What Orthodox Christians teach
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, the only-begotten,
begotten of the Father before all ages.
Light of Light; true God of true God; begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father,
by whom all things were made;
who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man.
And He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried.
And the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures;
and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father;
and He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead;
whose Kingdom shall have no end.
​
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.
And in one Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
​
------
​
Our Faith
All Saint Andrew Academy board members, administrators, teachers, and volunteers adhere to the Nicene Creed. All are good standing Orthodox Christians involved in their local parish.
​
Student Body
We welcome applications from Orthodox families of all jurisdictions and ethnicities, and we welcome Christian families from Protestant or Catholic backgrounds. Agnostics or non-religious families are welcome to tour and see if our environment is a good fit. We currently have 5% Protestant/other or catechumens, and 95% baptized Orthodox Christians in our student body.
​
How we practice
Every day begins with Orthros (morning prayers) in the temple with the priest. We venerate the icons of the holy Saints and our Lord and His mother, the Theotokos.
​
We learn church music in choir.
We learn liturgical arts such as baking prosphora and making beeswax candles.
​
Bible-Catechesis class (taught be clergy) is a mandatory part of the curriculum. We study the Bible and the lives of the saints in every grade, from TK-12.
​
We also follow the prescribed fasts of the church: no meat, no dairy, no wine or oil on Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year; during Lent (40 days before Easter) and during Holy Week (the 7 days after Lent but before Easter).
​
We celebrate major Church holidays by taking time off (to be with our families and attend services) or by attending services as a learning community. Our "Spring Break" is Bright Week each year, regardless of the dates. We take Holy Week and part of Clean Week off.
​
These practices (and more) represent our attempt to faithfully follow Christ and make our lives a living sacrifice to the Holy Trinity.