St. Michael Parish of UOCC in Regina

The Importance of Parents’ Attitude Toward Church and Sunday School

By Fr. Victor Lakusta
reprinted from the St. Andrew’s Ukrainian Orthodox Sobor newsletter
Edmonton, Alberta

The parents’ attitude towards Church and Sunday is the is crucial. There are parents who are habitually late for Church. The result is that children miss part of the Sunday School lesson. The continuity of the lesson is destroyed. The class is continually interrupted by late-comers. The teacher becomes frustrated.

But even more important is what happens to the student. The child knows that, for important things, one has to be on time, i.e., public school for example. The habit of coming to Church and Sunday School late, or just occasionally, teaches the child that God is not as important as public school, or the piano lesson, or the hockey game – for all of which one has to be on time.

Another example is the attitude of parents School of parents toward coming to Church on Sunday. For some parents it doesn’t take much to stay away from Church – just a tiny bit of rain will do it. But parents never stay away from work on Monday morning because of rain. So the child learns that work is more important than God.

Is it a wonder, then, that children grow up to adopt a system of values that leaves God out entirely? Punctuality and faithful attendance at Church impress upon children the importance of God and of the Orthodox Christian value system.

“0 where, 0 where have all our children gone?” What have and are we doing to keep them here?