Christian Formation
2025-2026

Please contact Fr. Sammy Wood if you are interested
in preparing for the sacrament of baptism or confirmation.
Confirmation Class begins early 2026!

Sunday Morning Adult Formation - Year of Service

Sundays at 9:45 - 10:45 AM in Saint Joseph’s Hall

C. S. Lewis: Enchantment & Hope - reading list
September 21, 28; October 5, 12, 19

C. S. Lewis—preacher, essayist, novelist, poet, satirist, and scholar—was a polyphonic virtuoso whose great gift was to speak intimately to the mind, imagination and spirit of his readers. That appeal, whether militant, marvelous, or even mystical, is the inspiration of Hope, a trustworthy enchantment straight from Heaven. We kick off our year with a five-week class on Lewis’ life and work led by Dr. James Como, professor emeritus of rhetoric and public communication at the City University of New York and founding member of the New York C. S. Lewis Society. 

Nicaea at 1700
October 26; November 2, 9, 16, 23

Living in a world of political and social division is hardly a new thing. In the Fourth Century, conflict about the nature of God threatened to tear the Roman Empire apart. To settle the dispute, the Emperor Constantine invited bishops from across the empire to a council in the town of Nicaea on the shore of Lake Iznik in the spring of 325 A.D. On this 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, we will spend five weeks learning about the history and theology of the Nicene Creed, the effect its reception has had on the Church, and how Saint Mary’s can live the Creed in New York City today. Led by Father Sammy Wood.

THANKSGIVING BREAK
November 30

Christian Community in Seneca Village
December 7, 14

Seneca Village was founded by African Americans in 1825, and it thrived for more than thirty years before the City of New York used eminent domain to seize properties and destroy the community’s more than fifty homes—as well as barns, stables, agricultural fields, three churches, and a school—for the construction of Central Park. The village was almost entirely erased from public memory, but in recent decades, researchers have uncovered much about it, including the importance of its churches: the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, African Union (Methodist) Church, and All Angels’ Episcopal Church. Over the course of two sessions, historical archaeologist Dr. Meredith Linn will present some new discoveries, focusing on All Angels’ Church and its racially integrated congregation as well as the role of the Episcopal Church and charitable missions in the life of the community more broadly.

CHRISTMAS BREAK
December 21 - January 11

Foundations Course: The Spiritual Life
January 18, 25; February 1, 8, 15

Every year, Saint Mary’s offers a “Foundations Course” about the basics of Christian faith and practice. To start the new year off right, we offer a five-session course to help us mature as followers of Jesus. This is an invitation to go deeper into a life grounded in spiritual practices (Eucharist and the Daily Office), rooted in vibrant community (the Church), and connected to the world we are called to serve and love into life (Service). Foundations Courses aim to increase our proficiency in the Christian life and are geared for people curious about Anglican spirituality or interested in joining the Episcopal Church or Saint Mary’s, for longtime practitioners brushing up on the basics of their faith, and for newcomers who seek connections within the parish. In a word, Foundations Courses are for all adults who find themselves around Saint Mary’s! Led by Father Sammy Wood.

Service Stories
February 22; March 1, 8, 15, 22

As part of our Adult Formation program for this "Year of Service,” we will offer a block of classes where people are invited to give their own "Service Stories." Come listen to people share how God has called them to serve the least, the lost, and the left behind—prisoners, immigrants, even the Creation itself—and ask how God may be leading you to serve! Moderated by Father Sammy Wood and featuring Mr. Clark Mitchell (“Laudato Si: Serving the Poor Earth”), Archdeacon Denise Lavetty, Ms. Elizabeth Wood (“You Visited Me in Prison”), Ms. Reha Sterbin (“On Advocacy”), and Dr. Charles Morgan (“Darkness is my Only Companion - The Mental Health Crisis”).

EASTER BREAK
March 29 - April 12

Saint Catherine of Siena
April 19, 26; May 3, 10, 17

In Eastertide, we will focus on the theology and spirituality of Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380). To conclude our “Year of Service” at Adult Formation, we will look at Catherine’s writings as well as the historical context of life in fourteenth-century Italy. Our primary interest in studying Catherine of Siena will be to see how this mystic and Doctor of the Church can help us to reflect upon and develop a theological understanding of service. Led by Father Matt Jacobson.

The Peter Powell Lecture on Anglo-Catholicism and Mission

The Rev. Dr. Andrew McGowan — “The Tabernacle and the Streets: Reserving the Eucharist and Feeding the Poor”
Thursday, February 12, 2026

Upon the retirement of our beloved Father Pete after two decades of ministry at Saint Mary's, the Board commissioned the Peter Powell Lectures on Anglo-Catholicism and Mission to honor his devotion to mission, justice, and service to the poor.

The inaugural Powell Lecture is on Thursday February 12, 2026, when we host the Rev. Dr. Andrew McGowan, Dean and President and McFaddin Professor of Anglican Studies and Pastoral Theology at the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale.

Please mark your calendars to join us for Choral Evensong, a wine and cheese reception, and Dr. McGowan’s lecture entitled: “The Tabernacle and the Streets: Reserving the Eucharist and Feeding the Poor.”

Thursday Evening Bible Study

6:00 PM on Zoom
Contact Fr. Wood for the Zoom link

Thursday evening Bible study in 2025-2026 will be structured in a way that will help prepare us for Mass on Sunday. The sessions will be based on the Sunday lectionary for the upcoming Sunday and will be led by the preacher for that day. We will meet over Zoom. If interested, please email Fr. Wood for the Zoom link.

Parish Quiet Days

Advent Quiet Day on Saturday, December 13, 2025, led by Sr. Monica Clare, CSJB

Lent Quiet Day on Saturday, March 7, 2026, led by Br. Thomas, SSF

Sunday Morning Formation for Children - Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

Sundays at 9:45 - 10:45 AM in the Atrium
For information about the program or to enroll your child,
please contact Renee Wood at rwood@libertyellisfoundation.org.

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) is a religious formation approach based on scripture and liturgy that uses Montessori educational and pedagogical principles. CGS is rooted in the Roman Catholic tradition and has been adapted for the Episcopal Church. Through CGS, children are encouraged to ask questions and discover answers through work with specially crafted presentations and materials corresponding to the liturgical seasons and the life of the church.

The word “atrium” actually means “a portico, or a porch entrance to a large house.” In the ancient church, the atrium was a gathering space between the church proper and the street. It was the place where the catechumens, those preparing for initiation to the Church, would receive instruction. The Atrium at Saint Mary’s has a similar purpose for our children, as it is a place to help them enter into active participation in the liturgical and communal life of the Church. The atrium includes child-sized furniture, fine religious art hung at child eye-level, and representations of Scripture that can be seen, touched, and moved around. It is a place of spiritual retreat for children: a place of work, study, and prayer, where work and study become contemplation of God and of prayer.