What is the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd?

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is an approach to the religious formation of children.  It is rooted in the Bible, the liturgy of the church, and the educational principles of Maria Montessori.  Children gather in an "atrium," a room prepared for them, which contains simple yet beautiful materials that they use.  These hands-on materials (made by catechists and parish members) are used to help children and adults reflect together upon the great mysteries of our faith.

You may be wondering how these materials help the religious life of children.  If an adult hears a beautiful passage from the Bible, the adult might take a Bible, find the passage, and read it slowly again and again. He or she may think deeply about the words and perhaps speak to God in a thankful or hopeful prayer.  But a little child, too young to read, needs another way.  In an atrium, the child can ponder a biblical passage or a prayer from the liturgy by taking the material for that text and working with it - placing wood figures of sheep in a sheepfold of the Good Shepherd, setting sculpted apostles around a Last Supper table, or preparing a small altar with the furnishings used for the Eucharist.

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is the result of a long period of careful observation of children by Sofia Cavalletti and her Montessori collaborator, Gianna Gobbi, in Rome.  It began quite by accident, without warning or planning, the way God so often comes into our lives.  In 1954, Sofia was a Hebrew and Scripture scholar, comfortable in her role in the academic world, when a mother asked her to give some religious instruction to her son.  At first Sofia refused, saying she knew nothing about children.  But the mother persisted and eventually Sofia consented. That experience with a 7 year-old changed her whole life.  She saw in that child and in numerous other children since, a way of being in the presence of God that is both unique to the child and a gift to the adult who stops long enough to notice.  Perhaps it is because Sofia went before the child with no preconceived ideas of what should happen that the child responded with such joy.  Certainly her background in Scripture made it possible for her to talk about God in a way that opened and enthused the child as well as Sofia herself.  From that day to the present time Sofia and Gianna remind us constantly to look to the child to watch for that sign of a deeply religious life - joy - and to always ask the question: "What face of God is the child telling us he or she needs to see?"

Today, the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd has grown and spread amazingly.  At last count it is in 35 countries:  Australia, Austria, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Guatemala, Haiti, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Poland, Puerto Rico, Serbia/Bosnia, Slovenia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Uruguay, and the United States.  In the United States, there are hundreds of atria in Catholic and Episcopal settings, as well as several other Christian churches.

 The above is taken from The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd website.  If you want to learn more, please visit their website at www.cgsusa.org or sign up for the summer training sessions that begin on May 21st.

Copyright © 2006 by St. Bonaventure Parish School. All rights reserved.
Revised: Wednesday, May 12, 2010 11:36 AM .

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