Education
St. Mary's provides free educational and musical learning opportunities for adults, young adults, and children K-12.
Episcopal 101
This series of classes is a requirement for Baptism, Confirmation or Reception in to the Episcopal Church, an introduction for newcomers, or a refresher for everyone.
Topics include...
· Our Life in Prayer and Worship
· Where did we come from? Episcopal DNA
· Our Way of Being a Church
· The Bible and God’s Beloved Community
If you are interested in learning more about The Episcopal Church and our unique perspective on the Christian spiritual life, contact the Vicar (craigplus@mac.com) or the Church office at (602) 354-7540.
Other meetings can be arranged on an individual basis.
Sunday School
During school months, students of all ages participate in a fun, interactive learning session related to the scripture readings and lessons of the week, then join the congregation for Communion. During the summer, an informal lectionary-based lesson is offered. Begins weekly at 10am.
Online Bible Study
The Holy Scriptures are an integral part of the Christian Traditions and St. Mary's has a weekly Bible study to further explore the treasure house that is the sacred repository of Israel and the Christian Church.
We look not only at the Old and New Testaments but also the Deuterocanonical writings from the Apocrypha. We meet every Tuesday online via Zoom, and more details can be found here.
EfM is a small-group learning process with a mentor incorporating not merely shared study of Scripture within the engendering history flowing to our present day, but also worship and refinement of personal theological insight. The entire sequence is four years: Hebrew Scriptures, Christian Scriptures, Church History, and the Modern Church.
Each year is registered for separately (hopefully serially) so one does not undertake a commitment for all four years at outset; while interruptions do occur, the sequence can usually be resumed.
Participants are resident throughout the Valley, and while the current
location is at St. Mary’s a relocation can be considered depending on the location of enrollees.
Sessions, while regular, are scheduled flexibly depending on availabilities of the participants. Typically they are once a week for a 9-month “academic year” and last about 2.5+ hours. A registration fee is required; some scholarship loan assistance may be available.
For general information, please visit efm.sewanee.edu. A
sample handout from the St. Mary’s EfM sequence is available in the Parish Office.
Cheak (“check”) Yee is the mentor at St. Mary’s and brings to the seminar an unusually broad and inter-disciplinary perspective on the study materials, given his studies in history, political science, geography, economics and lately in theology, with some insights from a bicultural heritage.
Please contact Cheak for more details at 602-354-7540.
Education for Ministry
Schola Cantorum Choir
We are a diverse group of singers with many different backgrounds, from beginners to experts. We sing a wide range of music, but we have a special focus on Gregorian chant and early sacred music. We also study hymnody and our own Anglican musical tradition. Every now and then, we like to throw in something different like Hawaiian hymns or Byzantine chant! If you are interested in the choir, please visit stmarysphoenix.org/contact