE or prayer ropes HERE.
Lesson Plan and Paper Puppets by Orthodox Pebbles - Once again, Orthodox Pebbles created an awesome resource with their lesson on St Gregory Palamas! In this lesson you will find a packet which includes: a fact sheet about his life, a board game to explore the Saint’s life, work, and teaching and a craft based on the Saint’s icon.which you can find through this link HERE.
Take Time to work out how the fast will be observed by each child. You might print up a page divided by a cross into 4 sections: Prayer, Alms, Study and Fasting. In each square, the child can, after thoughtful and prayerful consideration, write the particular ways in which he or she will observe this important aspect of Great Lent. As with all fasting, it is best to speak with your priest about any prayer/fasting rule for children as well.
Book Recommendations:
I Pray Today by Angela Isaacs - This is a toddler-age book that is perfect for introducing the Jesus Prayer to your little ones. Simple and sweet! My 2 year old is especially a fan of this book!
The Good Samaritan: A Children’s Catechism by Fr Michael Shanbour - If you’ve not seen this book, I highly recommend it for children ages 6-12. Theres a great section about prayer (pages 89-96) about Prayer.
Source: Blessed Mart
St Patrick - Enlightener of Ireland, was seized from his native Britain by Irish marauders when he was sixteen years old. Though the son of a deacon and a grandson of a priest, it was not until his captivity that he sought out the Lord with his whole heart. In his Confession, the testament he wrote towards the end of his life, he says, "After I came to Ireland - every day I had to tend sheep, and many times a day I prayed - the love of God and His fear came to me more and more, and my faith was strengthened. And my spirit was so moved that in a single day I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and almost as many at night, and this even when I was staying in the woods and on the mountain; and I would rise for prayer before daylight, through snow, through frost, through rain, and I felt no harm." After six years of slavery in Ireland, he was guided by God to make his escape, and afterwards struggled victoriously in the monastic life. Many years later he was ordained bishop of Ireland, about the year 432, and tasked to convert the Irish to Christ. His arduous labours bore so much fruit that within seven years, three more bishops were sent to help him shepherd his flock, "my brethren and sons whom I have baptized in the Lord - so many thousands of people," he says in his Confession. His work was not accomplished without much "weariness and painfulness," long journeys through difficult country, and many perils; he says his very life was in danger twelve times. When he came to Ireland as its enlightener, it was a pagan country; when he ended his earthly life some thirty years later, about 461, the faith of Christ was established in every corner.
Source: GOARCH
Activity Ideas :
Bake Celtic Knot Cookies - The Celtic knot can be dated back to the 3rd-4th century and represents the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), in one continuous thread representing eternity. Creating these cookies is a neat way to introduce Celtic Christianity to your kids!
Have an Irish dinner - We have just entered into Lent, so finding non-meat/dairy foods is key! Try making some yummy lenten potatoes, cooked cabbage, or an Irish Soda Bread!
Source: IG
Book Recommendations:
Patrick Patron Saint of Ireland by Tomie dePaolo - is available for purchase on Amazon but check your local library for availability as well!
Stories of the Saints by Carey Wallace page 75 - Also check your local library to check out this book!
The Life of St. Patrick by Zachary Lynch
Paddy and the Wolves by Steve Nagel
The Annunciation- is one of the 12 Great Feast Days in the Orthodox Church. Bearing the message from heaven, the agent rushes towards Mary. After a moment of humble hesitation, she accepts God’s plan, and the world is changed forever. Now “all generations will call [her] blessed.” (Luke 1:48) The time had come for God to announce to His people the good news, which is what the name of this feast means. The archangel Gabriel called Mary “highly favored” and “Blessed.” In her humility, Mary was troubled at being called such things. But the angel Gabriel reassured her, saying that she had “found favor" with God,” that through “the power of the Highest” she would be the one to give birth to His Son. Mary responded with God-pleasing obedience; “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). This was the good news: Through Mary’s cooperation, God was going to save us by becoming one of us. It is a time for all of us to rejoice and prepare- God is now with us!
Why is this feast placed on March 25th every year? The Church sets aside March 25th as the date we commemorate the feast of the Annunciation because it is 9 months from the Nativity of Christ, on December 25th!
Significance of the Icon of the Annunciation? In the account Protoevangelion of James, there is story of the Annunciation in which the high priest has the temple virigins cast lots for who are to weave the various colors needed for the veil of the temple. Mary was chosen to weave the “true purple”. She took the purple and began to spin it. As she took a pot and went to draw water, she heard a voice saying unto her, “Hail thou who art full of grace, the Lord is with the….” In the icon of the feast, you will see in her left hand she holds a spindle of yarn which depicts the task she was assigned in preparing the purple material to be used in making the veil for the Temple in Jerusalem. Her right hand is raised in a gesture of acceptance in response to Gabriel’s message. Her posture expresses willing cooperation with God’s plan of salvation. She weaves the temple curtain while the Lord of all is being woven in her womb! A lovely and fun way connect with the feast is by working on a sewing project, weaving, or some other textile project!
Work on creating a Pascha basket cover - As mentioned in the explanation above, the Theotokos weaves the temple curtain while the Lord of all is being woven in her womb! Why not work on a Pascha Basket cover on this special feast? An activity more suited for older children or adults. There are many options available. My favorite source for all things textile is www.avlea.life . On the cheap/very little time--just get a simple piece of nice cloth and hem it. You can embroider a cross at the center (you can always add more embroidery in future years). You can find a Byzantine Crosses pattern HERE. There are several other Pascha Basket patterns or Kits available (click link to view): 2021 Pascha Basket Cover, Floret Border, Cycladean Floral Border. Discount code available for 20% off Smallish Kits with code : STITCHSPRING
Plant a Mary garden of flowers named after the Theotokos: in this link you can find a list of common flowers associated with Marian themes HERE, but any flowers of your choosing would be lovely as well.
Color an Icon of the Annunciation by the OCA
Buy or Pick Flowers to bring with you to the service to leave before the icon of the Theotokos
Heaven Meets Earth: Celebrating Pascha and the Twelve Great Feasts (page 30) by Ancient Faith Publishing
The Story of Mary the Mother of God by Dorrie Papademetriou
The Annunciation : Twelve Great Feasts for Children by Mother Melania. Also available as a free digital download until April 1st HERE
The Mother of God in Icons by Marina Paliaki
St Innocent of Alaska - was a Russian Orthodox Metropolitan and is known for his missionary work, scholarship, and leadership in Alaska and Russia in the 1800s. He is known for his great zeal for his work as well as his great abilities as a scholar, linguist, and administrator. He learned several native languages and translated parts of the Bible into several native languages. St Innocent was married for 21 years before his wife reposed, and after her repose he chose to live the rest of his days as a monk. Just 2 years after his tonsuring, he was made Biship Innocent and sent to the Aleutian Islands in Russian America, now modern day Alaska. In 1867 he was appointed the Metropolitan of Moscow, and reposed in peace on March 31, 1879. He obeyed the will of God all his life, and he left behind a theme for the sermon to be preached at his funeral: “The steps of a man are rightly ordered by the Lord” (Psalms 37:23).
Many of the Alaskan native people have been Orthodox Christians for over two hundred years. This is largely due to the missionary efforts of St. Innocent of Alaska. He converted and baptized thousands of people into the Christian faith. He was a wonderful and godly man who lived a missionary life and he is often consider to be the greatest Christian missionary of our time!
Activities
Pray for a Missionary - You can find a list of current missionaries serving all over the world HERE on OCMC (Orthodox Christian Mission Center)
Write a Letter or Email to a Missionary - What a better way to honor St Innocent than to encourage those who are serving Christ to the ends of the earth!
Since we are in Lent, this could be a wonderful opportunity to collect money to help support a missionary! You can donate to OCMC HERE
Book Recommendations:
Saints of Alaska Coloring book by Potamitis Publishing with stickers and poster
St. Innocent of Alaska: Apostle and Missionary by Sarah Cowie is a chapter book geared towards 4-6th graders
Indication of the Way into the Kingdom of God: An Introduction to Christian Life by St Innocent - this book was written by St Innocent himself
Final Thoughts
The Lenten season is very full. In our family, we prioritize attending the services as much as we are able. When time permits, I try to pull one resource like a coloring page, fabric set we’ve purchased, read the story, etc. My hope and desire for sharing these resources is to take the some of the burden off your shoulders for finding simple resources to share with your family. If you find yourself in a very busy season, don’t feel stressed to “do it all!” Attending services and praying with your kids is more than sufficient to connect them with the life of the church. You’re doing a great job!
And in case you haven’t seen it yet, check out my latest Lenten Meal Planner for Lent!
-Khouria Destinie
