Each child is created in the special
image and
likeness of God for greater things; to love and to be loved.
~Mother
Teresa (1910-1997)
CATECHESIS OF THE
GOOD SHEPHERD
The Catechesis of
the
Good Shepherd
presents the most important realities of the Christian faith to the
youngest
members of the Church. It acknowledges that the young have
a particular ability to recognize the presence of God in their deepest
being, and that they are capable of developing a conscious and intimate
relationship with Him. They need only guidance and vocabulary to
become aware of their relationship with God and to give
expression
it.
The program was
originally developed
in Italy in 1954 by Dr. Sofia Caveletti who applied the educational
principles
of Maria Montesorri. It has since spread around the world and is
used by many liturgical traditions including Lutheran,
Anglican/Episcopal, Roman
Catholic, Presbyterian, and Methodist.
The Catechesis
Atrium
is more like
a church than a classroom. It is less a place of instruction than
a holy ground where Christ is encountered in word and action. It
is a place that calls forth the child's response rather than pouring in
information. In it, the child seeks to find out who God is
and how He loves us. It is a room of wonder.
The Atrium
contains
models of elements
used in actual worship. Things they can touch, as the Apostles
actually
touched our Lord. The children become familiar with the parables,
the prophecies, the geography of Israel, and the life of Christ.
Child-sized
materials
convey the
essentials of the faith in a manner appropriate to the child's
development.
The child is invited to work individually with the materials in a
hands-on
manner to internalize and respond to God in the personal manner that
all
Christians are called to.
Children from 3
to 6
years of age
are especially sensitive to Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd who
protects
his sheep and calls each by name; to the Eucharist as the greatest gift
of love of the Father; to the response human beings give to God; and to
Jesus Christ as the light of the world.
St. Paul's is a
worshiping community
rather than a programatic church with bowling leagues and men's clubs,
and yet the Catechesis program is the epitome of who we are. At
the
conclusion of each weekly Catechesis session, the children join the
larger
church family in the real presence of Christ, to receive His blessing
in
our common journey toward oneness with Him.
