The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level III October 11, 2011 - Level 3, Issue 2
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| Dear CGS Level III Parent, | 
Level III children will focus in on a certain aspect of the overall Plan of God strip, to which they were introduced in our first session. They will consider more deeply the cultures that were important in the life of the Jewish people and of Jesus. We are happy and grateful to say that all our catechist and assistant spots have been filled in the three CGS levels. Thank you to all who give so generously of their time. Did you know, for instance, that the Level III catechists meet once a month to learn the three upcoming presentations? This is actually very spiritually-nourishing time for us as adults, but nonetheless, it is time consuming. I want to mention that our new Thursday assistant in Level III is Seth Alexander (not Anderson, as I mistakenly wrote last week). Consistent attendance is very important. Especially in Level III, our presentation plan very often builds upon itself or provides presentations in series (2 or 3 totally related weeks). There is seldom time to make up a presentation that was missed, if even a realistic setting since many presentations are long and very conversational. If you ever have a conflict with your assigned day, please check with Kate Lynch to see if you can come a different day that week. When series presentations are coming up, we will write of it in advance in these e-newsletters so you can plan accordingly. It is important to notify Kate Lynch in advance if your child will be absent. E-mail Kate at kolynchdre@gmail.com. This is one necessary practice to ensure a safe program and is a courtesy to your catechist for their day's planning. Our time in Level III is incredibly tight, and we want to be able to get started just as soon as all who are expected arrive.
Peace, The Level III catechist team: Kate Lynch and Tom Micinski on Tuesday Lina Hilko and Seth Alexander on Thursday Tom Kinsella and Paul Gilmet on Sundays |
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The Peoples
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Children will work with a presentation called The Peoples and the People of God. The Plan of God strip, which was presented last session, helps us identify and think about large groups of people who share a common location and traditions. We refer to these as "the Peoples," cultures such as the Babylonians, Persians, Egyptians, Greeks, etc. The Plan of God strip lifts up particular cultures of importance to the Jewish people. The strip does not show every important ancient culture, but rather is intended to help the child learn about the world into which Jesus came to live.
Each culture was born of small beginnings, rose to its greatest splendor, then declined and even disappeared. But the works of each People are handed off to another People forming inheritances that are never lost - horizontal bridges from People to People. The work called "The Peoples" helps children meditate on these concepts of time: a People's contributions and the horizontal bridges that connect them.
Children who have already worked with The Peoples may find new ways to work on the topic. We have a good collection of reference books (from the Eyewitness Books series) on ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans and on the various cultures of Mesopotamia. Children may research a culture and share with the group what they found of interest. One idea we discussed last week on Thursday was to write hypothetical stories of how certain inventions and knowledge might have come about. For example, we know at some point people began to cultivate wheat. But how did the initial event look? How did a human think to plant a grain of wheat in the ground? What sparked that thought?
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Continued Conversations
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From time to time, these newsletters will have articles suggesting ways a parent can extend support to their child's work in catechesis. The articles for Level III are entitled "Continued Conversations" because a key way your Level III child works through information and concepts is through conversation.
One suggestion I make repeatedly to Level III is to visit the Field Museum's permanent exhibit entitled The Ancient Americas. This is an excellent exhibit tracing the creation of cultures from tiny beginnings to enormous empires. The cultures are quite different from those on the Plan of God strip because the Americas were not the area into which Jesus was born. However, the concepts of development are intimately related. There are even great short videos on the birth and improvement of agriculture and animal husbandry, which are concepts on the Plan of God strip.
If you have already visited this exhibit, consider opening a conversation with your child comparing the exhibit to their work in Atrium the last two sessions. You can open by saying, "I was reading about ... in the catechesis newsletter, and it reminded me of ...." Does your child recall any knowledge handed down from one group to another, such as the horizontal bridges we reflect upon in the Plan of God strip. Does your child recall any knowledge or invention that we use today, even though the people who first invented it didn't even know they were working for us?
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Schedules
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Parents should have received a magnet with the year's schedule on it. If you didn't get a magnet, ask Kate Lynch for one. Also, the schedule is now on St. Teresa's web site.
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Please feel free to talk to Lina Hilko, editor ( LHilko@aol.com) or Kate Lynch, Director of Religious Education ( kolynchdre@gmail.com) if you have questions or comments about this information.
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