Religious education: Orthodox
Kindergartens
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 Orthodox
Classes in Moscow Public Kindergarten No.633
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Kindergarten
No.1 in the Smolensk Diocese
Orthodox Classes in Moscow Public
Kindergarten No.633
On the premises of public
kindergarten No. 633 in the North Administrative District of Moscow , on
the blessing of the Rev. Georgy Taranushenko, the dean of Sts.Boris and
Gleb church in Degunino, there are formed two classes or groups for children
from Orthodox families. In these classes in addition to the general pre-school
educational program established by the Ministry of Education of the Russian
Federation, religious education is offered.
The formation of children in this spirit is carried out through introducing
them - in a comprehensible form - to the Christian teaching, to the biblical
history and divine service, through their participation in the sacraments
(weekly Holy Communion - on Fridays as a group; on Sundays - individually
with parents), by visiting holy places in Moscow and Moscow region, by
reading appropriate literature, through labor efforts in the class and
in the church.
The classrooms are equipped correspondingly : there is a special icon-board,
which is compiled icon by icon imagining a saint whose life the children
are studying at the moment. This is also a place where the children say
their morning prayers and prayers before meals.
As far lessons in music are concern which usually take place twice a
week, these are for children to learn church singing, Christmas and Easter
hymns, and to learn parts for acting in Christmas and Easter performances
composed by the teachers.
The children have visited the Trinity-St.Sergius Laura, the Danilov
and Donskoy monasteries, the monastery in Khotkovo, as well as the church
of St. Nicholas in Kuznetsy with the miracle-working icon of the Mother
God called "Console all my Sorrows"; they also visited the tomb of the
Blessed Matrona. In the result of such pilgrimages children learned about
new icons, some of which they brought to their kindergarten; the teachers
organized spiritual talks with them, the children drew pictures reflecting
their impressions on the visits.
We are trying to insure the principle of succession and continuity in
the process of the religious education of children both in family and kindergarten.
The children are admitted to the Orthodox groups after the conversation
between their parents and the priest. To know as much as possible about
the child's family we have issued a special genealogical questionnaire
for the parents to fill in. On the request, father Georgy performs the
service of the home blessing. The meetings with parents are conducted only
in the presence of the priest. Sunday attendance of the church is a must
for the children and parents. Every Saturday, father Georgy conducts seminars
for the teachers of the Orthodox groups at which the problems of education
and religious up-bringing , as well as preparations for Orthodox feasts
are discussed.
Maslova Ju.N.
Telephone for Contact: (095) 921-53-18
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Kindergarten No.1
in the Smolensk Diocese
Until three years ago
our kindergarten had been no different from other pre-school institutions
of our city. By God's will and on the blessing of Metropolitan Kirill of
Smolensk and Kaliningrad, our kindergarten has come under the care of the
Russian Orthodox Church. On January 8, 1992, the kindergarten was dedicated
and turned a new leaf. The parents of the kindergarterners got much interested
in the new methodology and program of teaching based on the principles
of Christian pedagogics. In this way 53 children aged from 4 to 7 started
to attend a church kindergarten. Their life and the life of their parents
changed radically. Many of them, for the first time felt the presence of
real God which is the main goal of the Orthodox up-bringing.
The kindergarten is the initial stage of the Orthodox education. What
makes it different from other kindergartens is the fact that all other
aspects of education , namely: mental and physical, aesthetical and other
forms of development grow from the Orthodox background and all are directed
towards it. The entire life in the kindergarten is organized in such way
as to insure the rudiments of the knowledge of God for the children, as
well as to teach them to be obedient to fulfil His commandments, in other
words, to form an active Orthodox Christian.
Along with the spiritual up-bringing much attention is given to the
development of moral behavior of the children - they learn to love God,
their neighbors , their native land, Nature, they learn to do good, to
be merciful, pure, humble, obedient etc. We devote all our energies to
our work, being aware that Russia cannot be saved without our active common
participation in the spiritual and moral education of our children in the
spirit of the Orthodox faith.
Polyanskaya E.V.,
Principal of the kindergarten
Telephone for Contact: (08122) 20866
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