Last week the children all had the opportunity to participate in a Pentecost celebration fitting to their age. At the end of each celebration we said good-bye to each other and to the Atrium until next fall. During our time together the children each prayed for a specific gift of the Holy Spirit to be stirred up within their hearts to help them in a special way this summer. I pray that we will all take time to listen and visit Jesus through adoration and by participating in the sacraments over our break so that we will return next school year even further on our journey the Good Shepherd and His flock. May your summer be a time of pondering and rejoicing, a time with family and with friends, and a time of peaceful rest. Blessings to you!
This week marks our final week of school at The Way of the Shepherd. Because we always end the year with a Pentecost Celebration, last week was each group's final "working" Atrium session. There were many busy children finishing up projects and booklets and missals and charts, as well as enjoying their last chance to work with Atrium materials before summer break. Here are photos from one Level II (1st-3rd grade) group. I was once told that the best "examination" in determining an adult's readiness to be a catechist within the Atrium was his/her ability to interpret the artwork of the children. Particularly with young children, freely drawn artwork is one of the clearest ways their growing relationship with the Good Shepherd is expressed. Many times these young ones don't have the language to articulate their growth in knowledge and understanding, but they show, often quite beautifully, the connections they are making and the Truths they have come to believe by what they draw, how they draw it, and even by the colors they use. This image was drawn in January by a 1st grade boy directly after hearing the Scripture of the True Vine (John 15) for the first time. (Just prior to this, during the season of Advent, this same child had heard and pondered the Scripture passage from Isaiah 11 about the "stump of Jesse," again, as part of a small group.) As the children were finishing their discussion about the True Vine, this child said, "Maybe on the Stump of Jesse that shoot was the Vine." He then proceeded to draw this image throughout the rest of the Atrium session. When the child shared his picture with me at the end of our time together that day, I asked him to explain what he had drawn. He said that he drew the stump, the True Vine, and the branches, labeling the Vine as "Jesus" and the branches as "us." He also expressed that the "fruit" was silver because it is beautiful pointed out the watering can by which God, the gardener, is pouring out hearts of love instead of water because the True Vine needs God's love to grow beautiful fruit. This second illustration was drawn by a child at home and it was shared with me by a family member of the child. I did not speak with the child about it, so I can only "guess" as to the significance of the image! The child is a 2nd grade girl who, at the time she drew this picture, had about five more weeks to wait before she received her First Holy Communion. In the center of the image are the paten and chalice holding the Body and Blood of Christ with a dove for the Holy Spirit centered above them, surrounded by a heart and rays. This speaks to me of the moment of the Mass (the Epiclesis) when the priest asks God the Father to send the Holy Spirit to transform the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus, an action of incomprehensible love by which we receive the greatest gift, Jesus Christ, Himself. The image of the sun is also prominent, presumably shining the light necessary for the growth of the True Vine which wraps around the paten and chalice. The presence of the sun additionally indicates, to me, the as-yet-unmentioned member of the Trinity because it is God the Father who is the Gardener, caring for the Vine. Thus we see the Trinitarian reality expressed in the sun (God the Father), the united Eucharist and True Vine (God the Son), and the dove (God the Holy Spirit). The Vine is filled with beautiful fruit and leaves, many of which have been intricately drawn. Is the Vine being fed by the Body and Blood of Christ? Is the child showing the unity of the True Vine and the True Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist? I see indications of both realities in the image she has drawn. Finally, at the bottom of the page are listed "Love! Joy! Parisiea (Parouisa)! Kindness." Perhaps these are labels for the the beautiful fruits that have been drawn on the Vine. Most weeks each Atrium session ends with Communal Prayer. We gather at the Prayer Table to respond, collectively, to the many gifts God has given to us in our lives and, in particular, during our time in the Atrium. This celebration changes based on the liturgical season, the age of the children,and the needs of the group who are gathered. In the Level I Atrium (ages 3-6), this time is lead by the catechist and is composed of music, a prayer word (ex: "Amen") or short verse of Scripture from the Gospels or the Psalms, and time for individual responses of thanks and praise. In the Level II and III Atria sessions (1st-3rd and 4th-6th grade), this time of prayer is led by either the catechist or by the children themselves. For the elementary children, communal prayer is often based on a Liturgy of the Word format. The Gospel is chosen first and then music, intercessions, and additional Scripture readings may be added to support the Gospel message. The planning of this prayer is done by the children with more or less assistance from an adult, based on the age of the children. By 6th grade, the children are planning and leading prayer completely on their own with facility, confidence, and joy. Here is an example of Communal Prayer planned and led by a group of three 3rd grade children. They chose, instead of a Gospel, a passage from the Acts of the Apostles. After proclaiming the Scripture during prayer, one of the children explained that they chose this passage because the man who had been crippled was "raised" just as Jesus was "raised" from the dead. A 2nd grade child added that this passage reminded them of the Parable of the Good Samaritan because while many people walked past the crippled man, Peter stopped and helped him just as the priest and Levite walked past them man who had been robbed but the Good Samaritan stopped to care for him. Another child commented on how Peter used the name of Jesus as a gift and the children pondered collectively on gifts they could share with others: friendship, kindness, love, help, etc. So often the children bless us with their responses to the presentations they receive in the Atrium. Through their comments they show glimpses into their relationship with the Good Shepherd. It is a privilege to be given a peek into the inner workings of their soul.
- "My Lord Shepherd." (3 year old, praying after the candles were lit at the Model Altar.) - "Bless us O Lord... because Jesus gave us the best gift!" (3 year old, praying after the candles were lit at the Model Altar.) - Prayer at the model altar (3 year old) “Thank you for blessing me. Thank you for the great ideas. Thank you for making the sheep happy.” - When asked, “What could we say to Jesus?” after preparing the model altar, a 3 year old sat quietly for a moment, then, blew a big kiss, bringing her hand from her mouth to high into the air! - Child (3) at the Model Altar with her “Litany of Thanks.” After each “thank you” I responded “Amen” and she when immediately into the next prayer: “Thank you God for family. Thank you God for blankies. Thank you God for Mom and Dad. Thank you God for Jesus dying on the cross. Thank you God for 'Show and Share.' Thank you God for lovely baskets. Thank you God for friends who are nice. Thank you God for beautiful people. Thank you God for “bath-es.” Thank you God for beds that are comfortable. Thank you God for family.” And then she promptly extinguished the candles. |
Carolyn Kohlhaas
CGS Catechist and Formation Leader (Levels I, II, and III) Categories
All
Archives
April 2024
|