Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
ý Brief
Introduction
ý Introduction
ý The
Christian Message
ý Curriculum
ý Sacraments
ý The
Preaching of Jesus
ý Moral
Formation
ý The
History of the
ý Children’s
Prayers
ý Contacts
ý Arrowtown
ý Links
Brief
Introduction
The Catechesis of
the Good Shepherd
The
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a program of Christian faith formation for
children aged 3 through to 12 years, where they can experience and form an
authentic relationship with God.
The Catechesis is grounded in scriptural and liturgical study framed by
Maria Montessori's principles and philosophy of education. This allows children
to hear the Gospel through the use of sensorially
rich materials. The children are free to work with these materials that present
essential proclamations of the Christian
message.
The
adult's task is to prepare the sacred space for the children, called 'the
atrium', so that they can respond to this holy relationship, first proclaimed
to them through Jesus, the Good Shepherd.
The atrium is a place of community
and worship rather than a classroom for academic study. It is a place to be with and enjoy God, listen to the
Word, and to pray. If
is designed to reflect the beauty of creation and God's abiding love.
The
vision for this faith formation began in 1954 with Dr. Sofia Cavalletti, a Hebrew and Scripture scholar and member of
the Vatican Commission for Jewish - Christian Relations, and her colleague,
Professor Gianna Gobbi, a
Montessori educator, and associate of Maria Montessori.
Dr.
Cavalletti found in working with children that
whatever their culture, they have particular age-related vital religious needs
and that they respond in similar ways to the most essential elements of the Christian message.
Children desire to draw near to God but need the sensitive guidance of the adult as well as the inner guidance of the Holy Spirit to nurture this relationship.
Today
the Catechesis can be found in many liturgical traditions (Lutheran, Anglican,
Catholic, Presbyterian and Methodist) as well as in schools throughout the
world.
Introduction
The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is an approach to
the religious formation of children, 3-12 years of age. It originated in 1954
with the founding of the children's centre or "atrium" in
The catechesis is based on the conviction that God and
the child are in relationship. The child has a deep need to experience and a
special capacity to enjoy the presence of God. The task of the adult is to help
the child live fully the encounter with God. When helped to do so, this
experience becomes formative of the child's whole person and generates great
joy. "My body is happy," Stefania said
after praying with other youngsters.
THE
CHRISTIAN MESSAGE
After 35 years of working with this age group, it was
found that whatever their culture, children responded in the same way to
certain elements of the Christian message. Because of this fact, a core
curriculum took shape. The curriculum is constructed so that it accommodates
and nurtures the faith, moral and psychological states of the child's growth.
The themes are offered in such a way as to develop the precious religious
potential present in every child: the capacity to love and be loved.
CURRICULUM
COVENANT: This fundamental biblical theme is prepared by using
Scripture, and
showing the children how the covenant is
lived in the Liturgy. The Covenant, because it is relationship, is the pivotal
theme of the curriculum: the celebration of our relationship with God and our
brothers and sisters.
CHRISTOLOGY: The
covenant with the Father is established in the New Testament through the
mediation of Jesus Christ. The following themes are presented, centering on the person of Jesus.
• The
historical events of the life of Jesus, especially the infancy narratives.
• The
passion, death & resurrection of Jesus. • The preaching of Jesus,
particularly the images of Christ, the Good Shepherd; Christ, the Light;
Christ the True Vine.
• The parables of the
LITURGY: The biblical message is
lived in the liturgical experience of the Church. The covenant is actualized
and celebrated in the Liturgy.
The language of "signs"
is a vital aspect of the Liturgy. Through exploring the signs, the child is
helped to enter into the meaning of the Covenant.
SACRAMENTS
BAPTISM: Christ, the Light of the world, joins us together
with him in the mystery of his
passion, death and resurrection. In
Baptism, we
receive the gift of His Risen life. The
baptismal light and white garment are signs of our covenant with God in the
Risen Christ.
EUCHARIST: The
gesture of the epiclesis (the invocation of the Holy Spirit) and the words of
our Lord at the Last Supper express the first moment of
the covenant: the gift of God in
Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who gives his
life for his sheep.
The
action and words of the offering gesture express the second moment of the
covenant: our response to the gift we have received.
The gesture peace expresses the
universal dimension of the covenant, our union with God and others, as it is
proclaimed in the parable of the True Vine and lived in its liturgical
expression of the breaking of the bread.
RECONCILIATION: The
sacrament is presented through the signs and words of the rite of
reconciliation. The covenant is renewed in the liberation from
sin, in
the renewed gift of the I Holy Spirit, and in our renewed participation in the
passion, death and resurrection of Christ. This empowers us to continue our
life's' journey with our light enkindled and our baptismal robe unstained.
THE PREACHING OF JESUS
Jesus' method of preaching is represented in the
parables. The
The aspects of the Kingdom which are highlighted with
young children are:
• The mysterious nature of the Kingdom: the
parables of the Mustard Seed, the Yeast, the Grain of Wheat.
