Forty Thousand Dollars. That's the average debt a Canadian student carries after finishing college or university, whether or not they can find a job to pay back their loans.


So highly valued is Canadian education as a passport to happiness, that a huge plurality of people consider higher education "a right" - usually not for the sake of learning, but too often, for the sake of mere monetary gain.


In many cases, Orthodox families are no different. Consider the amount of time we spend helping our children with math or English homework, versus the time we spend teaching them our faith. Consider too, the time adults spend educating ourselves to improve our job position, versus the time we invest to save our soul - or simply, to say ten minutes of daily prayers.


The dearth of spiritual education (sometimes called "ongoing catechism") is an unspoken scandal in too many Orthodox communities, yet the faithful are hungry for answers.


In response to years of requests for such spiritual education for everyday life, our parish this fall presents the first Orthodox Institute on the Family, a four-part series tackling critical questions facing us.


As many families head back to school for secular learning, we invite you not to miss out on the truest form of "Higher Education", the Eternal diploma, the School for the Soul, found within the hallowed halls of Christ's historic Church.


- FrG+