The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level III September 25, 2014 - Level 3
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| Dear CGS Level III Parent, |  We just completed our second week of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) and are excited to welcome so many children - both "veterans" and newcomers. Level III is really growing! The catechesis e-newsletters are intended to give parents insight into the topics and underlying principles which children are experiencing so that, particularly in Level III, parents can expand the conversations that start in Atrium (that's the CGS term for our rooms) into home and everyday life. You can read more about the timing and design of newsletters in the last article below. We hope you and your child have a very positive experience at St. Teresa of Avila this year and welcome your questions and feedback.
Peace, Lina Hilko, Editor |
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Plan of God
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We start the Level III year with reflection on the Plan of God strip. This long timeline emphasizes human collaboration with God in building the Kingdom of God and is central to every other presentation. Two key messages should become clearer and clearer as children reflect on the Plan over the years:
- A plan has always existed in the mind of God to bring all people, all things, all of creation into the full enjoyment of God in a cosmic communion of love.
- The history of the Kingdom of God has been, and continues to be, written by people all over the world, of all types and all ages. We are each called to contribute to this history.
In Level III, we are often (perhaps even always) talking about and thinking about history: cultures, inventions, events, great works. One of the greatest gifts of Level III is the realization that there doesn't exist - there need not exist - a barrier (or compartmentalization) between God's plan/work and humankind's. Here is a quote from History's Golden Thread by Sofia Cavalletti, the founder of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd:
"The peculiar nature of sacred history is implied by its very name, which seems to unite elements derived from two different worlds. When we say "sacred," we mean something pertaining to God. When we say "history," we are referring to the human world, to a series of events bound to time and space, two categories which do not pertain to the world of God. Indeed, the expression "sacred history" could appear to be a contradiction in terms. But it is precisely this apparent contradiction that constitutes the nature of the history of salvation. This entanglement of human and divine elements does not represent a contradiction any more than does the concept of the human being, a reality composed of both spirit and body. Just as the person is made up of both spirit and body - if we were to divide the two elements, we would have a cadaver - so sacred history is the indivisible combination of two factors: the work of God and the work of humanity." (pg. 7)
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Overview of the Year
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This year's Level III presentations will mostly relate to the following areas:
- The Plan of God;
- structure of the Mass;
- sacraments (particularly Reconciliation this year);
- parables and miracles of Jesus; and
- study of Creation (Genesis 1, 2, & 3).
Each CGS level is designed as a three-year cycle. A child receives the fully-intended richness if the child attends all three years of a level. Also, each higher level builds upon or deepens work from previous levels. Nonetheless, all presentations and materials are rich in and of themselves. So, a child can enter in at any age and participate actively.
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About E-Newsletters
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Newsletters are often level-specific (like this one) because CGS presentations are very specific to the child's particular developmental stage. However, we will send combined newsletters when the topics being covered across levels are related, for example when all levels happen to be studying something about the mass. This approach lowers e-news volume for families with children in multiple levels.
Newsletters are not issued weekly. The presentation curriculum often groups itself into related topics. Typically a newsletter will come around the time of a new topic grouping for a given level. Again, we try to be mindful of your reading time.
Sometimes we include Level III articles called "Continued Conversations" that suggest particular ways to connect Atrium to home. These suggestions should never limit you; hopefully, they help or inspire you.
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Please feel free to contact Kate Lynch, St. Teresa's Director of Religious Education ( kolynchdre@gmail.com), or Lina Hilko, newsletter editor ( LHilko@aol.com), if you have questions or comments about this information.
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