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Where we explore the spirituality of Christian children through the method of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
Episodes
Wednesday Nov 25, 2020
Wednesday Nov 25, 2020
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Wednesday Nov 11, 2020
Wednesday Nov 11, 2020
“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see…, for prophets and kings desired to see what you see…” Luke 10:23-24
The atrium is a place prepared for the religious life of children in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. The atrium is also a chamber of the heart. We have found that the heart of the child is deep and open to the loving call of our Good Shepherd. We know that when given time and the space of an environment prepared for their religious life, children are quite content to contemplate the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. Like Mary, in the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke, they keep all these things and ponder them in their hearts. We have observed as well that children’s spirituality is often manifested in their artwork. We pay special attention to this artwork of children because it can profoundly articulate their relationship with God. Mary Mirrione returns to the podcast to dive into this mystery of the children’s artwork with us.
Mary Mirrione began working with the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd in 1992. She and a team of catechists and parents-built atria at St Anne’s in Gilbert, Arizona for their 1800 children. She has been a formation leader since 1997 serving as such at home and abroad. She also worked with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in Honduras and Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity throughout the States as well as in Manila, Philippines Western Europe and Kolkata, India. Mary served on the Board of the National Association and is a member of first cohort at Aquinas Institute to receive a Masters in Pastoral Ministry in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. She serves as a faculty member of Kino Catechetical Institute in the Diocese of Phoenix. She is a consultant for the USCCB Subcommittee on the Catechism. Since 2010, she serves as the National Director for the United States Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. For more information on this approach to religious formation with children please go to our website.
Artistic Expression of Children in the Atrium by Tilde Cocchini
Inspiring Art Expression in the Atrium by Marty O’Bryan -
Do You See What I See? – article about The HeART of the Child exhibit
The HeART of the Child Art Book
We are committed to providing resources and services to aid in living out of our mission to support catechists, parents, and others in the Church and beyond, as they grow in their understanding of the religious potential of children. Even while we see a decrease in income (loss of course registration fees, book sales, new memberships, and the sales of resources and materials from Shepherd’s Closet.) The Light of Our Good Shepherd sustains us in these times. May you feel inspired to help others to rejoice in His Sustaining Light please donate today. Thank you.
Learn more about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
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Wednesday Oct 28, 2020
Wednesday Oct 28, 2020
“Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.” Psalm 96:3
One of the core characteristics of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is that it “can be realized in any social or cultural setting.” (32 Points of Reflection of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd). Celine Mitchell shares with us how she witnessed the universality of this work as she traveled to different countries bringing Catechesis of the Good Shepherd to all, including the Missionaries of Charity.
Although Celine recently retired as Director of CGS at her parish, she continues to be involved as catechist at St. Ambrose Academy where she also is a primary Montessori teacher. Celine is a recognized formation leader in Levels I and II. She assisted numerous parishes in starting CGS in western Pennsylvania and internationally and in her "retirement" continues to do consulting for those wanting to begin Catholic Montessori. She has led formation courses in Poland and for the Missionaries of Charity in Latvia, Brazil, Haiti, Puerto Rico, and San Francisco. Celine and her husband Bob (also a CGS catechist) have 3 grown children and 6 grandchildren and live at Good Shepherd House of Prayer.
The Characteristics of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd: The 32 Points of Reflection
Learn more about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
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Wednesday Oct 14, 2020
Wednesday Oct 14, 2020
“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” John 12:24
Why is this happening? How long will it last? What will life be like from now on? What can we do?
