Here at St. Michael, catechumens meet weekly with Fr. Michael for instruction that typically lasts about a year. You’ll also attend services, do spiritual reading, and gradually learn to live as an Orthodox Christian.
But let’s back up. If you’re asking this question, you’re probably wondering what you’re getting into. The catechumenate isn’t like a six-week membership class at First Baptist where you learn the church bylaws and shake hands with the deacons. It’s older than that. It’s the ancient way the Church has always prepared people for baptism and chrismation.
What You’ll Actually Do
Most Antiochian parishes structure things similarly. You’ll meet weekly for formal instruction, maybe Wednesday evenings or Saturday afternoons before Vespers. Some parishes do Sunday after Liturgy. The schedule depends on what works for our community here in Beaumont.
During these classes, you’ll cover the basics of Orthodox faith and life. What we believe about God, the Trinity, and Christ. How we worship and why the Liturgy is structured the way it is. The mysteries (what Protestants call sacraments) like baptism, chrismation, confession, and communion. Church history, how we got from the apostles to today. Prayer and fasting. How to prepare for confession. What it means that the Church is a hospital for sinners, not a courtroom.
You’ll read too. Fr. Michael Shanbour’s Know the Faith is a common starting point. It’s written for people like you, inquirers who don’t yet speak fluent Orthodox. You might also read through the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, or work through The Orthodox Faith series, which covers doctrine, worship, history, and spirituality in manageable chunks.
It’s Not Just Classroom Time
The catechumenate isn’t academic. You can’t learn Orthodoxy from a book any more than you can learn to swim from a manual. You’ve got to get in the water.
That means attending services. Vespers on Saturday evening. Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning. You’ll stand there (yes, we stand) and let the prayers and hymns and incense work on you. At first it’ll feel foreign. That’s fine. After a few months, you’ll realize you know the responses. You’ll find yourself humming the Cherubic Hymn while you’re driving down I-10 to work.
In the ancient Church, catechumens were dismissed partway through the Liturgy, sent out before the Eucharist with a blessing to go think about what they’d heard. Some parishes still do this. Others let catechumens stay for the whole service. Either way, you’re not communing yet. That comes after baptism or chrismation.
You’ll also meet one-on-one with the priest. He’ll help you establish a prayer rule, nothing crazy at first, maybe just the Lord’s Prayer and a psalm morning and evening. He’ll talk with you about fasting, which in Orthodoxy isn’t a diet plan but a spiritual discipline. Wednesdays and Fridays, no meat or dairy. It sounds hard until you do it, and then it’s just what you do.
How Long Does This Take?
About a year, give or take. The ancient catechumenate lasted three years. We’ve shortened it, but we haven’t eliminated it. Your bishop has to approve your reception into the Church, and he wants to know you’ve been properly prepared.
Some people need longer. If you miss a lot of classes because you’re working offshore two weeks on, two weeks off, it’ll take longer. If you’ve got a complicated background, maybe you were baptized in a non-Trinitarian group, or you’ve got a marriage situation that needs sorting out, it’ll take longer. The Church isn’t in a hurry. She’s been doing this for two thousand years.
What If You Can’t Make Every Class?
Life happens. You’ve got kids, or your shift changes, or there’s a hurricane and nobody’s going anywhere for a week. Most parishes record their classes now or provide notes. You’re expected to catch up. This isn’t optional education. It’s preparation for the most important thing you’ll ever do.
The Point of It All
The catechumenate isn’t hazing. It’s not the Church making you jump through hoops to prove you’re serious. It’s formation. You’re learning to think and pray and live as an Orthodox Christian, and that takes time. You can’t cram for it the week before Pascha.
When you’re finally chrismated (or baptized, if you weren’t baptized in the name of the Trinity), you’ll stand before the congregation as a full member of the Body of Christ. You’ll commune for the first time. And all those months of classes and services and fasting will make sense in a way they couldn’t before.
If you’re ready to start, talk to Fr. Michael after Liturgy this Sunday. He’ll want to meet with you, hear your story, and answer your questions. Then you’ll begin. It’s a good road to walk.
