Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

Starting this program will be a beautiful experience, as we come together to create a new environment for our littlest members and future church to get to know Jesus in an intimate way.

Building an atrium will take the whole parish. We especially need the following: wood workers, painters, sewers, crafters, and room renovators.

Supplies We Would Welcome from Parishioner Donations:

• Assorted small vases and doilies
• Silver or brass objects
• A few plants
• Sacred art images
• Small shelf to hold prayer table articles

That Which Was Lost by YongSung Kim

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd) (CGS) is based on the Montessori method of teaching, which is self-directed activity and hands-on learning. Maria Montessori (1870-1952) was an Italian Catholic, physician, and educator. Through her scientific studies on educational theory and pedagogy, her philosophy on education was born.

Dr. Sofia Cavalletti and Gianna Gobbi developed Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, which serves children from ages three to twelve. Taking the Montessori sensitive periods as a starting point and guided by the response of real children as the “reality check,” Cavalletti refined her understanding of the religious experiences that children were likely to respond to at each stage of their development. Very early in her work, Cavalletti discerned the central role of “wonder” in a child’s religious development and she realized that for young children, wonder is evoked by “an attentive gaze at reality.” Consequently, young children were encouraged to begin their relationship with God by recognizing, one by one, the gifts offered to them in the created world.
(The Catechetical Review, link below)

CGS seeks to create and facilitate a sacred, “hands-on space” in which both the children and their catechists can hear, ponder, and celebrate the essential mysteries of the Catholic faith as revealed in Scripture and the Liturgy.

CGS follows Maria Montessori's studies of human development. Following that, children aren't grouped by their grade, but by their stage in development.

There are three levels in CGS that coincide with a child's stages of development.
Level I (ages 3-6)
Level II (ages 6-9)
Level III (ages 9-12)

At this point in time, St. Joseph's plans only to offer Level I.