Holy Protection Catechetical Program and Requirements to Join the Church                                          

The Orthodox Church is the pinnacle and origin of all Christianity, which itself is the pinnacle of all religion and even so-called secularism and atheism, because atheism finds no sustainable god in material reality, making spiritual progress only possible with movement toward the Creator upon recognizing that there is far more to reality than material being, and that the material and finite has its origin in the eternal and infinite, the binding of the two accomplished above all in the Incarnation of Christ.    

It is a serious decision to join the Orthodox Christian Church, which in longer form is God’s Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church. 

Above all, what is required is that you stop making yourself god and start following the actual God and Creator and Redeemer of the universe, to submit to Him as your Lord and the one who governs your life, and to delve into the Gospel of Christ as a result.  In order to be a disciple of Christ, one must familiarize themselves with Scripture, above all the Gospels, the Epistles, and then all Scripture.  In order to go deeper one needs to listen to or read books and programs that focus on spiritual development according to the Tradition handed on from the Apostles.  The Church Fathers function in this way.    

Our parish is dedicated to growing only if it is receiving people who want to perpetuate and propagate Christ’s saving Orthodox Faith, and follow God’s will and standards as revealed in Scripture and Tradition.  Our parish is dedicated not to cater to peoples’ wishes but rather for us together to conform to God’s standards. 

For all those who seek to be received into the God’s Holy Orthodox Church at Holy Protection Church…

The following items are mandatory prior to being received into the Church: 

• To fill out a parish membership form

• To fulfill all the required paperwork and info for the Archdiocese regarding reception either by Baptism or Chrismation.

• Familiarize yourself with the contents of the Orthodox Christian Education Website created by Fr. Harry orthodoxchristianed.org. 

• Please do not lose the things that the priest, deacon, or catechist gives you, and to read it all and take it seriously. Just as your time and effort is valuable, so also is theirs.  Please respect it.  

• Do at least one of the following two:

a).  The prescribed readings on the orthodoxchristianed.org site

b).  Watch the prescribed video classes on our parish website holyorthodox.org  Catechism Online Class Videos | Holy Protection Orthodox Church (holyorthodox.org)

• Three classes in person with the priest. If the person is married, such meetings must include the spouse whether or not the spouse is being received so that they understand and are familiar with what their spouse is adhering to and joining. 

• To have read and understand the expectations of members of Holy Protection Church

• To undergo a profession of Faith, which either is accomplished in the office for the reception of a Catechumen or the office for receiving a Christian who has not previously been Orthodox.   

The Priest together with the person/family will determine an appropriate time frame to be received into the Church, which will be done once the above criteria are met.