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At the 2026 Clergy-Laity Congress, the Department of Religious Education (DRE) presented two sessions showcasing tools and resources it provides, as well as a first look at the Archdiocese’s new K-12 religious education curriculum.
At the 2024 Clergy-Laity Congress in San Diego, California, the Department made a commitment to present a national curriculum framework for Orthodox Christian education (grades K-12) by the next Clergy-Laity Congress. They delivered, launching the new curriculum in Cleveland.
The curriculum was developed by the DRE, St. Spyridon Loveland, Orthodox Pebbles, and a team led by Dr. Drew Baker. A key objective was “improving children’s relationship with the church and Christ” through effective religious education. Alongside a new curriculum, the DRE has expanded catechetical resources, strengthened national programs, broadened communication outreach, and deepened collaboration with other Archdiocesan ministries.
The “Tools and Resources from the DRE” session was led by Director of the Department of Religious Education His Grace Bishop Athenagoras of Nazianzos; his Operations Coordinator and Executive Assistant Hannah Souaiden; DRE Programs Assistant George Singh; the Metropolis of Pittsburgh’s Y2AM Director and Resource Coordinator Alyssa Kyritsis; and National Chairperson of the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival Kathy Orfanakos Demacopoulos.
Among established resources from the DRE are the Sunday Sermon Series, Nativity Series, Holy Week Series, Did You Know?, the latest Kids Sunday Series and Kids Holy Week Series, a Kids Nativity Series launched in partnership with the Saint Nicholas Tele-Santa program, and the In the Home Newsletter launched in partnership with the Metropolis of Pittsburgh Religious Education Committee to support parents in faith formation at home. The DRE also released an updated “Recommended Texts for Sunday School Updated” which is closely intertwined with and utilized in the new curriculum.
Demacopoulos provided updates on the growth of the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival, including participation by over 20,000 Greek Orthodox teenagers. The next Festival will be held at the Metropolis of Atlanta’s Cathedral of the Annunciation.
Under His Grace’s leadership, funding for the Oratorical Festival’s college scholarships has grown significantly. With assistance from the Archdiocese and National Philoptochos Society, the Festival has awarded $62,000 in scholarships.
Bishop Athenagoras presented Key Survey Findings which showed parishes wanted easily-downloadable lessons—now met in the Sermon Series—and the flexibility to adapt lessons the new resources provide. To stay up-to-date with the DRE’s weekly newsletter , subscribe here.
The “Introduction and New Curriculum Training” workshop was presented by Dr. Drew Baker, Project Lead for the development of the new K–12 Religious Education curriculum for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and the Director of Religious Education at Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Richmond, Virginia; Natalie Tzobanakis, founder of Orthodox Pebbles; Presvytera Maria Constantinides, an artist, designer, researcher, and educator with an MA in Art History and Museum Studies from Boston University and a BA in Art History and Italian from the University of Virginia; and Krista Loucas, youth director at Ss. Constantine and Helen Cathedral in Richmond, Virginia.
The “Introduction and New Curriculum Training” session was presented by Dr. Drew Baker, Project Lead for the new K–12 curriculum for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and Director of Religious Education at Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Richmond, Virginia; Natalie Tzobanakis, founder of Orthodox Pebbles; Presvytera Maria Constantinides, an artist, designer, researcher, and educator with an MA in Art History and Museum Studies from Boston University and a BA in Art History and Italian from the University of Virginia; and Krista Loucas, youth director at Sts. Constantine and Helen Cathedral.
This portion began with a Think + Pair + Share on the DRE materials and religious education at home parishes. Participants then viewed an informative video on the new curriculum and how to navigate goarch.org/sundayschool, where faithful can find resources, lesson plans, and feedback surveys.
Tzobanakis presented elements of the new curriculum for younger, pre-literate children—age-group considerations, strong Orthodox content, teacher control, simple template crafts, take-home sheets, and more. Dr. Baker expanded on combined grade levels and how to adapt materials across younger and older age groups and developmental stages.
The workshop culminated in a discussion among participants, who reviewed the full curriculum standards, an example late-high-school lesson plan, an introduction video on adapting the curriculum to parish needs, and a mock lesson.
His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, His Eminence Metropolitan Savas of Pittsburgh, and representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate Grand Archimandrite Iakovos (Krochak) visited the workshop. Archbishop Elpidophoros presented Dr. Drew and his team and Natalie Tzobanakis a gift, an anamnistika.
“I am very proud of these initiatives that strive to give our People–younger and older alike–the tools to live by the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the Tradition of the Apostles (whose Feast we celebrate this very day!), and in the experience of all the Fathers, Mothers, Martyrs, Ascetics, and Saints of the Church,” Archbishop Elpidophoros said. “A big thanks to all of you, the ministry workers who labor every day for the health and welfare of our Holy Church.”
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