After arriving back on campus after a summer of sharing the beautiful work of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd with adults, I was blessed to find beautiful new carpet in the Atrium! (And all of the materials piled in the storage area!!) I am grateful to those who did the "great work" of moving everything for me as I was away and for my assistant and friend who spent several mornings helping me clean everything thoroughly until not a speck of dust or dirt remained...and then washed every piece of fabric for me!! Having everything cleared from the space allowed me to re-think the set-up of the Atrium as well as the arrangement of materials on the shelves. Here is a peek at the new Level I Atrium at The Way of the Shepherd. It will be interesting to see what will change once the children have entered and helped me to identify the obstacles I have put up to their work! As the children preparing to receive the sacrament of the Eucharist for the first time work in the Atrium, one of their greatest joys is to create a Missal containing the most essential moments of the Mass. Each child is invited to copy the liturgical prayers for these moments and then is invited to illustrate each prayer. These drawings often beautifully reveal the child's understanding of the intricacies of these prayers and their place within the whole of our greatest prayer, the Mass. Here are some selections of their illustrations during the 2018-2019 school year. One of the "capstone" works available to the Level III child is writing their Level III (Complete) Missal. This lengthy project includes over fifty pages of handwritten work, copying the prayers of the Mass. Another "final" work that focuses on reviewing the big picture of Salvation History is called "The History of the Kingdom of God and My Place in It." In this material the child makes his own booklet, copying information and answering questions that helps him "memorialize" his understanding of his own role in God's Plan. Near the end of our Typology Study on Abraham the children take time to individually list parallels between Abraham and Jesus (and even other Scripture passages). Then we gather together and share our thoughts and ideas. This year the children came up with quite a lengthy list! I've attached two children's individual thoughts as well as an example of how we put them together as a group to show the many parallels they have seen. It is surprising how each year there are many familiar connections and how there are always one or two (or more!) new ones that the children have discovered. Such a gift!! |
Carolyn Kohlhaas
CGS Catechist and Formation Leader (Levels I, II, and III) Categories
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April 2024
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