The Parable  of the Good Shepherd

The Good Shepherd is a Christological image that is fundamental in our Christian tradition, from the period of the catacombs up to the Easter Liturgy of today.

The secret of the parable’s resonance is that it corresponds to the young child’s vital needs: the need to establish a relationship and the need for protective love. The young child is in a sensitive period for protection and the parable really satisfies the need for a protective quality of love.³

The Good Shepherd calls his own sheep by name ... (John 10:3)

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3 The Good Shepherd & The Child: A Joyful Journey, Sofia Cavaletti ... [et al.].,Liturgy Training Publications, 2003, Chicago IL

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If we want to help the child draw nearer to God, we should with patience and courage, seek to go always closer to the vital nucleus of things. This requires study and prayer. The children will be our teachers if we know how to observe them.

- Sophia Cavalletti

“Helping Children Fall in Love with God”. For children ages 3 to 6 years. The Catechesis recognizes that a child already has a relationship with God, and that through the use of concrete aids or ‘materials’ that accompany presentations, children are drawn closer to God. The program will run from October to May. Additional information can be obtained from the following two websites: http://www.cgsac.ca and http://www.cgsusa.org.  Session times for the two distinct age groups are as follows:

Level 1 (Ages 3-6 yrs.): Tuesdays from 4:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m., 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
                                 Sundays from 8:45 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.

Level 2 (Ages 7-9 yrs.): Tuesdays from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

To register print and complete the registration form located Here and return to the parish office.

Contact: Sue Reid (E-mail)

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Background

“The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for children 3-12 years of age originated in 1954 in Rome, inspired by the Montessori principles of education. The Good Shepherd Catechesis soon spred to diverse social environments and, since 1969, to many different countries and cultures as well.

It has been observed that children, even from the earliest age, eagerly seek religious experience and find fulfilment in it only if they are helped to live this experience in its deepest, most essential elements, without any ‘childish’ overtones. When these conditions are present, young children live their relationship with God in enchanted wonder and profound joy which give them peace, in the safisfaction - it could be said - of a deep and vital need. In our view, the ‘vital need’ is for relationship, which the bible expresses as ‘covenant’.

It is the joy of the children’s encounter with God that has given birth to the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd which, always and everywhere, is nourished by this same joy.

It has also been observed that children of the same developmental state respond to certain themes of the Christian message in the same way, though belonging to different cultural backgrounds. So it was that a curriculum gradually took shape, which appears to respond to the child’s deep religious needs according to the various age levels.

 

 

 

 

The Good Shepherd catechesis is not primarily academic in character. Rather, it seeks to be an experience of life and education of faith in the celebration of an encounter with the Father, in listening to Jesus, the one Teacher, and in obedience to the Spirit.” ¹

The Atrium

“The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd recognizes that a child already has a relationship with God, and it looks at what particular aspects of God will nurture a child at a particular developmental level.
Rather than teaching in a classroom setting, catechists create a worship setting, called the atrium, where as Sofia Cavalletti, the founder of the program expresses,’children can fall in love with God by themselves.’

In the atrium, instead of reading Bible stories adapted for young readers, children hear the scriptures proclaimed to them by the catechist in a ritual context. The Catechesis keeps the integrity of the gospels, cutting out the frills and presenting the gospel to children beautifully and simply. The sequence of presentations follow the liturgical calendar; thus the cateshesis becomes an actual part of the life being lived by the church.

Following the proclamations, the children reflect upon open-ended meditative questions. Then, in the Montessori tradition of experiential and tactile learning, they respond contemplatively and creatively to scripture by drawing, painting, or working

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 1 The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Catholic Office of Religious Education, Archdiocese of Toronto

 

hands on with materials that relate to the parable (mustard seeds, yeast, etc.) and the liturgy (an altar with fine linen, a chalice,  vestments, etc.). Children think that the atrium is beautiful even though it’s simple and handmade.

Children ages 3-6 are introduced to Jesus the Good Shepherd, with a special focus placed on Jesus’ assertion that ‘I know my sheep and my sheep know me’ (John 10:14).  The children explore the light and life that the Good Shepherd gives them, as well as the mystery of the kingdom of God, as Jesus revealed it in the parables.

The Catechesis seeks to broaden the experience of older children by exploring their Christian heritage through the church year. The Catechesis also respects children, allowing them to make their own choices. They learn by doing and by repeating.

The Catechesis deepens the faith of not only children but parents, catechists, priests, and parishioners. The whole church grows and benefits from the child’s relationship with God. The children are more involved with what’s happening at the altar. As they are growing to become participatory members of the community,  we all benefit by being able to see God once again through a child’s eyes.” ²

The Atrium is a place in which the only Teacher is Christ; both children and adults place themselves in a listening stance before his Word and seek to penetrate the mystery of the liturgical celebration.

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2 O’Loughlin, M.,The Living Church, December 22, 1996,