CGS is a practice of religious formation for children based on the educational method of Dr. Maria Montessori. It seeks to prepare a sacred, "hands-on" space for children called an atrium, in which both children and their catechist can hear, ponder, and celebrate the most essential mysteries of the Christian faith as revealed through the Scriptures and the Liturgy.
The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS), a faith formation program for children three years old to sixth grade. It's a distinct approach to Catechesis through which the youngest children develop deep, lifelong relationships with Christ and His Church.
Originating in Rome in the 1950s, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a Montessori approach to religious education. The program is rich in education around Liturgy and Bible. CGS encompasses three multi-age levels for children beginning at age three through sixth grade. Each level builds progressively on the next. Because it engages children so profoundly, it has become the preferred approach to young children’s catechesis in a growing number of dioceses, parishes, and schools around the U.S. and the world.
OUR APPROACH
CGS is a Montessori-based Christian formation program where children, ages 3.5-12 years can grow in their relationship with God through a deep engagement in Scripture and liturgy. CGS is based on the belief that God and the child are already in a relationship. Our work as adults is to provide a sacred place (called an atrium) for the child and God to come together and grow.
The atrium is a specially prepared room where children can come to know Jesus, the Good Shepherd. The atrium is prepared with materials that children work with as a way of meditating upon the essentials of our faith found in Scripture and in liturgy. Examples of materials found in the atrium include small clay figures of Jesus and the disciples used to meditate on the Last Supper; detailed interactive maps of the Land of Israel and the City of Jerusalem to help situate Jesus as a real person in time; Jerusalem Mustard Seeds and beautiful pearls to help ponder the Parables of the Kingdom of God; and a small Baptismal font and Paschal candle used to explore the significance of Baptism.
During these tender years, the child is characterized by a deep sense of wonder and awe. Have you ever taken a nature walk with a child this age? He notices every little insect, the rainbow in the sheen of oil on the ground, a plane flying overhead — and he stops to study each one intently. He revels in these gifts of his environment.
The Level 1 Atrium reflects this wonder and awe of the child, his ability to joyfully receive and delight in the Gift. At this level, the child listens to and works with parables that show the beauty and value of God’s Kingdom.
Through Practical Life exercises, he learns control of movement and how to quiet his body.
Through the model altar and other nomenclature materials, he is drawn into the liturgical life of the church.
Through hands-on materials for each Scripture he hears, he can return again and again to key Bible passages to continue listening for the voice of His Shepherd.
During these years, the child develops reasoning skills, a sense of justice, and a thirst for culture. She wonders how the world came to be and what the rules are for living in it. Maria Montessori called this the “age of rudeness.” A child has no qualms about sharing her thoughts and opinions about others and the world because she is enlivened by the intellectual capability through which her mind has produced these thoughts.
The Level 2 Atrium reflects and hones these new capabilities. As the child deepens her relationship with the Good Shepherd, she takes delight in hearing from Him how He wants her to treat the other sheep of His flock. Moral formation through the New Testament maxims of Jesus begins at this level. Now the child reads and works with parables that show how to live in God’s Kingdom. She also works with the history of that Kingdom.
Handwork such as embroidery and calligraphy now fills the space of the Level 1 Practical Life works.
The child enters more deeply into the liturgical life of the church through the Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Eucharist after an intense and prayerful period of preparation.
There is a spiral expansion of the Level 1 Scriptures and hands-on materials through the addition of cultural and historical details. Additionally, the child begins to synthesize key Scriptures, such as looking for common themes that unite all of the Level 1 Messianic Prophecies.
Once our Catechists are able to train for Level 3 we will also be opening a Level 3 Atrium for ages 9-12.
As the child moves through childhood and towards adolescence, he remains highly sensitive to history and culture and still experiences a deep need for justice. Learning and working in community are particularly important to this child. He begins to think more abstractly. The child wonders what his place is in the world and looks to role models to guide him.
The Level 3 Atrium meets these sensitivities in various ways. Now the child looks to his Good Shepherd as a model for his own life and choices. Moral formation develops further through the addition of more New Testament maxims of Jesus. Now the child reads and works with parables that show how to live out the specific moral virtues of God’s Kingdom.
In-depth work with the Old Testament is a new element in the Level 3 Atrium. This work is accomplished through typology: where in the Old Testament does it point to the New, and how does the New Testament shine light on the Old? The child reads and reflects on Old Testament Scripture through the lens of Redemption and the fulfillment of God’s Kingdom at the end of time.
The child’s liturgical life in the church is enriched through working extensively with the Mass and each of the sacraments.
Also, the child looks at how the Plan of God has unfolded throughout history with a particular focus on the history of the Jewish People. She begins to contemplate what her role is in this history, which plants the seeds for vocation discernment. She begins to wonder how she can lay down her own life in imitation of the Good Shepherd whom she loves.
