"Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."
(Romans 12:2 NLT)
Adult Formation
St. Brendan's offers a variety of opportunities for education about our Episcopal faith and how we express our faith in our daily lives. In addition to our formation series, we offer periodic webinars on social justice issues. Read more about our study groups and check out these recordings of some of the speakers we have featured below.
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Weekly Adult Formation
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Modern Episcopalians: This group meets via Zoom at various times throughout the year for a six-to-eight-week session. This is an open, come-when-you-can group of inquirers (newcomers and seasoned Episcopalians) seeking to learn and deepen their understanding of the great joys and wonders of life in the Episcopal Church (from prayer and liturgy to church government and social ethos and beyond). The group uses various books as a guide for their discussion and reflection.
Bible Study (Tuesdays from 11:00AM-12:30PM via Zoom): The approach to this Bible Study is informal and more pastoral than scholarly, with an emphasis on sharing our thoughts about the words of Scripture to enrich each other's understanding and to help us apply the biblical message in our daily lives. Participants volunteer to read from their translations, and we go at our own pace. Each participant is encouraged to share, and no prior level of experience with Scripture is assumed.
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Faith Sharing Groups: Faith sharing groups meet in person weekly for six-to-eight weeks in the fall and spring and use books on spirituality to facilitate their discussions. Groups are comprised of four-to-six people per group who wish to deepen their faith by exploring various spiritual writings and practices.
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View Past Formation Series and Webinars Below
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Distinctly Luke: Structure and Themes
Dr. Elizabeth Struthers Malbon, New Testament scholar and Professor Emerita from Virginia Tech, speaks at St. Brendan's Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh. This presentation is an introduction to Luke’s Gospel for Lectionary Year C.
November 3, 2024, Dr. Elizabeth Struthers Malbon - "Distinctly Luke: Structure and Themes"
What's True, What's Real, What's Life-Giving?
Ralph Tajak of our Parish, who is studying to be received into the Episcopal Church as a priest, inspired us with spiritual food for Holy Week and the Easter season in this thought provoking presentation.
April 13, 2025, Ralph Tajak, Ph.D. - "What's True, What's Real, What's Life-Giving?"
AFTER THE CIVIL WAR:
AMERICA’S FAILURE TO MAKE BLACK LIVES MATTER
Originally presented on August 13-14, 2020 by Michael Waseleski this two part series, “AFTER THE CIVIL WAR; AMERICA’S FAILURE TO MAKE BLACK LIVES MATTER”challenges what we know about slavery and expand our understanding of its legacy in the United States. St. Brendan’s has made a commitment to support the Black Lives Matter movement and to that end we have made this series available at no charge.
This six-week interactive series was facilitated by several Episcopal priests and laypersons who are well versed in the Episcopal way of life, especially the practical aspects of it, during Lent 2018. The series included a little lecture, lots of discussions, some PowerPoint, sharing stories, perhaps a film, a bit of singing, hand-outs, take-a-ways and a whole lot more. Click here to watch the videos of the lectures.
Understanding Islam and the Muslim Experience in Modern-Day America, 2018
On Sunday, August 12, 2018, St. Brendan's welcomed Wasiullah Mohamed, executive director of the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh, to give Brendan's an overview on Islam and insights into the experience of being a Muslim in modern-day America as well as answer questions. Click here to watch a recording of the discussion.
In response to the death of George Floyd and many other Black women and men, Saint Brendan’s posted a banner outside our church that stated, “St. Brendan’s Believes Black Lives Matter.” In a series of Zoom webinars, we seek to articulate for our members and for the general public the beliefs of the Episcopal Church and St. Brendan's on issues such as systemic racism and racial inequity.