Eastern Christian Publications announces a new two-book catechesis for families entitled The Twelve Great Feasts: A Handbook for the Domestic Church.

Part 1 is a Handbook of more than 100 pages of instructional information about the 12 major feasts of the liturgical year. Part 2 is a Toolkit of over 100 pages of activities and exercises in a workbook format for a family to use in conjunction with the Handbook. The following is my Publishers Preface for this new book:

“For many years, I have felt that we Eastern Christians, both Catholic and Orthodox, should provide more educational material for families. The family is truly the foundation of our Christian faith, and is the place where all aspects of a young person’s life are formed. The family is the smallest element of the Church and of society.

“I remember growing up in a loving family with two younger sisters, and parents who nurtured us in many ways. My mom would feed us a good breakfast every morning before school; she would be there when we returned home in the afternoon; we always had a lively discussion as a complete family around the dinner table; we often gathered on the basement steps for “family meetings”; there was always a special time for prayer as a group; we sat together in church on Sundays at the Divine Liturgy (except when I was serving at the altar). Much of who I am today comes from that environment, and I wish that more resources had been available to us back then with an Eastern perspective. We did the best we could with what we had.

“With this Handbook for the Domestic Church, Eastern Christian Publications is proud to begin to offer a series of resources – printed, multi-media, electronic – that will help parents raise their children in a loving, Eastern Christian home environment. We also believe much of the content of this material can be utilized by any family, Eastern or Western, Catholic or Orthodox or Protestant. This two book program – handbook and toolkit – is the first in a series of educational programs for the Domestic Church, the Family.

“They will join other material we have already produced – prayer booklets for children, coloring books of icons, etc. – and become a product line labeled Domestic Church Resources. We are very excited about this new focus, and we sincerely thank Daniel G. Dozier for suggesting it to us. We pray that all of these, and many other ideas for future material that we have planned, will provide the resources for families to grow together with a solid foundation in their faith.

“May God bless and grant many years in health and happiness to everyone who uses this material, and may their faith in Jesus Christ, Our Savior, be strengthened by it.”

The two books can be ordered on our website, www.https://ecpubs.com/, or by calling 703-691-8862. They are $20.00 each, printed in full color, and tape bound for ease-of-use.