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 Fr.
Steven Tsichlis, pastor of St. Paul's Greek Orthodox Church has passionate views on the subject of adult faith
formation in parish ministry. When asked what he thought were the primary needs of adults in
religious education and faith formation, both in general and in the
particular circumstances of his own parish, his answer was quick and
simple. They need to know
the sacred Scriptures. And do they? Well,
no. Most do not. And so in this church there are four Bible studies running
concurrently, with different themes, leaders, and target audiences:
an evening series on the Wisdom tradition, a women's Bible
study, a course at Laguna Woods for seniors, and a young adults' study
on St. Paul's letter to the Romans.
A
regular educational offering that is repeated at this parish every
year is called "Orthodox Christianity 101." Taught by Fr. Steve himself, this course aims to provide a
broad overview of the content, history, and practice of Orthodox
Christian faith. True to
Fr. Steve's conviction about the necessity of knowing the Scriptures
first and foremost, this course includes a broad overview of the
Bible, especially the Gospels. It
also covers the area of liturgy and the sacramental life of the
church. The course description also lists "personal spiritual
disciplines, stewardship, Christian moral values, the development of
the virtues and faithful living." Participants in the course often are preparing to enter the
catechumenate, but may simply want to deepen their understanding of
the faith to which they already belong.
The
catechumenate is also something Fr. Steve ministers to personally.
Shortly before Lent begins, those who have made a commitment to
join the church at Easter through Baptism or Chrismation (similar to
the Roman Catholic sacrament of Confirmation) are received in a rite
called "the Making of a Catechumen," akin to the RCIA's
"Rite of Acceptance." Lest
any think this makes for a peculiarly short catechumenate, it must be
noted that these new catechumens will have completed a thorough
catechesis in Orthodox Christianity. This catechumenate period then most closely
resembles
the period of Purification and Enlightenment in the RCIA.
During
the past year, Fr. Steve has been engaged in an Orthodox-Roman
Catholic book study with parishioners from St. John Neumann and St.Elizabeth
Ann Seton. With a theme of "Living in the Spirit," the group
has met monthly and read works by Orthodox and Roman Catholic authors,
including Anthony Bloom, Henri Nouwen, Michael Casey and Jim Forest.
The
selections from Henri Nouwen, The
Genesee Diary and The Return
of the Prodigal Son, reflect Fr. Steve's deep admiration for
Nouwen who was one of his teachers and mentors at Yale Divinity
School. Fr. Steve sees
Nouwen and his Greek Orthodox seminary professor, Fr. Philotheos
Faros, as models of faith and good teaching. Why? Again the
answer is simple: they
practiced what they taught and preached. They took time to pray.
For
Fr. Steve that is central to the enterprise of faith formation: praying the psalms, genuine self-knowledge, and the sharing of
one's struggles with a spiritual guide.
What
should the minister to adults be doing? "Much academic stuff can be waste of time.
People need to know things about the faith, but first they need
to know the living God." According
to Fr. Steve, what we teach must help people apply what they know to
themselves and how they live life. If it is all about history and theology, but not necessarily
about our relationship with God, then "who cares?"
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