At Faith Christian School, catechism and liturgies unify our community,
shape our heart's affections, and answer the deeper questions
regarding meaning and purpose.

Catechism

On a daily basis at Faith Christian School, students will recite catechisms and liturgies in various forms. But how are these used, and why are they considered important elements of our day? Catechisms and liturgies are simply two methods of helping train our students’ hearts and minds, as well as actively joining our hearts together as a community.

Every day, our students begin their day by listening to morning devotions and announcements. During this time, Lower School students recite a catechism of focus for the week. Over the course of a student’s time in Lower School, they will learn 52 key truths about our faith through the form of a question and answer using the New City Catechism. (For more information go to http://newcitycatechism.com. They also have a wonderful app!)

To help our younger students understand some of the harder truths in the catechisms, each Monday morning devotion time includes an explanation of that week’s catechism and how it applies to our daily life. For the rest of the week, the students will recite that catechism together. As the student grows to reach Middle or Upper school, these catechisms and their meanings get “unpacked” and developed more. In the same manner, classes in the Middle and Upper school will recite key knowledge about their classes. Our desire is that these catechisms will help form the worldview of our students.

Liturgies

Liturgies appear in many ways throughout our community. To end each Monday morning’s announcement/devotion time in all grades, each teacher reads Ephesians 3:14-21 to their class.  After hearing this passage each week, the students are able to say it by heart.  (This liturgy does transfer to the students! My own first grade son was recently flipping through his Bible and looking for this passage to read.) Middle and Upper School students begin their day together in an assembly time that ends with singing and reciting together. If you were to enter our Junior Kindergarten class, a P.E. class, or an Upper School science class, you are likely to hear our students and teachers reciting a Scripture passage or other recitation at the beginning or end of a class. Even our faculty meetings involve a liturgy from Every Moment Holy.   

As we recite together, we find our hearts more unified and are directed in approaching our time with one another as a community. As with many of the components of classical education at Faith Christian School, catechisms and liturgies are used intentionally to shape our affections.

MarySusan Williams
Associate Head of Lower School