St. Hilary's Episcopal Church
307 W. Hintz Road
Prospect Heights, Illinois 60070
847-537-0590
rector@sthilaryecusa.com
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St. Hilary's Episcopal Church |
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Saint Hilary's Church offers a variety
of Christian Education experiences on Sunday morning and during the week.
Christian formation for all ages meets Sept.- May. Our youth will begin a
study of the liturgical season of “Ordinary Time.” Classes begin on
Sunday, September 16th.
Sunday
Classes for all ages from toddlers through adults begin at 9:00 AM each Sunday
morning.
High School- Meets from 5-7:30pm Sunday evenings to eat pizza, watch
movies and discuss issues of life and faith in a casual setting. Once a month
the kids participate in a variety of outreach and community support work. Senior
High youth serve as acolytes, and lay readers in the 10:00 service.
Junior High- 9am - 9:45. This class looks at issues of life and faith and
this year will introduce Rite 13, an Episcopal curriculum
intentionally designed for this age group. Rite 13 culminates in a
liturgy honoring the 13 birthday of each child which begins the transition to
adulthood. Junior High youth participate in the 10:00 service as acolytes.
2nd-6th grade: 9:00am - 9:45. This class uses the Episcopal Children's
Curriculum developed at Virginia Theological Seminary. Following the lectionary
cycle, the weekly rotation of scripture read in church each Sunday, the youth
hear stories and participate in a variety of projects. At about 10:30am,
following the Liturgy of the Word, children join their parents for the Liturgy
of Table. All baptized children, regardless of age, are invited to the table for
Holy Communion.
Each December this group holds a bake
sale to raise funds for the Heifer Project and in Lent they sale breads and
muffins to raise funds for Episcopal Relief and Development.
Pre-K through 1st grade- 9:00am - 10:30 for children 4-7 years of age.
Grounded in the Montessori presentation model of Christian formation called
Godly Play, this age explores Christ in faith based activities. Following
the lectionary cycle our children engage in the same scripture read in the
sanctuary each Sunday but in the Godly Play method they are invited into
the meaning of the scripture in age appropriate ways of story telling and play.
At about 10:30am, following the Liturgy of the Word, children join their parents
for the Liturgy of Table. All baptized children, regardless of age, are invited
to the table for Holy Communion.
Solemn Communion preparation will be offered this year for our children Pre-K
through 1st grade. The material focuses on forming the youth to understand Holy
Eucharist in both the deep internal expression that they learn from receiving at
the altar rail each Sunday (kids learn from doing), and an outward expression
they can articulate in clear terms. The presentations focus on the meaning of
Holy Eucharist as the gift of God’s love poured out to us in the person of Jesus
and known to us in the bread and wine, the body and blood.
In order to understand these profound theological concepts the course looks to
scripture and tells the story of the Good Shepherd and the Sheep. This helps the
children see that Jesus is the Good Shepherd and we are the Sheep whom Jesus
loves and cares for deeply. Another presentation is Praying with Our Bodies, the
Lord’s Prayer. This looks at what we do when we pray, why we might cross
ourselves, or kneel or stand, and how these gestures and actions engage us in
the content of the liturgy. They will also learn the story of the Good Shepherd
Feeds His Flock - which helps them connect Jesus, the bread and wine, and the
people to what we actually do in communion. The last presentation is on the
Altar - what are those things on the altar (do you know what a chalice,
corporal, purificator, or pall is?).
Nursery: 9:00am - 10:30. We have a lovely nursery for our children on the
second floor with the other formation groups. At about 10:30am, following the
Liturgy of the Word, children join their parents for the Liturgy of Table. All
baptized children, regardless of age, are invited to the table for Holy
Communion. A nursery care provider is available each Sunday, September - June.
Of course infants and children are always welcome in the service as well.