Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

Children, ages 3 to 6 meet each Sunday during the catechism hour in the atrium, a specially prepared sacred, quiet environment where children can work with beautiful materials which allow them to dive deeper into the essentials of our faith (all handmade by people from our parish). In the ancient Roman church the atrium was the room outside the main church where people were prepared for baptism. The atrium at St. Charles Parish is located on the second floor overlooking the sanctuary.

What method do we use?

The “method” we use in atrium is known as the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Based on principles of Montessori, it was developed over the last 60 years by Sofia Cavalletti in Rome and is rapidly growing across the world.

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd has been described as the meeting of two mysteries - the mystery of God and the mystery of the child. Children seem to have a relationship with God even before we try and teach them anything. They have a special attraction to prayer, holy things, ritual, silence and beauty. We provide the environment where they can experience these things. Catechesis of the Good Shepherd uses carefully chosen themes from the Bible and liturgy to present to the children. After hearing the presentation (e.g. the parable of the Mustard Seed, the geography of Israel, the miniature altar) children are free to move quietly around the room working with any material they want. It includes art response and materials that provide care for the environment such as flower arranging or brass polishing. We avoid giving them “kiddie” religion but provide the deepest, most essential themes of faith, above all, that Jesus, the Good Shepherd knows them personally and died and rose again.

For more information call Parish Office 204-889-3248 or email: stcharls@mymts.net

To learn more, we invite you to visit the websites below: