Christian Formation
2024-2025 offerings

Please speak with a member of the clergy if you are interested
in preparing for the sacrament of baptism or confirmation.

Sunday Morning Adult Formation - Year of Invitation

Sundays at 9:45 - 10:40 AM in Saint Joseph’s Hall

• Foundation Course I: Invitation to a Journey (Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27)
  Father Sammy Wood will begin with a survey of the purposes of the Church, then move on to examine Anglican Spirituality and experiment with the “Threefold Rule of Prayer” embodied in our Prayer Books.

• The Passion Narratives (Nov. 3, 10, 17, 24; Dec. 1, 8, 15)
  On the Sundays in November, as well as on the first three Sundays in Advent, Father Peter Powell will examine the Gospel narratives of Jesus’ passion.

• Formation in the Middle Ages (Jan. 5)
  Dr. Lauren Whitnah, Dean of Nashotah House, will teach at Adult Formation and also be our guest preacher at both Masses on January 5, 2025. She holds a PhD in Medieval Studies and Master of Medieval Studies, both from the University of Notre Dame; a Master of Studies in History from the University of Oxford; and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Gordon College. Her academic focus centers on devotion to saints and understandings of sacred place in the High Middle Ages, particularly in northern England and southern Scotland.

• The Catholic Imagination of Flannery O'Connor (Jan. 12 and 19)
  Parishioner Dr. Allen Reddick will offer a quick survey of the work of the great Catholic writer Flannery O’Connor. Father Sammy Wood will co-lead these sessions and reflect on how O’Connor’s writings can inform our Year of Invitation. The stories Dr. Reddick will be discussing are "Greenleaf" and "Revelation." They are both contained in O'Connor's short story collection, Everything that Rises Must Converge; texts of the stories can also be downloaded (“Revelation”; “Greenleaf”). Please read the stories beforehand and bring the texts to class. Allen received his B.A. from Sewanee: the University of the South, his M.A. from Cambridge University, and Ph.D. from Columbia University. From there, he became Assistant, then Associate Professor of English and American Literature and Language at Harvard University from 1985 until 1993. In 1993, he went to the University of Zurich in Switzerland as Full Professor of English Literature. Allen’s research interests are broad, but include book history, the distribution of republican books in England and North America, the Enlightenment encyclopedia and dictionary, and the works of Samuel Johnson

• Foundation Course II: Embracing Evangelism (Jan. 26; Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23; Mar. 2)
  This second foundation course will be based on the Episcopal Church’s “Embracing Evangelism” video series. We will watch the videos together and the parish clergy will lead a group discussion. Specifically, we will examine a particularly Anglican definition of evangelism, assess the need for it, and introduce various methods for sharing the gospel.

• The Resurrection Appearances (March 9, 16, 23, 30; April 6, 13)
  Father Peter Powell returns in Lent and will focus on the Resurrection appearances of Jesus in the Gospel accounts.

• The Expansion of the Early Church (May 4, 11, 18, 25; June 1)
  During Eastertide, Father Matt Jacobson looks at how the early Church spread throughout the Mediterranean world and beyond. Our primary source will be Acts of the Apostles, though we will also look at first-century historical scholarship to help our understanding.

Sunday Morning Formation for Children - Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

Sundays at 9:45 - 10:40 AM in the Atrium
For information about the program or to enroll your child, please contact Renee Wood at rwood@libertyellisfoundation.org.

• The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) is a religious formation approach based on scripture and liturgy that uses Montessori educational and pedagogical principles. CGS is rooted in the Roman Catholic tradition and has been adapted for the Episcopal Church. Through CGS, children are encouraged to ask questions and discover answers through work with specially crafted presentations and materials corresponding to the liturgical seasons and the life of the church.

• The word “atrium” actually means “a portico, or a porch entrance to a large house.” In the ancient church, the atrium was a gathering space between the church proper and the street. It was the place where the catechumens, those preparing for initiation to the Church, would receive instruction. The Atrium at Saint Mary’s has a similar purpose for our children, as it is a place to help them enter into active participation in the liturgical and communal life of the Church. The atrium includes child-sized furniture, fine religious art hung at child eye-level, and representations of Scripture that can be seen, touched, and moved around. It is a place of spiritual retreat for children: a place of work, study, and prayer, where work and study become contemplation of God and of prayer.

Wednesday Evening Formation - Group seeks God

Wednesdays in the Rectory after the 6:00 PM Mass
Starting October 16

• On Wednesday nights, after Evening Prayer and Mass, you are invited up to the Rectory for a small group experiment we’re calling “Group Seeks God.” Drawing on years of experience hosting small groups, Father Sammy and Renee will demonstrate how simple practices like hospitality and storytelling create opportunities for engagement and invitation in our everyday worlds. Hopefully this group will serve as proof of concept for more small groups we dream of launching around the city next year.

Retreat and Quiet Days

Advent Quiet Day on December 14, 2024
Parish Retreat on January 11, 2025
Lent Quiet Day on March 15, 2025

• “Waiting for God Who Waits for Us.” Father Sammy Wood will lead the Advent Quiet Day on Saturday, December 14. We will begin the day praying the Daily Office together, then sit for three short reflections led by Father Sammy Wood before heading into long periods of reflection and silence. Throughout the day we will draw on the writing of people like Paula Gooder—The Spirit of Advent: The Meaning is in the Waiting (Paraclete 2008); James K. A. Smith—How to Inhabit Time: Understanding the Past, Facing the Future, Living Faithfully Now (Brazos 2022); and Fleming Rutledge—Advent: The Once & Future Coming of Jesus Christ (Eerdmans: 2018). Lunch will be provided, so please RSVP to Father Wood by December 11.

• “The Benedictine Promise.” Our second annual Parish Retreat will be Saturday, January 11. This event, in partnership with our friends at Holy Trinity Church in Inwood, will be led by Sister Michelle Heyne of the Order of the Ascension, a Benedictine community in the Episcopal tradition. See the event flyer for more details or speak with Father Sammy. Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP to Father Wood by January 7, so we can have ample food for all of us.

• Details about the Lent Quiet day will be posted when available.