Dormition Fast Calendar Printable and Lesson Plan

Briefly, this is my lesson plan for a class at our mission church this week on the Dormition. We have all of our kids in one class, so its a challenge to try to keep everyone's attention and not let the noise level get out of control! I'm thinking of telling the story with flannelgraph this week - can't wait!

Dormition Fast Lesson:

1. Start with songs and finger plays (“It is truly meet,” “this is the church…” “Our Father”

2. Teach kids to sing refrain, “Most holy Theotokos, save us,” for the paraklesis. 

3. Tell the story of the Dormition in an exciting way.

4. What does it mean? God raised her up and took her to heaven, and he will someday do that for all the faithful. 

5. Give kids Dormition Calendar with instructions to color one flower per day to count the days of the fast and celebrate the feast. 

6. Encourage children to bring flowers to the church for Christ and his mother on the feast of the Dormition (Saturday, August 15, or the next Sunday if their family can’t come).  

Grab the Dormition Fast calendar png above, or print the pdf below. 

 

"Finally it must be stressed that, in all of the feasts of the Virgin Mother of God in the Church, the Orthodox Christians celebrate facts of their own lives in Christ and the Holy Spirit. What happens to Mary happens to all who imitate her holy life of humility, obedience, and love. With her all people will be “blessed” to be “more honorable than the cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the seraphim” if they follow her example. All will have Christ born in them by the Holy Spirit. All will become temples of the living God. All will share in the eternal life of His Kingdom who live the life that Mary lived."