St. Brendan in Franklin Park begins free English as a Second Language course

St. Brendan’s Episcopal Church will resume its free English as a Second Language classes for adults on Sept. 5 via Zoom. The church, on Rochester Road in Franklin Park, has served local residents from various countries including India, Ukraine, Turkey and South Korea for more than a decade.

The aim of the ESL program, which is entirely on Zoom, is to enhance the day-to-day conversation skills of recent immigrants who may be able to read and write English, but lack the spoken fluency needed to navigate a doctor’s appointment, a meeting with a child’s teacher or a social event with neighbors.

In St. Brendan’s program, volunteer leaders offer 90-minute classes at two levels, on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and on Wednesday evenings. There is no homework or grades, and no attendance is taken. Informality helps to build student involvement and participants are encouraged to attend as many sessions as they can. The program is affiliated with Literacy Pittsburgh, which provides materials and volunteer training and periodically assesses student progress.

New students are invited to call the church office at 412-364-5974 to begin participating.

New volunteers are also needed, and no prior experience is necessary.

St. Brendan’s ESL is a warm and welcoming group devoted to supporting America’s newcomers.