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Please print the attached form; complete and email to us for priority as a Parish Member. You will be notified of your class assignment in June after First Communions.
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.
$80/yr per child (multi child discount)
Offered on Sunday/Monday/Tuesday and Wednesday and during the day/early afternoon
INQUIRY by EMAILING: kgrozak@sbdiocese.org
Families 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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A word from Diocesan CGS Consultant:
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 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. You may choose to attend the Regional event on July 14 (flyer attached) or invite your priests or catechists. Or you may choose to visit an atrium and get a sense of the work that is being done there. But please prayerfully consider this invitation to experience it. I will leave a link below for a video which was shared with us by Marianne Heames, it includes some words from the National Director for CGS, Mary Mirrione, who will be a speaker at the Regional Event. Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfg9RfBk-fY
Blessings,
Ray Almanza - San Bernardino Diocese Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Consultant -
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Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
CGS ATRIUM - Various Classes offered: We hope to serve the following days/times
Sunday 11:15 and 1:30, and 3:30.
Monday evening 5:30, Tuesday 3:00 and 6:30
Wednesday 3:00
Day Times for SHA Tuesday 8:15/9:30/1:30 Wednesday 10 am Thursday 8:15/9:30
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. -
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?"
A Global Catechesis
The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd has grown and spread amazingly. At last count it is in 37 countries: Australia, Austria, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Poland, Puerto Rico, Serbia/Bosnia, Slovenia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Uruguay, the United States, and Venezuela.
The National Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (USA)
The forming of a national association for the United States began in the summer of 1983, in a series of meetings at a religious order house in Washington, D.C. Sofia Cavalletti had come from Rome to offer a course that included materials for children and discussions on the theme of Eucharist. During several evenings, Sofia and some of the course participants gathered and explored several questions: Do we need an association? If so what would be its aims? What are the needs we perceive? How do we respond?
Those who were present, from several places in North America, had encountered this catechesis in St. Paul, Chicago, Houston, Washington, D.C., or Rome, Italy. They already shared a vision: a world where the religious life of the child was honored. It was not surprising that the first stated aim of the association was: “To involve adults and children in a religious experience in which the religious values of the child are predominant, keeping in mind that the contemplative nature of the child indicates to the adult a certain way of drawing near to God.”
Proceeding slowly, a street address was chosen and a newsletter was created. The following year a five-member board was elected and discussions were held to choose a name. We were incorporated in the State of Maryland on October 7, 1986 as The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Inc. Our first membership directory listed 54 members.
Today we have three offices: the National Director's office in Scottsdale, Arizona, the Formation Office in Marietta, Gerogia, and the Membership Office in Urbandale, Iowa; 2,000 members; and about 90 formation courses for adults. There are over 120 formation leaders who offer these courses. We now have an elected seven-member board, but now we also have a staff of eight: a national director, a formation director, two administrative assistants, an office manager, and coordinators for Shepherd's Closet, Membership and Spanish-language CGS.
In the United States there are over 1,250 atria (that we’re aware of) in Catholic, Episcopal and Orthodox settings, as well as in several other Christian churches -
Why should we choose Catechesis of the Good Shepherd to evangelize and train up the child?
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