The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Levels I, II, & III 
December 12, 2014 - Levels 1,2,&3
In This Issue
Infancy Narratives
Mass and Santa This Sunday
Food Depository Drivers Urgently Needed
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Dear CGS Parent,   
The Good ShepherdWe are past the half-way point of Advent, and now Christmas is very near. This Sunday is the third Sunday of Advent, the one marked by the lighting of a rose candle and the one celebrating joy.
 
It is a good time to reflect on joy.  How do I proclaim joy? How do I respond to joy? Can I, like Mary, let go of fear and say, "Yes, Your will be done!" Do I, like the shepherds, let go of fear and go with haste to meet God?  How do I respond to God's messages, whether loud or subtle? How do I respond to God's gifts, whether obvious or hidden?
 
All three Levels have been working in some way with infancy narratives. Infancy narratives are Gospel accounts about the time leading up to and during Jesus' birth and childhood.
 
We pray for your continued spiritual reflection during Advent in order to celebrate with great joy the feast of Christmas. We hope to see many of the CGS children at one of the Christmas Eve family masses - 3PM or 5PM this year. Please take a moment to "RSVP" to Kate Lynch on which mass you plan to attend. This will be very helpful to planning. Parish children will be reading at the masses and serving in other ways.

 

Peace,

   Lina Hilko, Editor

Infancy Narratives
The Infancy Narratives are a set of six accounts from Scripture which tell of the preparation for and events of Jesus' birth and early childhood. Children should hear one or two of these each of their years in Atrium. Keep in mind that each Level of Atrium is a three-year cycle. Level II and III children may also work through a synthesis of all six accounts, identifying themes that run throughout. The six narratives are:

Annunciation, Luke 1:26-35
Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth, Luke 1:39-49, 56
Birth of Jesus & Adoration of the Shepherds, Luke 2:1-20
Adoration of the Magi, Matthew 2:1-12
Presentation in the Temple, Luke 2:22-34(34 through the word "Israel"), 36-40
Flight into Egypt, Matthew 2:13-14  (Level II but not Level I)

The narratives themselves are not very explicit in text. They invite the children (and adults!) to listen to these stories over and over again - to gain the richness they contain. As facilitators and catechists, we invite the children to respond in a personal way to the stories of Jesus' birth and childhood. As explained in The Religious Potential of the Child, written by Sofia Cavalletti, the founder of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program:

We should also accustom ourselves to a "living" reading of the text; that is, we should feel ourselves personally involved in the listening and the response to the text.  (page 110)

So for instance, following the presentation of one of the infancy narratives, the Annunciation, a Level II catechist may reflect with the children, touching on points such as:

"The words the angel proclaimed to the Mother of God are addressed to us as well, to me too.  How shall we respond?  Mary expressed her joy saying: 'My soul magnifies the Lord!'  Her joy is mine too; it is 'a great joy which will come to all the people.'  And how shall I express it?"  (Religious Potential, page 110)

Advent and Christmas are about a past event, about the first-fruits of the fulfillment of God's plan. And Advent and Christmas are about today, as we each actively collaborate with God to build God's kingdom. And Advent and Christmas are about living in hope for the Parousia, the time when God will be all in all. So, you are in these stories today and tomorrow and every day until God is all in all.

 

As a living participant of each of these stories, ask again:  What do I hear? How do I respond?

Mass and Santa This Sunday, Dec 14th 9AM
St. Teresa is hosting its annual Breakfast with Santa this Sunday, December 14th after the 9AM mass. Children will have a chance to visit with Santa in the Gathering Space and to make a card or gift for someone they love in the craft area hosted by Kate Lynch in "Room 4" of the Religious Education Center. We will have Atrium this week, but on Sunday, we'll start at 10:45AM (rather than the regular 10:30) to give children time for breakfast. Children in Sunday Atrium will have a chance to make crafts as part of their Atrium work time.

 

Food Depository Drivers Urgently Needed
Two big ministries at St. Teresa are the Saturday morning Food Pantry and the Friday evening Loaves & Fishes dinners. For about a year we have partnered with the Greater Chicago Food Depository to obtain food. We are currently looking for at least two new drivers to join our small GCFD Pickup Team. Volunteers generally serve one Thursday morning per month until about noon. Please talk to us if you need more flexibility or less commitment; we have other team members with very flexible schedules.

The volunteer picks up a rental cargo van at the Home Depot at 1232 W North Ave, Chicago, and drives the van to GCFD at 4100 West Ann Lurie Pl, Chicago (close to 55/Stevenson and Pulaski Rd.). The job requires some lifting, but the vast bulk of food is actually loaded and unloaded by others - not the pick-up team member.

We need new drivers ASAP. You would accompany a seasoned driver for your first run to learn the process. Please contact Lina Hilko ([email protected]) or Karen Breen-Vogel ([email protected]) with questions. This is a crucial way to serve our parish social justice ministries.

 

Please feel free to contact Kate Lynch, St. Teresa's Director of Religious Education ([email protected]), or Lina Hilko, newsletter editor ([email protected]), if you have questions or comments about this information.