Catechumens, Depart!
Beeswax candles burning in a brass stand before gold mosaic

Catechumens,Depart!

Live Orthodox trivia for the whole parish. Everyone answers on their own phone while the questions go up on the screen in the hall.

Start a Game See how it works

No app or account needed to join. Just a first name.

The host's phone: the game code, a QR code, and four players picking Cradles or Converts
A player's phone after a question: the right answer, the points scored, and why it's right

One screen in the hall.A phone in every hand.

Put the game on a TV or projector and everyone plays along from their seat. Every phone and the big screen run on the same clock, like a live trivia night.

The big screen during a question: the countdown, the question and four answers
A guest's phone in the lobby, picking a side
1

Open a Room

The host picks the subjects and the length. The code and a QR code go up on the big screen.

Get ready: a countdown before the first question
2

Everyone Joins

Guests scan the code with their camera and type a first name. Up to 40 players in a room.

A question with four answers and a countdown bar
3

Twenty Seconds

Each question gets twenty seconds. A right answer scores, and a fast right answer scores more.

The reveal with the explanation
4

The Answer, and Why

Every reveal shows the right answer with a short explanation and its source. People learn something on every question.

An empty parish hall at coffee hour, with pastries on the tables and a screen at the far end

Cradles vs.Converts.

Or Father against the whole parish, the choir against the pews, the youth against coffee hour, or one team for every table. Team scores are averages, so a team of one can win.

  • Cradles vs. Converts
  • Father vs. The Parish
  • Choir vs. The Pews
  • Left Side vs. Right Side
  • Youth vs. Coffee Hour
  • Early Birds vs. Gospel Arrivals
  • Michael vs. Gabriel
  • Grandparents vs. Grandkids
  • Tables 3 to 8
  • Name Your Own
Final scores: the Cradles win, Sunday school paid off

Or every playerfor themselves.

Each phone shows its own place after every question, so the person in twelfth knows it. At the end the big screen reads out third, then second, then first.

Ties go to whoever answered faster on the questions they got right.

The big screen at the end of a game: a podium with first, second and third place
A gold cross on a field of gold stars in a mosaic dome
The Daily Question for the feast of St. Demetrius

Betweengame nights.

One question a day, the same for everyone. On a feast it's about the feast, and it follows the New or the Old Calendar, whichever your parish keeps.

The Ladder

Eight subjects, ten questions each. Get eight right to climb to the next.

Study

Go through a subject card by card, with each answer's explanation and source.

Phones, coffee cups, pastries and a prayer rope on a parish hall table

Checked by clergybefore it counts.

Every question is written with a source a priest can check: a passage of Scripture, a council, a Father or a service. A priest or deacon approves it, asks for a change, or takes it out.

Until a question is approved, the game marks it Draft. If a player spots a mistake, one tap reports it, and it comes out of play until it's checked.

The clergy review page: one question at a time with the answer, explanation and source

The review page a priest opens on his phone, shown with sample data.

A stone church with a bell tower at dusk

For everyOrthodox parish.

Nearly every question is true in any Orthodox church. The few about local practice are marked Antiochian, Greek or Slavic, and each parish sees only its own.

  • Feasts and Fasts
  • The Saints
  • Holy Scripture
  • The Divine Liturgy
  • The Holy Mysteries
  • Hymns
  • The Councils
  • Church History

Questionspeople ask.

What is Catechumens, Depart!?

A live trivia game for Orthodox parish groups. The questions go up on a TV or projector in the hall, and everyone answers on their own phone. It covers feasts and fasts, the saints, Scripture, the Divine Liturgy, the Holy Mysteries, hymns, the councils and Church history.

Where does the name come from?

Near the middle of the Divine Liturgy, the deacon calls the catechumens, those preparing for baptism, to depart before the Liturgy of the Faithful begins. The game takes its name from that call.

Does everyone need the app?

No. Players join in the browser on their phone by scanning the QR code or typing the four-letter code.

What do we need for the big screen?

Any TV, projector or laptop with a web browser. The host taps Big Screen and opens that link on it.

Can we play without a TV?

Yes. Every phone shows the question and the four answers, so a small group around one table can play with no big screen at all.

How many people can play?

Up to 40 phones in a room. A family can share one phone and play as a team.

Does it work in Antiochian, Greek, Russian and other parishes?

Yes. Nearly every question is true in any Orthodox church. The few about local practice are marked Antiochian, Greek or Slavic, and each parish sees only its own. The Daily Question follows the New or the Old Calendar.

Can the host stop the clock?

Yes. The host can pause at any point, for a question from the floor or a word from Father, and skip ahead when everyone is ready.

Who writes the questions?

RFT Media drafts them from Scripture, the services and the Fathers, each with a source. Orthodox clergy review every one before it counts.

What happens to our names?

The game keeps the first names people type in for that game only, and deletes the game soon after it ends. There are no accounts and no ads.

The parish hall

Bring it tocoffee hour.

Start a room on your phone and put the code on the screen. The rest of the parish joins from their seats.

Start a Game