Vacation Bible School highlights Eastern Catholic liturgical year

PARMA, Ohio — About 20 children attended Vacation Bible School, held at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist for Cleveland-area parishes, July 15-19. Children came from the cathedral, St. Mary, Holy Spirit and St. Joseph parishes. The theme was “Week of Celebration,” and the students learned about the daily liturgical cycle of the Byzantine Catholic Church. Each day began with the General Moleben except for Friday, when Bishop Milan Lach, SJ, of Parma celebrated Divine Liturgy with the children.

Students learned about angels on Monday through the story of Jacob’s ladder. Students then made a Jacob’s ladder for a craft and played a related game. Father Nathan Adams explained that an angel’s job is to help people get to heaven.

Father Michael Hayduk taught the children about St. John the Baptist on Tuesday. He reinforced the previous day’s lesson by teaching students the hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy” using sign language. Students learned that the hymn’s origin was Isaiah’s vision of heaven. The students then created a “living icon” of Theophany.

Students focused on the Mother of God on Wednesday. They made a paper mosaic of the Protection of the Theotokos and a sun catcher. They also watched a puppet show about the Annunciation performed by eight teen volunteers, and learned the hymn “Beneath Your Compassion,” the oldest hymn to the Theotokos.

On Thursday, students learned about the Apostles from Bishop Lach, who challenged them to memorize the names of the 12 Apostles. Students played games to learn about the Apostles and made an Apostle puppet.

The last day was dedicated to the Holy Cross. Students worked on a craft project and then participated in a celebration of the Divine Liturgy.
 
Caption: Students of the Cleveland-area Vacation Bible School create a paper mosaic of the Mother of God as part of their summer arts and crafts activity. (Photo: Maria McKay)
 

As published in Horizons, Sept. 15, 2019.

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