• The
inestimable value of the Kingdom: the parable of the Precious
The aspects of the Kingdom which are highlighted with
the older children are:
• The Kingdom is like a wedding feast: the
parables of the Ten Bridesmaids and the Guests Invited to the Marriage Feast.
• The Kingdom
calls forth our response: the parables of the Pharisee and the Publican, the
Good Samaritan, the Sower, the Debtors, the Labourers
in the Vineyard, the Insistent Friend, the Rich Fool.
MORAL
FORMATION
The theme of the covenant is fundamental for the moral
formation of the child. It is the foundation for the formation of the whole
person, through the dynamic of relationship. Since moral formation is
interpreted as the encounter with God and others, it is present in every theme
of the Christian message we offer, either in an implicit or explicit form.
In order to be a true relationship, the covenant
requires a response. In younger children this response consists primarily in
the peaceful enjoyment of God's presence, as called forth by the image of
Christ, the Good Shepherd. It engages every aspect of the child's being and
orients the child in a trusting , joyful way towards
reality.
In older children, after six years of age, this
response extends to action as well, and inspires a certain quality of
behaviour. It draws the child to bear fruit as part of the True Vine, and to
make a personal contribution to the history of salvation.
.
The following are in the older child's formation:
• A
selection of evangelical maxims:
These proclaim that God's life in
us enables us to aspire to love and to do as Jesus. They provide a stimulus for
actualising what is most profound in the human spirit: "Love one another
as I have loved you."
• A
selection of moral parables:
These reveal various types of
human behaviour and situations, in the light of which we can reflect upon and
orient our own behaviour.
• The
parables of mercy
The
parables of the Found Sheep, the Found Coin, and the Prodigal Son announce
God's unfailing, unchanging love, whatever our limitations, weakness and sin.
• Biblical
history
Presents
the Good News that we have a unique and indispensable contribution to offer in
the building of the
• The
Sacrament of Reconciliation:
This sacrament celebrates God's
faithful and limitless love for us. It offers us the experience of a personal
encounter with God's steadfast love: "With unchanging love do I love
you."
THE
HISTORY OF THE
Since the Kingdom Jesus spoke of has a history, we
offer this to the older child through a series of successive presentations.
• Globality: The
Kingdom of God begins with creation, culminates in the passion, death and
resurrection of Jesus, and stretches forward to its completion, when "God
will be all in all," at the parousia.
• Unity Between the
Bible and the Liturgy: The history of the
• The Plan of God: In probing the plan of
God, which is being realized throughout history, we discover it is the history
of the covenant. This is the progressive communion between heaven and earth and
all creatures. It is a plan for communion, the fullness of which we eagerly
await. Each of us is called to make our own personal contribution to the plan
of God.
• The
Unfolding Stages: The detailed reflection of the various stages in the history
of God's Kingdom include: creation; the choice of Israel; the gift of the Law;
the preaching of the prophets; the passion, death and resurrection of Christ.
These are the events which prepare for and are directed towards fulfilment in
the parousia.
ý
Children's Prayers
Thank you God, for you.
Thank you Father, for me.
Thank you God for the light.
ý ý ý
Thank you for coming into our
hearts,
because now we
can pray to you inside us
Another child adds
Yes,
he's really a great friend,
and we will never be alone.
ý ý ý
Thank
you for making bread
Thank
you for the light.
Jesus,
you are a treasure.
ý ý ý
Jesus
gives a hand of love
so that we can rise again.
ý ý ý
Contacts
This is simply a brief outline of the Catechesis of
the Good Shepherd, initiated under the guidance of Dr. Sofia Cavalletti, Hebrew and Scripture scholar and member of the
Vatican commission for Jewish-Christian relations, and Prof. Gianna Gobbi, colleague of Dr.
Maria Montessori and educator of children and adults. It is a response to the
hunger of the child: "Help me come close to God. Help me to be fully
alive!'
'This brief overview is the property of the
Association for the Religious Formation of the Child.
Should you wish further information, please contact
the:
Association for the Religious
Formation of the Child
c/o The
Catholic Office of Religious Education
M5B 1Z8
Reprinted with permission and distributed by:
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
Arrowtown
Montessori
Methods for Children's Religious Education
The
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
The catechesis of the good shepherd is a catechetical
programme designed for children aged 3-12 years.
The programme
is based on the bible and Christian worship. Methods used are based on the
philosophies of Maria Montessori - the role of teacher as mediator, there to be
of help to the child. The space where teacher and child work is called an
atrium - a stepping-stone, for the child, between home and church. The
programme is for children of all denominations.
An atrium is operating in
We would love to have more children!
If you are interested, please contact:
The Rev'd Patricia Jones phone 03 4421716
Or Lisa Pezzuto phone 03 4421077
We always start with a prayer at the
prayer table
Links
The National Association of the catechesis of the Good Shepherd http://www.cgsusa.org/
The Good Shepherd Experience in