The world is facing unprecedented loss, grief, pain, and anxiety during this time of COVID-19. The losses and the grief we share come in many forms: the deaths of families and friends, of work, health, and celebrating or worshipping in community. We seek comfort and meaning from our grief. During times of suffering, loss, and grief, each of us needs companions who console and strengthen us. As Christians, we also need to understand our experience in light of our faith. At such times, Sofia Cavalletti offered her friend Patricia Coulter such guidance and encouragement. We will all benefit from reading the excerpts from her letter to Coulter, as well as meditating on the questions and carefully selected texts from Scripture and liturgy that Coulter provides. Many people are familiar with Sofa Cavalletti's writings on the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. These books help to form catechists and give the theological and pedagogical underpinnings for that approach to the spiritual formation of children. In this book we have a rare glimpse into her personal life and her deep care for her friends, in this case, her student and friend Patricia Coulter. Her words remind us that for Christians death does not have the last word. Having faced and moved through the suffering in all these forms of darkness, Sofia offers hope and consolation with eyes of faith that look at and move toward the Light. We are challenged to “Look at the Light” when darkness of any kind seems to surround us. Michaela Tudela joins us today to reflect on this inspiring and essential book about loss and love.
Michaela Tudela is an editor at Liturgy Training Publications (LTP.org), an agency of the Archdiocese of Chicago. She has helped produce prayer resources for children and their families, including Children’s Daily Prayer, Children’s Liturgy of the Word, and Celebrating Sundays for Catholic Families. For the past two years, she has served as the publishing liaison between LTP and The United States Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Michaela holds a BA in English Literature from Loyola University Chicago and has served as a grade 1 catechist.
The book Look at the Light: Words on Loss and Love from Sofia Cavalletti is available for purchase from the CGSUSA online store.
Learn more about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
Follow us on Social Media-
Facebook at “The United States Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd”
Instagram- cgsusa
Twitter- @cgsusa
Pinterest- Natl Assoc of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd USA
YouTube- catechesisofthegoodshepherd
Wednesday Sep 30, 2020
Wednesday Sep 30, 2020
“You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! My very self you know.” Psalm 140 13-14
Maria Montessori began her journey with children of “different ability” so it is fitting that our work in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, which follows her educational model, would be inclusive of children of all abilities as well. If we truly believe, as our work in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd tells us, that we are “led by the child” then we will meet each child in the atrium wherever they are on their faith journey. Once a child with disabilities is accepted into an atrium, many practical tasks remain such as assessing the child’s abilities, identifying a catechist, and determining which materials are appropriate.
Trinka Hamel joins The Good Shepherd and the Child Podcast today to share her experience with experimental work with children and young people of different abilities using the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd model. She has years of experience both professionally and in the atrium to share with us.
Trinka considers the young children she came to know in her first years as a special education specialist in Chicago to be among her greatest mentors and teachers. Like all children, they were drawn to beauty, joy, relationship and kindness. When Trinka was introduced to CGS in 2004 it was like coming home to a place she’d never been. She has been a catechist since 2008, helped to develop all levels of atria at a local parish in Tacoma, WA, and recently became a Level I formation leader. Trinka completed a Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies with an emphasis on the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd at Aquinas Institute of Theology in 2017, and continues to support the CGS communities in her region as a member of the Sheepfold Consortium for CGS sustainability in the Pacific Northwest.
Resources for further growth:
CGSUSA and Children with Disabilities
National Catholic Partnership On Disability
The Anthropological and Christological Foundations of Baptismal Formation
Learn more about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
Follow us on Social Media-
Facebook at “The United States Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd”
Instagram- cgsusa
Twitter- @cgsusa
Pinterest- Natl Assoc of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd USA
YouTube- catechesisofthegoodshepherd
Wednesday Sep 16, 2020
Wednesday Sep 16, 2020
“Take to heart these words which I command you today. Keep repeating them to your children. Recite them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7
“If we want to assist the child in his or her religious experience, an important area which we must attend is that of prayer. Prayer is, first of all, listening to God. It is the particular key which opens up the mystery of God’s relationship with God’s creature; it is a key which belongs to God, but which God gives to all… Prayer is initiation to the mystery of God and is, itself, a mystery… our task is that of creating the conditions for silence and reverence which will help the child focus on and listen to God. We do this, first of all, by preparing an environment with a prayerful atmosphere.” Gianna Gobbi, Listening to God with Children, page 117-118
Jaclyn Ruli joins the podcast today to share with us her wisdom and practical tips for taking the experience of the atrium and applying it to our homes. She speaks about how the encounters with God that we experience in the atrium are not limited to that space and the home is the perfect place to foster our relationship with God alongside the children in our lives. She shares a lot of examples to help inspire us on our journey of building the domestic church.
