One of the paramount tasks of the St. Sergius parish is its catechism among adult parishioners. Catechism as a phenomenon of Church life is inherent in each parish, but in South Africa the working conditions in this regard differ substantially from the Russian reality. Specifically, not only the lack of access to Orthodox publications, (with the exception of internet resources), radio stations, television channels and the limited amount of available Orthodox literature, but also the degree of perception by the parishioners themselves as a part of their daily existence. Most of the Russian-speaking emigrants now in South Africa, left Russia (Ukraine, Belorussia) in the early 1990’s, just as the Church renaissance commenced there, so it did not influence the parishioners who now form the core of the St. Sergius Church. The return by government of hundreds of monasteries to the Russian Orthodox Church, the restoration of thousands of churches, the unveiling of Orthodox study institutions, the renewal of monastic life in the Valaam monastery, in Solovky, in the Cyril–Belozersk monastery and in other monasteries glorified in Russian history, the return of many holy icons to the native land – lost by our Church in the years of degeneracy, the glorification of thousands of Russian new martyrs and confessors, the erection of the Church of Christ the Saviour, an active and affluent collaboration between the Church and the State society; practically within all spheres of life – even if these and many other facts of the Church revival are known to the Russian-speaking Diaspora, then they have a much smaller resonance in South Africa than in Russia. The purpose of these courses is to enable those who are interested in Orthodoxy to discover its prosperity and diversity, to learn and discover Russian religious tradition, to attempt to formulate answers to topical questions of the present and to be introduced to the revival process of our Church. Since some of the parishioners of the St. Sergius parish are English-speaking, the courses are carried out in Russian and English. Subjects in Orthodox Studies: |  | Orthodox Divine Services. |
| | Church Sacraments. |
| | The Church year. |
| | Principles of spiritual life. |
| | History of the Early Church. |
| | Correlation between Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition. |
| | Textology of the New Testament. |
| | Apocalyptic and eschatological questions. |
| | Hagiography and lives of Saints. |
| | The Orthodox icon. |
| | The Holy fathers of the Church. |
| | Comparative analysis of Catholicism, Protestantism and Orthodoxy. |
| | Comparative analysis of Christianity and other religions. |
| | History of the Russian Church. |
| | History of the Russian Church in the XX century. |
| | New Russian martyrs and confessors. |
| | The Bases of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church |
  
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