Volume 2, Issue 2
January 31, 2021
Presenting the
2021 Saint Kosmas Conference
featuring Desert Trail Hike Expeditions, Archery, Byzantine Chant Workshops, Visual Arts, Craft Projects, Organized Games, and Talks with the Teens
Visual Arts
(all ages)
Outdoor Recreation
(all ages)
Byzantine Chant
(all ages)
featuring
A Teen's Responsibility within the Home as a Member of the Domestic Church (age 10+),
The Nature of Freedom within the Orthodox Life (age 10+),
Sharing the Pro-Life Message in a Post-Christian World (age 13+),
Getting Your Group Ready for Action (age 10+)
Desert Trail Hike Expedition
with Mihai and Alexandra Boitor
on the desert slope behind the Gold Canyon Golf Resort
[on the mountain trail overlooking the Gold Canyon Golf Course]
[trail markers; "Deer Trac Pt" trail is for the youngest hikers]
[the look-out point where past hikers planted a Cross]
Archery
(photos below from the 2017 & 2018 Saint Kosmas Conferences)
Byzantine Chant Workshops
with Master-Chanter Dimitrios Katsiklis
Children enrolled in the 2021 Saint Kosmas Conference Youth Program will be taught two hymns of our Church in Byzantine chant, in the English language:
(2) The Great Commanding Chief of the Bodiless Powers, which is the 1st kathisma of the Matins of the Saturday of the Akathist Hymn.

The children will perform these hymns for the parents and attendees at the Closing Program of the conference on Saturday, April 17, 2021. (Schedule)

An audio file of these hymns, in the form they will be taught, will be sent to all families when they register for the conference, providing a way for the children to listen and become familiar with the music ahead of time, before arriving at the conference. (Learn more.)
Thank you to
the University of Saint Katherine
for their Sponsorship of
the 2021 Saint Kosmas Conference!
To learn more about the University of Saint Katherine, visit their website:
The 2021 Saint Kosmas Conference Planning Team also extends a "thank you" to all the early registrants!
We opened online registration on January 1, and in the first month, we received registrations from 12 states and met the contracted minimum headcount needed to make this conference happen. Thus far, we have general registrations from Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.

Registration for the 2021 Saint Kosmas Conference
will be open until March 31, 2021
or until we reach maximum capacity, whichever comes first.
Registration will not extend into April for any reason. Register today!
Saint Kosmas Orthodox Education
CONTESTS
1 more month to go!
Entry deadline is March 1
Winners receive cash prize plus $500 credit to attend the 2021 Saint Kosmas Conference!
Entry deadline is March 1, 2021.
Open to all Orthodox children regardless of jurisdiction, method of schooling, or country of residence.
Essay Topic - Option #1:
St. Paisios the Athonite writes,
"Because modern conveniences have exceeded all bounds, they have become inconveniences. Machines have multiplied and so have distractions;
man has been turned into a machine. 
All kinds of machines and inventions now rule over man. This is why human hearts are turning into steel." 
How do you see St. Paisios' words relating to education today? How should families and schools approach modern technology in relationship to education? 
In your essay, work to develop depth and breadth, using concrete examples and drawing from the wisdom of the Church in developing your position
Essay Topic - Option #2:
St. Nectarios of Aegina writes,
"Who can deny that it is mothers who produce great and virtuous men?"
Write an essay on what you think St. Nectarios means when he says these words in relationship to the role and importance of mothers in the formation of saints. You may want to consider the Theotokos, St. Anna, and other mothers of saints in your response, including both how they were raised and how they parented their children. Further, you may also want to consider the role of mothers in the home within the life of the family today. In your essay, work to develop depth and breadth, using concrete examples and drawing from the wisdom of the Church in developing your position.
2020-21
Saint Kosmas Art & Photography Contest
Entry deadline is March 1, 2021.
Open to all Orthodox children regardless of jurisdiction, method of schooling, or country of residence.
2021 Saint Kosmas Conference
COVID policy &
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
New FAQs page answers the following questions about the 2021 Saint Kosmas Conference:
  • Will you offer live-streaming of this conference or an option to attend 'virtually'?
  • Will recordings of the conference be made available to the public following the conference?
  • Will there be childcare for the youngest ages?
  • What jurisdiction are you affiliated with?
  • What is the deadline to register?
  • What is the possibility that the conference will be canceled due to COVID?
  • How many attendees do you expect? What has been the response thus far?
2021 Saint Kosmas Conference
CURRICULUM FAIR
All Exhibitors participating in the 2021 Saint Kosmas Conference will be featured on TWO of our webpages for the 2021 Calendar year:
AND will be featured on each bi-monthly email newsletter that goes out from Saint Kosmas Orthodox Education from the time of the exhibitor's registration until the 2021 Saint Kosmas Conference!
(Learn more about exhibiting at the 2021 Saint Kosmas Conference.)
(as of January 26)
"2021 Curriculum Fair" reflects the current list, and is being updated daily as exhibitors register.
Additional Resources
Building a Library
of Orthodox Children's Books
The top 100 favorite Orthodox children's books of the editors of Saint Kosmas Orthodox Education are being presented to you one book at a time as a regular feature of our bi-monthly newsletter. We hope that for families just starting an Orthodox children's library in their home, the pace of this presentation (two or three books per month) may be a realistic pace for collecting the books. The sequence that the books are presented does not imply any rating or hierarchy. However, we are putting forth first the books that are the most foundational to your child's early catechism in the Orthodox faith.

Published by Life-Giving Spring of the Theotokos Monastery, Dunlap, CA

Available in English OR Greek
This children’s book presents, in simple words, the Akathist Hymn to the Mother of God. The beautiful and detailed iconography taken from the walls of the Monastery’s Dormition Chapel will touch your children’s hearts and teach them as much or more than words to love and magnify the Panagia. Hardbound and printed on thick paper, this book will certainly be cherished by your family for years to come... Read more.
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