The "all day in the Atrium" day finally arrived and it was celebrated with great peace, periods of remarkable silence, and much joy! To use the new favorite word to describe time in the Atrium...it was "phenomenal." These crosses represent one visible "product" of a long year of intensive preparation for First Communion. Each child designed his/her own cross and chose images and words that represented how God has helped him/her prepare for the gift of receiving His Body and Blood. I wish I could write an explanation for each cross because one of the best parts of the day was listening to the children describe the significance of each item. Please continue to keep these children in prayer as they begin to celebrate, in their parishes, the great gift of knowing the Good Shepherd in a new, intimate way over the next month. Truly, God is SO good. The "big work" of the second year children in the Atrium is their Missals. After laying out articles, pictures, and text cards representing the most important moments of the Mass in the order of the Liturgy, the children then begin the long, careful process of recording, illustrating, and internalizing the individual prayers which make up our most beautiful prayer, the Holy Mass. Their individual depictions of each moment are a fascinating view into their understanding and internalization of each prayer, and the front and back covers of each Missal show their individual syntheses of the collective prayers of the Mass.
The following is a Missal compiled from a number of this year's second year children... "Miracles" The subject of "miracles" has come up repeatedly with the children preparing for their First Communion this year. Early in Lent, the 2nd year children were pondering "The Mystery of Faith" and examining how the following are mysteries: Jesus' death, Jesus' resurrection, Jesus' return to begin Parousia, as well as the bread and wine becoming His Body and Blood. Near the end of "The Mystery of Faith" presentation one of the children said, "Really there's another name for a mystery. A mystery is also a miracle." This began the first conversation about what constitutes something as a miracle. Several weeks later, near the end of Lent, these same children were participating in a Scripture Meditation on the Healing of the Paralytic and the topic of miracles, of course, came up again. During the second week of Easter, as the children preparing for their First Sacraments began to look at their final in a series of five Scripture Meditations, they read the Healing of the Centurion's Servant from Matthew 8:5-10, 13. As a review, the children were asked to recall, in their own words, what made something a miracle. There were many beautiful comments, but one in particular was especially striking and the explanation (to the best of my memory!) was as follows: "Well, it's like at Mass when the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus. The priest does a miracle. Well, actually only God can do a miracle. So the priest does it but God does it. I mean, God does it because He's in the priest when the priest does it. So it's really God doing it but the priest helps and the priest can only help because God lets him help. Being a priest is so important because God lets him help do a miracle." As the child talked through the explanation, you could just see him trying to keep the balance between miracles being something only God can do...and the truth that it is the priest who brings us Jesus at Mass, something that is truly miraculous. What a profound witness to the capacity of these children to do theology...and for their incredible appreciation of the gift of the priesthood. "Made in the Image of God" Recently the 1st-3rd grade children (Level II) were asking about some of the pictures on the wall in the Atrium, especially the large poster above the shelf of saints figures. Several guesses were made as to what the picture was depicting, and the fourth child to share her thoughts stated that it was the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I explained that this image of the Trinity was painted in a way that Native Americans might more easily see God as someone like them, someone they could come to know, someone they could have as their friend. I mentioned how most people, when they draw Jesus, make him look like they, themselves, look. One of the children, a few minutes later, said, "Jesus DOES look like each of us because God made us like Him so Noah looks like Him and Claire looks like Him and Zelie looks like Him and everybody looks a little bit like Jesus." (As a note, this image was painted by Fr. John Battista Giuliani. Please use this link to enjoy additional artwork as well as more information on his work. The Level II child is ready for the world, and culturally diverse depictions of the faith as well as representations of saints from all over the world and throughout time are appropriate and of interest to them.) Having just celebrated the Liturgy of the Light, the Atrium's most solemn celebration of the year, where the one Risen Light of Christ spreads to many as each child receives a candle lit from the Paschal Candle, the youngest children are led to an encounter with the moment they themselves were first invited into the family of God. Receiving the Sacrament of Baptism marks the moment when the Risen Life and Light of Jesus is placed deep within each individual, shown by being clothed in a white garment in order to depict on the outside the new Light filling the soul on the inside. The experience of light casting out darkness is illustrated in a particularly beautiful way through the handing out of individual candles which are then enjoyed by those receiving them. Often they return to the Baptism Area throughout the year in order to have more extended time of pondering this beautiful gift. Extensions such as a Baptism collage and drawing and decorating their own Easter Candle also help them to continuing enjoying their Baptism. This year the youngest children sang many songs of joy as they sat with their candles which reminded them of the gift of the Light! In the words of the children... - "Thank you, Jesus!" (Four-year-old girl) - "It's so bright!" (Five-year-old girl) - "It's like a pathway of light to the Light of Jesus!" (Six-year-old boy) - "You can keep the garment clean by being nice. If you had no marks on it when you die that would be so beautiful!" (Six-year-old boy) - After the Paschal candle and Baptismal candle had been lit, a five-year-old boy began talking about his grandma, who had died: "My grandma is with Jesus in heaven and one day I will see her there because we both have Jesus' light in us." As the children grow, the work of the Baptism area grows with them. The water, Word, and oils are introduced as well as the gestures (actions/movements of the priest). Upon entering the Level II or Lower Elementary Atrium, all of these gifts are placed in the order in which they are received through the Rite of Baptism and the children, after laying out the cards representing these moments in order, use them to recall the Rite in groups of two or three at a time, reading shortened versions of the prayers of the priest. Some children even choose to write and illustrate their own Baptism Missal! While the Level II Rite of Baptism work only lifts up the most essential moments of the Sacrament, the Level III or Upper Elementary material is composed of each and every prayer of the Rite of Baptism. This series of Baptism presentations is just one example of how the Atrium helps the children move from the most essential elements of our faith to the beautiful, expanded whole so that they might broaden their experience and understanding as they grow!
The Upper Elementary children (E2 / Level III) spent two hours preparing to lead the Liturgy of the Light celebration for the entire school. They read through their assigned readings, they walked through the movements, they practiced both together, and then even had five minutes to spare before the Atrium began to fill with children. Beginning with the Dressing of the Easter Candle, moving through the Exultet and readings from Scripture including Matthew's account of the Resurrection, and into a renewal of the Baptismal Promises, the children were truly led in prayer, song, and silence. Each child was called by name and received a candle lit from the Paschal / Easter Candle. From one light came many lights. After Children's House, Lower Elementary, and Adolescents had left the Atrium, the Upper Elementary children took some time to reflect. The original "ending" to our prayer showed the Good Shepherd surrounded by the individual candles of the children. However, some felt it would be better to have the Easter Candle behind the Good Shepherd. In the end, though, they decided that just the Paschal Candle surrounded by the children's candles was best because it was the clearest sign of the Good Shepherd surrounded by His sheep, the Light surrounded by His light. God is truly so good! One sign of His great, great goodness was the blessing of First Sacraments and entry into the Sheepfold for several Way of the Shepherd children! Congratulations to all those who were welcomed into the Catholic Church this Easter. We are so grateful to have you with us!! |
Carolyn Kohlhaas
CGS Catechist and Formation Leader (Levels I, II, and III) Categories
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