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SCROLL DOWN FOR ALL C.G.S. FORMS, PHOTOS, VIDEOS AND INFORMATION
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Please register ONLINE on the page: PreK to 6th grade or BELOW on this page OR print the above form; complete and email to us for priority as a Parish Member. You will receive your first choice of class selection unless you hear from us.
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a weekly program designed for children ages 3-10+ years. It is a Montessori-based program, based in experiential learning through the work of the child. Children are able to fulfill sacraments through our Atrium program with Catholic Catechesis formation support provided!
THNJ's Atrium is located in the basement of the Olive Avenue Hall.
$60/yr per child (multi child discount)
Offered on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and
Wednesday
INQUIRY by EMAILING: kgrozak@sbdiocese.org
Families in our parish with multiple children enrolled DO receive discounts.
We happily offer payment plans. -
Photo Albums
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Training
5 Photos
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Children at Work
12 Photos
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CGS Atrium and Material
13 Photos
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Contact Us
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Karen Grozakkgrozaksbdiocese.orgCoordinator of Elementary Faith Formation and Sacramental Prep -
Martha Plumbmplumbsbdiocese.orgFaith Formation Assistant and CLOW Coordinator (habla español)
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Links - Domestic Church Rise
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FIRST COMMUNION DATES HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED - See First Communion
FORMATION: During the wait to celebrate, be certain that your child(ren) join us for Sunday Mass, either live or online and also join us for Monday Storytime and Tuesday Family Rosary as we continue to be in this together. In order to complete your Yr 1 or Yr 2 Formation Year in the Atrium, (we had 110 Level 2 students attend in May and complete 4 sessions) those Year 1 & Year 2 students that were absent or missed some can zoom in July. See below for details to remain formed and fulfill your attendance for 2019-2020 Formation! Vacation Bible School/Faith Camp is offered on Zoom July 6-10th. Click on the Faith Camp tab; register today and pay on line. Just $10 per family!
We continue to pray for all those affected by the coronavirus and their families. Our church realizes as a family you continue to work through the many details of daily life during this time of the pandemic. Please know we are considering and planning for how we can regather with the children in the Atrium this fall. Remain with us in HOPE!
May you continue to find Joy in following the voice of the Good Shepherd,
Karen A. Grozak/Coordinator of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd/Family Faith Formation- Parish Facebook @redlandscatholics for Online Mass
- CGS Facebook @ The Holy Name of Jesus Family Faith Formation
- Instagram: Find us @ CGSHolyName
- REMIND: Texting Mrs. Grozak Text: 81010 Message: Time/Day (example: 1130sun)
- ZOOM IN JULY*: THOSE THAT MISSED ZOOM IN MAY - July 13th 3:30 OR July 14th 6:30 Contact *Kgrozak@sbdiocese.org for materials needed and meeting code!
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PARENT AIDE AND CATECHIST AIDE TRAINING:
These SPECIALLY DESIGNED Catechist Aide sessions were adapted for our parish and will be required for those who will be working in our Parish Atrium with the children.
Please note: To become Nationally Certified in this ‘work’, one must complete a 4-week course by a Nationally Certified Formation Leader for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. The tuition for the completion of that course is typical $635 for certification in each Level, I and II. Our Holy Name of Jesus formation sessions are brief and designed for catechist aids and are offered for free for parishioners or our Academy Parent or Aides.
Please prayerfully consider joining us for this formative endeavor!
We will plan to have more in the future! Stay tuned! -
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A word from CGS Certified Parent and Catechist:
Dear Catechetical Leaders and Parents:
Some of you have had an experience with Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) and I think it’s great for us to share with each other by word of mouth, what that experience has been. But, there is an element of the ethereal in this catechesis that eludes us with words alone. I am speaking partly from my own experience with CGS. Like many of you, I did hear about it and was curious to learn more, but I was not convinced until I sat in the atrium and had my own encounter with the Good Shepherd. This brief experience with CGS has given me something that I will treasure for my whole life and share with my family and parish, but there is a wealth of richness to be mined here. I truly believe this catechesis is more than a program or methodology, although it has elements of these, it is a gift from God to his whole church, I would not dare keep it to myself! I hope that you will accept the invitation of the Good Shepherd who calls each of us by name, to come and become like children and quietly listen to the words of Jesus as if you had never heard or read them before. Choose to visit an atrium and get a sense of the work that is being done there. Please prayerfully consider this invitation to experience it.
Blessings,
Ray Almanza
Certified Level 1 Parent and Catechist
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfg9RfBk-fY -
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CGS HISTORY
History of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
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. 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. From that day to the present time Sofia and Gianna remind us constantly to look to the child 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?"