Studies in the Faith

Please join us every Wednesday at 7 PM (unless otherwise announced on the Church Calendar or Weekly Bulletin) as Fr John Tomasi takes us on a journey through all aspects of applied, practical Orthodox Christianity. The class is ideal for catechumens (those actively seeking entrance into the Church), for anyone curious about the Orthodox Church, and also recommended for any long-time Orthodox Christian, whether cradle or convert, who is interested in learning more about acquiring a living Orthodox phronema (or mindset/worldview).

Father John is a recently retired school teacher, having also taught adult courses at a local university. He’s therefore no stranger to the art and science of pedagogy, and his gift for conveying often difficult concepts and making them accessible is nowhere more on display than in his weekly Studies in the Faith classes hosted at Joy of All Who Sorrow Orthodox Church. Part inspired sermon, part participatory dialogue with his students, attendees most often walk away from each class feeling as if they’ve internalized another crucial component of Orthodox phronema.

Past classes have covered such diverse subjects as:

  • unseen warfare;
  • the writings of Fyodor Dostoyevksy;
  • Orthodox marriage;
  • Orthodox child-rearing;
  • Orthodox dogmatic theology;
  • the liturgical seasons of the Church;
  • the great Feasts of the Church;
  • fasting, prayer and almsgiving;
  • the Divine Liturgy;
  • the Ten Commandments;
  • the Passion of Jesus Christ;
  • lives of the saints;
  • Orthodox monasticism and pilgrimage;
  • and Holy Tradition and Holy Scripture.

Father John is a recipient and a transmitter of the legacy of Father Seraphim Rose of blessed memory, and of St John (Maximovitch) of Shanghai and San Francisco. And this legacy comes alive in his sermons and in his Wednesday night classes. Please come join us!