Journals of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd 2019-2023


Book Description

A compilation of the annual Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Journal with indexes for easy reference. The annual Journal includes art and prayers from children in the atria and reflections by catechists on developments and themes relevant to the work. The overarching theme of this compilation, which spans the years 2019–2023, is the Montessori foundations of CGS. Each year, the United States Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd produces a journal for members and catechists, a publication that focuses on the religious life of the child and the essentials of the Christian faith. The Journal’s mission is to provide those concerned with children’s theological education a reflective resource for ongoing formation with serious scholarship to support their work with children. In continuing to learn what the child has to teach adults about God, the Journal chooses themes centered on children’s innate spirituality and religious development as described in the work of Maria Montessori, Sofia Cavalletti, and Gianna Gobbi. The theological artwork, prayers, and observations of children in the atrium are vital. Of particular interest are works of the child that show the synthesis of themes presented in the atrium.







Journals of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd 1998 - 2002


Book Description

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a child-centered, Montessori-based process of Christian formation. Since 1984, catechists in the United States who have worked in the Catechesis have exchanged the fruits of their work -- children's drawings, work, and prayers; practical ideas and how-to's -- and materials for study and encouragement in an annual journal. These collected journals from 1984 to 1997, and now from 1998 to 2002, provide a valuable resource for Good Shepherd catechists and a history of their work in the United States for anyone interested in knowing more about the Catechesis. Book jacket.




Life in the Vine


Book Description

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is an approach to the religious formation of children that is grounded in an understanding and appreciation of the child’s relationship with God through their engagement with Scripture and liturgy. In this companion to The Religious Potential of the Child 6-12 years old, author Rebekah Rojcewicz documents the decades of work and the journeys that catechists and older children, six to twelve years old, have made with Jesus the True Vine. For parents, catechists, and those who seek to take seriously Jesus’ challenge “to change and become like children” (Matthew 18:3), this book serves as an invitation to the same joyful journey.




The Good Shepherd and the Child


Book Description

Anyone familiar with the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd has probably encountered the early description of this approach to the religious formation of the child in The Good Shepherd and the Child: A Joyful Journey. With major contributions by Sofia Cavalletti, Gianna Gobbi, Silvana Montanaro, and Patricia Coulter, this book has long been a “core text’ for catechists and also for parents of children in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Now there is a new edition, which reflects the changes in the presentations and the materials that Sofia Cavalletti made in the years before her death in August 2011. The original contributions of the authors are retained in Part I. In Part II, long time catechist and one of the first US catechists to study with Sofia Cavalletti, Rebekah Rojcewicz, has carefully outlined the current methods and developments in the work. This includes a selection of the key parables and scripture texts that are presented to the children. She also offers a new Introduction in which she describes the process by which the original authors and founders of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd came to recognize the child’s potential for a relationship with God and learned what nurtures that experience. The original art work by Julie Coulter-English is retained in this new edition.




Journals of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd


Book Description

This year's Journal features articles and reflections on the topic of ecumenism and how this Montessori-inspired style of religious formation has stretched across denominational lines.




The Religious Potential of the Child


Book Description

This book describes the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a Montessori-based style of catechesis that focuses on the child’s independent journey to God by working with materials in a specially prepared place called an atrium. Written by Sofia Cavaletti, the Italian scripture scholar who developed the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, this classic work demonstrates the profound spiritual capabilities of children as brought forth through their engagement in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. This book is important for anyone desiring to learn about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd or the spiritual life of children ages 3-6. Sofia Cavaletti is an internationally known biblical scholar and was a member of the committee that prepared the Directory for Masses with Children. Together with her collaborator, Gianna Gobbi, a Montessori educator, she has traveled throughout the world forming catechists in this essentially oral method and helping to establish catechetical centers modeled on their Centro di Catechesi in Rome.




The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Journal 2022


Book Description

The United States Association of The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is proud to feature the Montessori Foundations of CGS in the 2022 Journal. This year's journal continues the examination of Maria Montessori’s work, which is so integral to the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. The articles explore how Montessori’s theory and practice are integrated throughout the atrium experience to assist the child from three to twelve years in an encounter with God.




Journals of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd 2014-2018


Book Description

This volume compiles the last five years of the Journal, including art from children in the atria and reflections on catechetical development




The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd in a Parish Setting


Book Description

What happens when a parish community chooses the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for its youngest members? What questions should be asked before that decision is made, and after? What does an atrium look like? What do you need? How do you start? And how did this type of Catechesis ever get started in the first place? This newly revised edition of Tina Lillig’s practical and enduring resource offers step-by-step information to address the questions of pastors, directors of religious education, parish staff members, parents, catechists, and anyone else interested in the great blessing that young children are to the parish community.