The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level II October 5, 2012 - Level 2, Issue 01 |
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| Dear CGS Level II Parent | 
We thank all the parents who came to our parent kickoff sessions. We hope these newsletters serve as one tool to help support parents in their role as first and best teachers of the faith to their children. Always feel free to give us comments and suggestions as to how we can continue to improve St. Teresa's support to parents.
The Level II children begin this year by meditating on the History of the Kingdom of God by working with a material called the Fettuccia which consists of over 50 meters of grosgrain ribbon wound on a spool. This material sparks the child's imagination as they begin to ponder both the vastness and the unity of salvation history. Such meditations help the child answer their deep questions, "Who am I?" "Where did I come from?" "Why am I here?" "Where am I going?"
Please remember to e-mail Kate Lynch and your primary catechist if your child will be absent. The final article provides e-mail addresses for Level II catechists. Also, your child is welcome at another session in your same week in order to receive the full richness of the presentations. Peace, Lina Hilko (editor)
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Fettuccia
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The History of the Kingdom of God begins, "In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth." This awesome story unfolds, revealing the vastness and complexity of the History. And despite all the myriad moments of this history, there is one unifying factor--God is actively present in all moments.
In presenting the Fettuccia, the catechist very slowly unwinds an enormous length of grosgrain ribbon. Grosgrain ribbon is one that has noticeable ridges tightly packed together. On the Fettuccia, each rib of the ribbon represents about 1,000 years. Imagine how the children feel the ribbon, let it slide through their fingers as it is laid down. It is a way to "feel" time - imperfect though the experience is, still it makes a strong impact.
As the catechist unwinds the ribbon, the catechist narrates the story starting from chaos and slowly, slowly speaking of order. It is amazing to see and feel how much time passed, billions of years, just to prepare everything. God was at work in creation for such a long time before humans arrived. The ribbon has embroidered on it a tiny human form to indicate the point at which humans arrived. The remarkable thing is that, out of the over 50 meters of ribbon, humans only factor in to the final 2 meters or so - it's practically nothing.
However, short though our time has been, the story does continue with significant parts after the "first human" indicator. The catechist will continue to narrate, taking the child through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus (redemption) and moving forward for an unknown period of time to parousia, the time when God will be all in all.
After unwinding this great expanse of ribbon, the children will work together to place arrow-shaped cards labeled Creation, Redemption, Parousia, and "2012." They will also place some other text cards to help them think about the significant moments of this history. You'd be amazed at the amount of thought and debate that goes into placing these fairly simple cards. For instance, do you place the Creation arrow at the starting tip of the ribbon? Or is creation an ongoing event spanning billions of years? The beauty of the work is in the thinking and debating that goes on.
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Cosmic Education
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Maria Montessori conceived of the idea of "cosmic education," and it is this approach which places the child within the greatness of God's plan. Cosmic education is centered in the belief that everything in the universe is interrelated and interdependent, no matter whether it is the tiniest molecule or the largest organism, and that everything, including the individual child, has a part to play, a contribution to make to the maintenance and creation of harmony in the whole.
Sofia Cavalletti, founder of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and follower of Maria Montessori, also believed deeply in the value of cosmic education. This is reflected in her approach to presenting the History of the Kingdom of God, as we can read in the following excerpt from Cavalletti's book The Religious Potential of the Child 6 to 12 Years Old (pages 23-25):
One of the most formative aspects of this approach to history, both for the children and for the catechist, pertains to the contrast between the immensity of history and our own smallness within it. As we experience this contrast, conflicting emotions are stirred within us. We feel, at the same time, both very small and very great. The vastness of the reality we've entered in our moment in history makes us aware of our smallness. Yet, at the same time, our "lowliness" is exalted in the realization that we are part of such a great reality. "How does this story make us feel?" a catechist asked a group of children, following her introductory narration for the Fettuccia. Several of the children answered, "small," but then Marina piped in, "great!"
... it is necessary to keep our focus on the dual points of reference: on both the smallness and the greatness, on God as Creator and ourself as God's creature. In the disparity or contrast between these poles, wonder is born; and wonder is essential to spiritual life.
These considerations involve us in a continuous interchange between the small and the great. They help to form in us a right attitude toward reality; they help educate us to wonder and true humility. A strange paradox results: The smaller we feel, the greater our joy. Our smallness somehow becomes the "yardstick" with which we can measure the enormity of God's love. Far from being a debilitating notion, the awareness of our smallness as human creatures can give wings to our spirit, lifting us up to God in wonder and gratitude, in a hymn of joy and praise:
My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant ...
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and Holy is his name. (Luke 1:46ff)
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Walk the Talk
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The main goal of these newsletters is to help parents connect with Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. The articles on parental connection for Level III (9-12 year old children) are entitled "Continued Conversation" with the hope of enabling parents to continue conversations at home. The "stay connected" articles for Level I are entitled "Feed My Sheep." Nearly all the work in Level I is manipulative, so the parent can support their Level I child through activities much more so than through conversation. "Feed My Sheep" underscores action over conversation.
Level II is very much a transition zone between Level I and Level III. Thus, it may come as no surprise that parents of a Level II child best support the child through a mix of hands-on activity (Level I involvement) and conversational wondering (Level III involvement). Hence the title "Walk the Talk" for articles suggesting parental connections. This week's "featured walk the talk" suggestion is a parent/child visit to an exhibit at the Field Museum entitled "Evolving Planet," where you can "journey through 4 billion years of life on earth!" You don't necessarily have to state to your child that you're visiting this exhibit to connect with catechesis. No, simply go and enjoy one-on-one time together learning about our fascinating earth and the amazing way in which life has evolved on earth. Simply experience the wonder and awe together. It's an excellent exhibit (and it's a regular exhibit included in your membership or base entrance fee). Does a science exhibit at the Field conflict with religious education? The catechesis emphasizes that there is one history, God's history. In Level III particularly, much of the work and materials try to break the barriers between "secular" and "sacred," because such barriers don't really support our progress toward parousia, the time when God will be all in all. In addition, Level II children do not study Genesis. Old Testament studies begin in Level III. And when we study Genesis in Level III, we are careful to first discuss what we can and can't learn from the accounts of Creation in Genesis. The Bible is not a science text book, but the Bible can help us learn a lot about who we are, who God is, and what our relationship is. So, if you have a day off school this year in which you can sneak away for a few hours with your Level II child, make a date of it. Spend some quality time being amazed about life.
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Catechists
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Please email Kate Lynch (kolynchdre@gmail.com) and your primary catechist in advance of any catechesis session your child will miss. This is both for the safety of all our children and out of respect for your catechist's time and presentation planning. Thank you! Sunday: Jane Ott ( janekarpinski@yahoo.com), Susan McColgan, and Lisa Donofrio Tuesday: Barb McHugh ( bdmchugh@mac.com) and Liza Bloomer Thursday: Kate Lynch (kolynchdre@gmail.com) and Mary Therese Pujals
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Please provide comments about this newsletter to Lina Hilko, the editor, at LHilko@aol.com, and/or Kate Lynch, St. Teresa's Director of Religious Education, at kolynchdre@gmail.com.
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