Class Structure

How often should I expect to attend this school?

The school will run nearly continuously except for select holidays and feast days. Check out the schedule for the current seminar for upcoming classes.

One approach to attending is to come when you can. Each week we will cover a chapter or portion of a chapter as indicated on the course schedule (page 2). So, it will be easy for you to just drop in. This is sort of a “shotgun” approach, but it may be the best some are able to do. If this applies to you, please do come as you can.

However, if you are able, perhaps there is a better way. The chapters in these volumes are grouped together in such a way as to make manageable the enormous amount of information contained within each volume. These groupings of chapters are called “Parts.” As you can see from the schedule, we will cover five Parts of Volume II between June 2nd and December 15th: 1) Sources of Orthodox Dogma; 2) God; 3) The World and Man; 4) Christ; and 5) The Church.

The best way to attend St Thomas would be to view each Part as a “seminar.” So, to use the seminar terminology, beginning in June 2018, the St. Thomas school will offer five seminars during last six months of 2018. I invite you to commit to attending one or more of these seminars throughout 2018.

So, look at 2018 and begin to decide now which seminar(s) most appeal to you!

How often will the course repeat itself?

We anticipate that it will take more than 24 months to work through the entire 4-volume set. So, any chapter or part (seminar) that you miss will come back around in about 2 years.

Can I just drop in any week? What happens if I miss a week?

The course is designed to continue to move forward. If the discussion is such that all of the material in a particular week cannot be completed, the subsequent week will continue according the the schedule. In this way, each instructor and all who attend will know what subject will be covered on any given week.

Therefore, if you miss a week, or if you find you can attend occasionally, you can be sure know what material will be upcoming.