Sunday School

Godly Play

Our K-5th Grade kids enjoy Godly Play where they engage faith through stories, wondering, conversation and activities.

The goal of Godly Play is to enable children to use sacred story, parable, liturgical action, and silence to become more aware of the mystery of God’s presence in their lives and in the community. A biblical story is followed by a time of wondering, guided by the Storyteller. This time of reflection is followed by a time of active response. Children choose from a variety of art materials to create their own responses to the lesson. Some children prefer to hear another story or will take down a story from the shelves and work with it on their own. The teachers encourage creativity.

Wondering Together

The biblical story is followed by a time of wondering. Some examples of these are:

I wonder what you like best about this story?
I wonder what is the most important part of the story?
I wonder who you are in the story?

Such questions are always open-ended and allow children to participate in the reflective process without fear of right or wrong answers. Wondering together is the community’s way of remaining open to the Holy Spirit and allowing the story to become part of our lives. This time of wondering shapes and deepens our relationship with God. Godly Play supports children as they find their own place in the Great Story and discover their unique identity as a child of God.

K-5 grade Sunday School student
K-5th graders in Sunday School, Pacific Grove

Toddler Room

Our toddler room is led by Melissa Rubio. Melissa has an Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Monterey Peninsula College and has several years’ experience working with infants and children. Some of the weekly activities in this room include making Play-Doh cookies, reading “Go Dogs Go” and everyone’s favorite–snack time!

Todler at St. Mary's By the Sea on Sunday morning