THE CHILDRENS ABBEY- THE UNIQUE SUNDAY SCHOOL PROGRAM OF THE CATHEDRAL AND THE CONGREGATION.
Join us on September 9th at either 9:00 or 11:00 for Children's Abbey registration and our first class session in the undercroft of the Cathedral.
Construction is going on all around us at the Cathedral, so just to keep in step, Children's Abbey participants will be doing some constructing of their own. This year we're going to be building Noah's Ark! We'll forego the rain. Animals of the stuffed variety will be appearing in the Abbey — not just in honor of Noah but because sometimes little people need a cuddly friend to help them through new experiences. We are finishing the work on a confirmation program beginning in the fall for 7th and 8th graders to help prepare them for the big step into a more mature practice of their faith.
I'm very excited about what's to come at the Children's Abbey .
We're going to have a GREAT year!
A note from Donna
It's time, it's time. It's time to close out the summer activities and crank up the fall projects. A bittersweet time of expectation. Recently I was talking with a friend about some of my summer activities— a one week session of music camp with 20 inner city kids where we interpreted Van Gogh's Sunflowers in Papier-mâché and produced a fun little drama about the Garden of Eden. Everyone wanted to be The Snake. Another week of music camp in a more affluent area where we created things using mosaic art and produced the same drama about the Garden of Eden. Everyone wanted to be The Snake. I took part in a choir festival of 1400 voices and on the other hand was part of a small chamber choir. Then I got to sing in a performance of Dvorák's masterpiece Stabat Mater. I took a seminar course in Biblical Storytelling and did some summer fun stuff at my home church as well as storytelling once a month at Children's Abbey.
I also got in some weeks of Bible study and refreshed my spirit in various ways with old and dear friends. It's been a busy, full couple of months. I've loved every minute of all these activities but it's now time to shift gears and do another program that I dearly love — the weekly program of Children's Abbey at the Cathedral. I'm so looking forward to the months to come. Here are some of the things that are A bittersweet time of expectation. Children’s Abbey Fall Program by Donna Devlin
the Director of Christian
Education.All — children, parents, and others — are welcomed and encouraged to participate and share in this experience. Volunteers are needed and welcomed. Any additional questions regarding the program can be directed to The Reverend Victoria Sirota, Canon Pastor and Vicar, or the Abbey Director, Donna Devlin 212-316-7483.
Donna Devlin
Director Christian Ed/Formation and
Children's Abbey childrensabbey@saintsaviour.org
THE MISSION STATEMENT: The mission of the Children's Abbey is to provide a safe and secure space in which children may learn Episcopal tradition and respect for the Earth and other faith traditions through liturgy, story telling, and the arts with the goal of providing them with resources from which they can form the faith foundation for their lives.
Children's Abbey is not merely a Sunday program but a Christian community for children and their families. The program provides a traditional Christian education, emphasizing the Jewish roots of Christianity as well as nurturing a respect for all faith traditions. Respecting their uniqueness they are encouraged to explore their sense of themselves, to develop their gifts and talents, to reach out to the world around them in compassion and generosity with joyful open hearts. Many children are from interfaith and nontraditional families which gives the community a rich heritage from which to draw values and support. The Children's Abbey is an intentional safe place for children and families where a viable a faith to sustain and nourish them in years to come can be developed.
As the children gather each Sunday a candle signifying the presence of the Holy Spirit glows in their space. There is time for sharing experiences of the week past and a time to explore Bible stories and do seasonal activities. Singing, drawing, talking and sharing thoughts help to reinforce ideas and values contained within the basic lesson. Discussions of things encountered in the Cathedral and discussing "whys" and "hows" of the service make the liturgy and ritual more child friendly.
Children join the adult congregation in the Cathedral for Communion and are free to sit with their parents or remain in the reserved Children's Abbey seats.
A monthly newsletter, called A Voice in the Abbey, is designed for the children and their parents and contains articles of interest and concern to families. It has information about things that the children might be doing outside the Sunday community. It contains explanations of traditions, stories of saints, resources, and provides a way for parents to continue the learning and growing experience at home. There are coloring pages and mazes and wordfinds to stimulate questions and foster learning. It is a way to cultivate a sense of excitement, of wonder, of accomplishment, of caring — with and for — the members of the Sunday community that carries through week to week.
All — children, parents, and others — are welcomed and encouraged to participate and share in this experience.
Volunteers are needed and welcomed.