“Enter carefully and cautiously into everything that God gives you- the Church, the Holy Scriptures- and study now just as you did in the first grade; for everything that you have to take into the soul is new. Only then will God’s Law and a Christian understanding and perception of the world grow in you, without pain or loss.” May God Grant you Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin, Pg. 63

Many Americans are coming to the realization that the Orthodox Church is the one and only True Church established by the Holy Spirit through Christ's Holy Apostles at Pentecost. A large influx of people are flooding into churches across the United States, in some cases parishes are doubling their numbers practically overnight. This is a wonderful and God-pleasing phenemenon, and St. Elizabeth's is no exception, as we are a parish comprised almost entirely of converts native to the Cullman area. 

Becoming a catechumen is no trivial task, and there are many obstacles which can harm a catechumen's likelihood of "running the race" until their baptism and ultimately til the end of their earthly journey. In order to combat this, the clergy of St. Elizabeth's have employed a catechumenate program designed to gradually and carefully immerse the catechumen into the Orthodox Christian spiritual life by teaching them the ABCs of living the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ as well as all the necessary dogmas, theology, and traditions of the Church. We will not make any person a catechumen or baptize them simply because of their apparent outward desire, we are duty-bound by God to examine each person to see the inward results of their outward desire: having correct Orthodox faith, repentance, struggling to live the Gospel Commandments, humility, and so on. Our catechumen program is at least a year long or longer in some cases, with the exception of imminent death, conscription/mobilization, and certain other extenuating circumstances. 

If one wishes to become a catechumen they must start by attending a Sunday Liturgy and introduce themselves to the priest afterwards. Inquirers are welcome to come and go as they please and to reach out to the rector for questions on the program or the Orthodox faith, but no one will be made a catechumen unless they commit themselves to attending the Sunday Liturgy on a regular basis. After the catechumen has attended at least few liturgies or as many as he likes, has declared his belief that the Orthodox Church is the True Church of the Most Holy Trinity, and has repented of any actively sinful lifestyles which would impede his catechumenate, the priest will make him a catechumen to the joy of God and our parish.