Led by a desire to have a deeper understanding of the Church’s teachings on marriage and family, Jaclyn earned a Master of Theological Studies with a concentration in Marriage and Family from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute in Washington, D.C. Shortly after she was introduced to the work of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd by reading "The Child in the Church" and became a catechist in 2012. Jaclyn is passionate about CGS and sharing the beauty and hope of the Church’s teachings on the family with love and the humility of a person who is still being converted. She shares her domestic church with her husband and six children in Cibolo, Texas.
At CGSUSA, we believe the most valuable service that we can offer during this time is to help families pray with their children at home and so continue to assist children and adults live a common religious experience in which the religious values of childhood, primarily those values of contemplation and enjoyment of God are celebrated. This page is to support children, parents and families at home and catechists in their communities and parishes and schools. We are adding to it weekly (sometimes daily)!
Jaclyn’s rosary books:
- An Illustrated Rosary
- Mary talks to Me About the Rosary
- Joyful Mystery Rosary Book (this one is out of print but it’s the one I used w/ the roses)
Artwork:
‘Madonna and Child with St John 6’ by Raphael Painting
Learn more about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
Follow us on Social Media-
Facebook at “The United States Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd”
Instagram- cgsusa
Twitter- @cgsusa
Pinterest- Natl Assoc of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd USA
YouTube- catechesisofthegoodshepherd
Wednesday Sep 02, 2020
Wednesday Sep 02, 2020
“I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you.” – Job 42:5
“Open your eyes; the mysteries hidden in the visible are revealed to you.” – Gregory of Nyssa
Sofia Cavalletti in History of the Kingdom of God: From Creation to Parousia states that “the typological method searches for the ‘imprint’ of one phase of sacred history upon another, keeping in mind the unity of the divine plan from creation to Parousia.” So what is Typology and how can we utilize this method with children? Ann Garrido joins us on the podcast again to dive into the depth and beauty that this ancient method provides. Ann's article Typology in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd appeared in the 2012 Journal of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
Ann Garrido is associate professor of homiletics at Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, MO and founding director of the school’s Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies program with an emphasis on the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (MAPS-CGS). She has served as a catechist with children ages 3-12 since 1996. Ann is also a formation leader with the U.S Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for twenty-one years and a member of the association’s formation committee. She is the author of eight books, including Mustard Seed Preaching (Now published as Preaching with Children), A Year with Sofia Cavalletti (LTP, 2017), and Let's Talk about Truth (ND: Ave Maria Press, 2020)
Please visit Ann Garrido’s personal website to read more about and from Ann.
Learn more about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
Follow us on Social Media-
Facebook at “The United States Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd”
Instagram- cgsusa
Twitter- @cgsusa
Pinterest- Natl Assoc of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd USA
YouTube- catechesisofthegoodshepherd
Wednesday Aug 19, 2020
Wednesday Aug 19, 2020
“You, yes you, O Lord, my God, have done many wondrous deeds! And in your plans for us there is none to equal you. Should I wish to declare or tell them, too may are they to recount.” Psalm 40: 6
Claudia Margarita Schmitt joins us today to dive into Chapter 4 of The Good Shepherd and the Child: A Joyful Journey. We discuss the child’s capacity for wonder and the parable method that Jesus’ uses and that we reflect to teach about the Kingdom of God. This episode completes our four-part series on the first four chapters of The Good Shepherd and the Child: A Joyful Journey. We encourage everyone to continue to read this gem of a book.
