The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level I
October 6, 2009 - Level 1, Issue 01 |
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| Dear CGS Level I Parent, |
(Note, the welcome letter is the same in each Level newsletter.)
Welcome to the 2009/2010 catechetical year. The catechists of St. Teresa are especially overjoyed to welcome the children this year into our new space. St. Teresa's Catechesis of the Good Shepherd has been on quite a journey to find a suitable place to devote to our children - space in keeping with the needs of a Montessori learning environment and space that conveys to our children their importance to this community and the importance of sacred time and space to meet and know God. We hope your children feel how special this place and time is. This truly is holy ground, and great things will happen here.
As we did last year, we once again will provide e-newsletters each week that CGS meets. The newsletters are generally Level-specific because the developmental needs of the children and the presentations usually differ greatly amongst the three age groups (3-6 for Level 1; 6-9 for Level 2; 9-12 for Level 3). From time to time, the same message is appropriate for all Levels, in which case the message will be repeated in each newsletter. If you have children in various Levels, we trust you will patiently scan for such repeated information. Also, as this is our second year for the newsletter and because CGS Levels cover three years each, sometimes articles will seem familiar to you if you are in the second or third year of a Level. Presumably such articles are included because the information is important. One thing we know about children is that they learn and perfect skills through repetition. This is actually true at all ages. So, even if something seems like repetition, read it with ears open. You might hear something different each time you read.
These newsletters are intended to help parents to live out their own baptismal vows, as well as the baptismal responsibilities they accepted for their children. One of the concluding blessings of the Rite of Baptism is over the father and mother, who "will be the first teachers of their children in the ways of faith. May they also be the best of teachers, bearing witness to the faith by what they say and do, in Christ Jesus our Lord." The community of St. Teresa has shown very concretely this year that it seeks to support parents in their role as first and best teachers.
May your whole family feel joy as you journey with the Good Shepherd this year!
Peace,
The Level I catechist team:
Betsy Peterson, Martha Garcia Barragan on Tues.
Kathy Murdock, Donny Wallenfang on Wed.
Anne Edwards, Sylvia Pelini, Erin Walsh on Thurs.
and Lina Hilko (editor) |
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| Falling in Love |
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The central aim that permeates all of the Level I presentations and experiences is to help the child fall in love with God. What a beautiful gift for your child.
Level I children, who are 3 to 6 years of age, are in a "sensitive period" (a Montessori term) for relationship. The 3-6 child has a strong capacity to fall in love and to be in love. From Mustard Seed Preaching by Ann M. Garrido, we read:
Children have a deep desire and capacity to be in loving relationship. Relationship - children teach us - is the most essential, the most beautiful, and the most real thing in the universe. It is their deepest need and, when it is met, it is their greatest joy. Because their capacity for relationship is so large, it can be difficult to satiate. The children's great hunger to love and be loved offers perhaps the best testimony we have to the foundational principle of Christian anthropology that humans are ultimately "wired" to be in relationship with God. For, only in God, does the child's need and capacity fully meet its match.
The time, space, and opportunity that Level I offers the child to fall in love with God through Jesus, the Good Shepherd, provides the solid foundation for the child's later moral formation because their whole life and all its moral choices can be built on the child's knowledge that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, loves them abundantly, completely, and perfectly. Their life becomes a joyful response to that gift of love.
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| First Week in the Atrium |
This first week, Level I children will be introduced to the Atrium so they can begin to work effectively in this environment which is so very different and special. The catechists will demonstrate how we act in this sacred space. We talk quietly and walk slowly. We work independently and respectfully and seek help without interrupting. The slow pace and silence of the Atrium is a gift for the child, but it is a gift which may initially seem foreign and awkward for some. We live in a fast-paced world. Children need to learn to create silence so they can hear God's whisper. Children also need time to work with materials and let their richness sink in. So, certain materials exist simply to slow down the child's actions.
This first week, the Level I children will be introduced to the prayer table and to the Holy Bible. People sometimes ask if Catechesis of the Good Shepherd has a text book. The answer is yes, our text is scripture; our text book is the Bible. Catechists use the words directly from scripture to present parables, narrations about the life of Jesus, and prophesies about Jesus to the children. In Level I, the Atrium has booklets containing the presented text of scripture; nonetheless, the text in the booklets is directly form the Bible. So, this week the children will be introduced to this very special book from which we learn about Jesus, the Good Shepherd. Perhaps you have a special Bible and want to share something about it over dinner that evening.
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| It's Greek to Me |
You may have noticed that Catechesis of the Good Shepherd seems to have a vocabulary all its own. For instance, we refer to our space as the "Atrium." This vocabulary is very intentional and is meant to de-school catechesis and to designate this time, space, and activity as special and sacred.
Even after years of being a catechists, one still often trips on words. It takes time and conscious effort to use the vocabulary of CGS. But being conscious of wording can make you more conscious of the unique quality of the program. For example:
Instead of: Try using:
religious education catechesis
class atrium
student child
teacher catechist
lesson presentation
The "stuff" in the Atrium is referred to as "materials." Children may work with any material once they have received a presentation to demonstrate the proper use of the material. The activity in which a child is engaged is the "work of the child." All work in the Atrium, assuming it is done in a reverent manner based on seeking relationship with God, is prayer. So, prayer is not limited to spoken words, but can be silence, meditation, working with manipulatives, or artwork (as well as reading and writing for older children), just to name some methods of prayer.
Although one often hears that "play is the work of the child," in the Atrium we seek to refer to the activity of the child as "work." This elevates and gives dignity to the deep and complex process in which the child is hopefully engaged. Certainly with the young children there are times that the "work" is not ideal or may not be conducive to building a relationship with God. However, we can strive in our vocabulary to convey the reverence and importance of what is expected.
And why is it called "Atrium" anyway? Here's a good explanation from Mustard Seed Preaching by Ann M. Garrido.
In the ancient church, the atrium was the gathering place between the liturgical space of the Church and the street. It was the space in which the faithful recollected themselves before entering into the liturgy. It was also the place where the catechumens received instruction in the faith, in preparation for their full immersion within the Christian community. [The Atrium is to serve a similar purpose; it is] not to be a "children's Church" separate from the "adult Church," but rather an aid to the fuller participation of children in the liturgical and communal life of the one Church that includes the baptized of every age
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Feel free to comment on this information to Lina Hilko, LHilko@aol.com, the editor and/or Sarah Coles, SEColes@gmail.com, St. Teresa's Director of Religious Education. Thanks! |
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