Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
For children ages 3 to 5/6 (usually through Kindergarten)
9:30am -10:45am Sundays
September 8, 2024 – May 11, 2025
St. Wendelin Parish Atrium (top floor of Parish Life Center)
"God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer."
- St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is an approach to the religious formation of the child which focuses less on instruction and more on formation of the religious life through introducing the child to prayer and work. Dr. Sofia Cavalletti, along with Gianna Gobbi, developed the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd as the fruit of careful observation of the religious capacity of the child.
"The religious experience is fundamentally an experience of love... We believe that the child, more than any other, has need of love because the child himself is rich in love." - Dr. Sofia Cavalletti
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd takes place in an atrium, not a classroom. An atrium is a carefully created environment with simple but beautiful handmade items that help the child to work independently, to pray interiorly, and to develop his or her relationship with God. The atrium is a place of learning, not primarily through instruction, but through the cultivation of silence and the ability to listen to the One Teacher, Jesus Christ. Children listen to the Gospel and then, in age-appropriate ways, meditate on it, respond to it, and begin to live it according to the child's own rhythm and capacity. It is here in this response that their work becomes their prayer.
"It is a method filled with veneration for the mystery; it does not claim to explain or define. It is a method full of respect for the person and his capacities." - Dr. Sofia Cavalletti
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is truly a life-changing opportunity for your child. Such practice of cultivating silence, learning how to work, and practicing true prayer will give your child the foundation and capacity to reflect, to wonder, to focus, and to find joy and peace in their work at an early age.
"When wonder becomes the fundamental attitude of our spirit it will confer a religious character to our whole life."
- Dr. Sofia Cavalletti
2024-2025 Catechist: Mrs. Nancy Frankart
Sessions begin on Sunday, September 8th at 9:30am. Sessions will end by 10:45am to allow families to attend either the 8am or 11am Mass together, before or after the session. Breakfast will be available in the Parish Hall beginning at 9:15am (after 8am Mass), followed by a session for parents during the atrium session for the children. Mrs. Frankart will meet the children in the Parish Hall just prior to 9:30am to lead them upstairs for CGS, and they will return to the hall no later than 10:45am.
View a calendar of dates here.
To visit our atrium and register your child, please fill out a registration form here or contact the Parish Office at 419-435-6692 x338 or email Jessica Pehmoeller at jessica.pehmoeller@stwendelin.org.