Claudia Margarita Schmitt has lived in many different countries throughout her life but has discovered over time that her roots are first in her Roman Catholic faith and also in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Everywhere she goes she recognizes the same language being used to discover the mystery of God. As an international formation leader for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Claudia constantly has had this experience of finding her roots. She has been a catechist for 33 years and a formation leader for 32. She lived in Rome for 8 years studying and working with Gianna Gobbi and Sofia Cavalletti and the children there. This time, she says, was very precious taught her many things but first of all, to be humble so that she could fall more deeply in love with Jesus through the child.
We have more information about how you can join us on this book study and resources on how to do this study with a group on our website.
Order your copy of the book The Good Shepherd and the Child: A Joyful Journey from the CGSUSA Store.
We will be having discussions about this book on our Facebook page: The United States Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
Learn more about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
Follow us on Social Media-
Facebook at “The United States Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd”
Instagram- cgsusa
Twitter- @cgsusa
Pinterest- Natl Assoc of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd USA
YouTube- catechesisofthegoodshepherd
Wednesday Aug 05, 2020
Wednesday Aug 05, 2020
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news.” Isaiah 52:7
This episode continues our book study on The Good Shepherd and the Child: A Joyful Journey. Lynne Worthington discusses with us some practical ways that adults and families can sit beside the child in their religious development. She lifts up the role of the environment, especially the home, as an aid to that spiritual growth.
Lynne Worthington worked for 30 years as a catechist for children and adults at
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Durham, NC. She also served as the
coordinator for CGS in Immaculata School and for the parish.
Since 1991 she has taken part in National Formation courses for the Catechesis
of the Good Shepherd, earning certificates as a catechist for all three levels, ages 3-12
years old. She has participated in numerous formation leadership workshops and is
recognized as a formation leader by the National Association of The Catechesis of the
Good Shepherd. She holds an MA degree in Pastoral Studies from Aquinas Institute of
Theology in St. Louis, MO.
Lynne now lives in Ball Ground, GA and volunteers in Atria in the Archdiocese of
Atlanta. She and her husband, Bill, have three grown children and two grandchildren.
We have more information about how you can join us on this book study and resources on how to do this study with a group on our website.
Order your copy of the book The Good Shepherd and the Child: A Joyful Journey from the CGSUSA Store.
We will be having discussions about this book on our Facebook page: The United States Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
Join us in two weeks to discuss Chapter 4: Sources of Nourishment.
Learn more about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
Follow us on Social Media-
Facebook at “The United States Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd”
Instagram- cgsusa
Twitter- @cgsusa
Pinterest- Natl Assoc of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd USA
YouTube- catechesisofthegoodshepherd
Wednesday Jul 22, 2020
Wednesday Jul 22, 2020
Chapter 2 – Helping the Child with Maggie Radzik
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.” Jeremiah 1:5
This episode continues our book study on The Good Shepherd and the Child: A Joyful Journey. In this episode Maggie Radzik shares with us the beauty and wisdom found in Chapter 2: Helping the Child. We discuss the child from conception through 3 years old. We lifted up the spiritual capacities of this age child and the adult’s role in nurturing those capacities, and how this very young child, even though small, is having substantial growth both physically and spiritually. How should the adults in the child’s life care for, respond to, and honor this growth?
Maggie has been a Montessori teacher and Head of School for over 25 years and a Level I formation leader for more than 10 years. She is currently the catechist in a Primary classroom at St. Jerome Academy in Hyattsville MD and also works with catechists and homeschooling families in Ave Maria FL.
Join us in two weeks to discuss Chapter 3: Practical Suggestions
We have more information about how you can join us on this book study and resources on how to do this study with a group on our Book Study page.
Order your copy of the book The Good Shepherd and the Child: A Joyful Journey from CGSUSA Online Store today.
We will be having discussions about this book on our Facebook page: The United States Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
Learn more about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
Follow us on Social Media-
Facebook at “The United States Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd”
Instagram- cgsusa
Twitter- @cgsusa
Pinterest- Natl Assoc of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd USA
YouTube- catechesisofthegoodshepherd