St. Augustine of Canterbury

Godly Play

The goal of Godly Play is to teach children the art of using religious language-parable, sacred story, silence and liturgical action – to help them become more fully aware of the mystery of God’s presence in their lives.

Developed by Episcopalian priest, author and teacher, Jerome W. Berryman, Godly Play is designed for children aged two to twelve and has been classroom tested since 1972. Deeply spiritual and highly creative, Godly Play is also used in schools, hospitals, homeless shelters, and retirement centers. Internationally, Godly Play classrooms are found in the United Kingdom, Finland, Germany, Canada, Tanzania, Australia, and in Spanish speaking countries.

Educational Theory

The educational theory of Godly Play is rooted in the pre-history of our species with respect to the use of ritual, story, and the creative process. Unfortunately, postmodern children are losing their ability to be active participants in narrative and ritual, which impairs their use of their own natural creativity (imago dei). The use of Montessori’s approach to education has been adapted to Godly Play in order to stimulate children’s active participation in story and ritual and to awaken their creativity for the learning of the language, sacred stories, parables, liturgical action and silence of the Christian tradition. This is the most appropriate kind of language to cope with the existential limits to our being and knowing.

The above combination of factors enables children (and adults) to become playfully orthodox. They become rooted in their own tradition and at the same time open to others, to new ideas and the future in creative ways.

Vacation Bible School will be held at St. Augustine June 2nd-6th for children age 4-12.  We will have two sessions: chidren age 4-entering 2nd Grade in the fall of '08 will meet from 9am-11am and children entering grades 3rd-6th will meet from 11am-1pm

To download a registration form, please click on this link: Vacation Bible School Registration Form

Contact Information

For more information about Godly Play and the Youth Programs at St. Augustine’s, please contact Robin Heller at heller101@cox.net or 289-0055.

Millennium Development Goals

The MDGs represent a global partnership that has grown from the commitments and targets established at the world summits of the 1990s. Responding to the world's main development challenges and to the calls of civil society, the MDGs promote poverty reduction, education, maternal health, gender equality, and aim at combating child mortality, AIDS and other diseases.