The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Levels I and II 
March 24, 2015 - Levels 1 & 2
In This Issue
Setting the Stage
Is It I, Lord?
Upcoming Events
Living Stations of the Cross
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See the article on upcoming events at end for various important dates.

Please consider whether your child (and you?) would like to participate in St. Teresa's annual tradition on Good Friday: Living Stations of the Cross. Read more below. To express interest, contact Carrie Mondschean at [email protected].

Dear CGS Parent,   
The Good Shepherd

This week many Level 1 and 2 children received a presentation called "Mystery of Life and Death," which tied to the Gospel at mass on Sunday, March 22nd. Some of our youngest Level 1 children received other presentations depending on what their catechist sensed they need. Read more below about "Mystery." Maybe it spurs some thinking as you and your children discover new growth outside over the upcoming weeks.

 

As we near the end of Lent, we want to invite all families to our final Friday Family Game Night (Mar 27th, 5:30-7:30 in the Religious Ed Center) and to the Easter Traditions craft workshop on Saturday, March 28th, 2-5PM in the Parish Center. Try your hand at decorating lamb cakes, Easter baskets, and more. Please RSVP via email to Kate Lynch if you plan on coming so we can plan supplies. But also know that walk-ins are welcome. 

 

Lastly, we invite your older child(ren) to participate in an important St. Teresa tradition: Living Stations of the Cross. On Good Friday, April 3rd at 3PM in the church, St. Teresa's invites families to reverently remember the Passion of Christ. This is an effective way to meditate on the events of Holy Week for those ready to participate in a solemn manner, either as actors or as audience. Read details and contact procedures below.

 

Peace,

  Lina Hilko (editor)
Mystery of Life and Death   

From their earliest time in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, children have listened to the Christian message in which "death and life are tightly bound to the announcement of resurrection:  Life is stronger than death. ... In this way the discussion of death/life is presented in a positive context."  (The Religious Potential of the Child 6 to 12 Years Old by Sofia Cavalletti, page 4-5)  Cavalletti goes on to write, "Nevertheless, the reality of death also involves the issue of decomposition of the body, and this is also a deep concern of the children.  The problem is not resolved by merely saying that the loved one 'is in heaven.'"

 

The presentation this week helps children satisfy their need, or at least begin the process, of knowing what happens to the body at death.  We address the children's concerns by showing an example of a seed that, when planted in the ground, is transformed to new life.

 

The "Mystery of Life and Death" presentation begins with Jesus' words found in John 12:24:

 

"Unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat.  But if it dies, it produces much fruit."

 

We show the children some materials that help them uncover deeper meaning in these words.  We display a jar of wheat seeds and 3 pots of plants.  With the pots, we show the progression of what the seeds look like after 2 weeks, 8 days and 4 days in each of the pots.  We dig up the different pots and see if we can still see the seed at the base of the plant. This is a time where the children are encouraged to feel the dirt and touch the roots and/or the remnants of the seed.   The children discover that, when the seed is planted, it is totally transformed from a seed to a growing plant.  We wonder together what must be in the seed to make this transformation occur.  If the plant continues to grow, it will develop a full head of grain.  We show the children (and have them touch) the wheat sheath that has many seeds.  What a wonderful realization that one seed produces many seeds.  Once again, in the Kingdom of God, there is a movement from less to more.

 

Here is another excerpt from Religious Potential (page 6) giving a glimpse into the possible thinking that can result from this presentation:

 

"After the presentation we have just described, Cecilia (age 4�) drew a flower.  The catechist asked her, "Where is the seed?" and Cecilia answered, "You can't see it because it's dead.  It has given its life to the plant."  After a pause, she continued, "Without the seed the plant can't grow.  The seed isn't dead though; it's just that its life has gone into the stem and roots."

 

Is It I, Lord?

As we draw near the close of our catechetical year in mid-May, it is time to plan for next year's catechists. We have been running with an awesome, but very lean, group of volunteers this year. The Montessori method of teaching is very adult-intensive because presentations are ideally given one-on-one or to a very small number of children, especially at the youngest ages.

 

Please consider if you are being called to help the catechesis as an assistant or as a catechist. We welcome you to observe in the Atrium during April with no obligation in order to learn more about this very important ministry. Please feel free to talk to Kate Lynch, Director of Religious Education, or to your favorite catechist with any questions or wonderings.

 

Upcoming Events

Please note and mark in your calendars the following:

  • Lenten Friday Family Game Nights - Join us this Friday, March 27th in the Religious Ed Center from 5:30 to 7:30PM for a meatless meal, games, and conversation -- the last of our Lenten Family Fridays!
  • Easter Traditions, Saturday, March 28, 2-5PM - Families are invited to try out a variety of Easter crafts, such as lamb cake decorating, palm weaving, Easter basket decorating, and egg dying. Please RSVP to Kate Lynch at [email protected] if possible to help us plan supplies, but also know you are welcome as a drop-in that day.
Living Stations of the Cross

You are invited to participate in St. Teresa's Living Stations of the Cross on Good Friday, April 3rd at 3PM in the church.


We invite older children (and adults, too) to help as performers. Performers attend two rehearsals: Wed, April 1 at 7PM and Fri, April 3 at 1PM (right before the 3PM event). The 'Living Stations of the Cross' involves adults and older children (wearing costumes) standing in still-set positions by the altar, and changing these positions for each station while the narrator meditates on each station. In the past, the children, teens and adults who participated have enjoyed this very much. It is an excellent way for all to reflect on or understand more deeply Christ's Passion.


Contact Carrie Mondschean at [email protected] if you are interested in participating.

 

Please provide comments about this newsletter to Lina Hilko, the editor, at [email protected], and/or Kate Lynch, St. Teresa's Director of Religious Education, at [email protected].