Children’s Concert Dedicated to St. Nicholas Given by the Sunday School of the Brooklyn Cathedral

Sunday school is a place where children find spiritual inspiration and learn valuable life lessons necessary for their future. 

On December 16, the Sunday School of St. John the Forerunner & Baptist Cathedral in Brooklyn dedicated a concert to the memory of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

This school year featured many changes, including the arrival of children of new immigrants to school.  With joy and desire they met with teachers to continue their spiritual education.  Sunday school has become a place where they study the basics of the Orthodox faith and culture, become acquainted with the Law of God, study the Russian and Ukrainian languages and their literature, as well as finding their creative potential by singing in a choir, drawing, and acquiring basic acting skills.

The concert began with the children sang “To the Heavenly King,” which was followed by the cathedral’s Rector, Archpriest Oleksandr Belya, who is the confessor and a teacher of the Sunday School, sharing his experiences in bringing the spiritual wealth of the Orthodox faith to the children. He explained that the lives of the saints of the Church set a great example to follow.  At all times, not only adults, but especially children loved St. Nicholas. The school therefore prepared a concert dedicated to that beloved saint and his feastday.

Over forty children took part in various presentations, such as reading poems and singing holiday hymns. The Rector noted, “I especially was impressed with the scene in which the children were writing their wishes to St. Nicholas, while simultaneously discussing how many wishes they should write, who behaved during the year, and that there was no way to hide from homework.”

At the end of the presentations, Principal Larisa thanked the Rector, the other teachers, the children, and  their parents as well as everyone present for their efforts in helping to organize the event.  She stated, “The concert concluded the first half of the school year, which began when the children returned to Sunday School from summer vacation.  The second part will begin after the Winter Recess.  We look forward to new and exciting experiences that the rest of the school year will bring us, full of spiritual growth and joyful memories.”

Father Oleksandr then thanked everyone who participated and presented gifts to the children.