Early this year the L3 children spent some time recalling the great gift of God's Word and then began to experiment with illuminating Scripture. Here are some examples of their beautiful work!
Thanks to MUCH work by a beautiful fellow catechist who personally devoted many, many hours and also rallied the participation and dedication of a large number in the school/parish community, there is now a second L1/2/3 Atrium at the school where I currently serve children in the Atrium. I hope you will enjoy the work that went into creating this space over the summer...or really over just a few weeks in August! The proclamation that Christ has died and that He is risen is fundamental to our faith and to our work in the Atrium. We always hold this statement as one, lifting up the unity of action in that His death was the passageway by which He would rise and share His risen life with each of us. In the L1 Atrium, in particular, the imagery used for this proclamation is very intentional. While the Materials Manual lists a "Risen Crucifix" for both the Model Altar and the Baptism areas, the actual image used by Sofia in her Atrium is the San Damiano Crucifix. While some may refer to this crucifix as that of the Risen Christ, it is a very different image from what is typically shown under that title. On the San Damiano image we see Christ crucified and yet standing erect with eyes open, alive. When a young child holds this crucifix what stands out is not the gore and sorrow of His death but His great act of love in laying down His life. In fact, the only crucifix that is specifically to be a crucified Christ image, and not the San Damiano, in the L1 Atrium is the tiny one that stands on the Cenacle table at the end of the Last Supper presentation. It might be worth pondering why that one would be different! In the meantime, here's a link to a great explanation of San Damiano image. The Prepared Environment is a fundamental component of Montessori Methodology. In fact, it is one of the key differences in the CGS approach to handing on the faith when contrasted with a traditional textbook method. Preparing a space for the children to fall more deeply in love with God has its roots in creation itself, in God who has intentionally prepared the earth with all that we would need to live and even to flourish long before we were created, giving us glimpses of Himself through His work. The Atrium's preparation also springs from how the church building is constructed and filled in a beautiful, ordered way in order to transport us to the heavenly Jerusalem when we enter that sacred space. In the Level 1 training we speak of the role of the catechist in the Atrium encompassing two main components:
The preparation of the environment is not done once but, rather, must be done each time we enter and exit the Atrium space just as facilitating the environment is a continual work as we, day by day and moment by moment, assist the children in living well in the Atrium. The younger the child, the more they thrive on order, on everything being in its proper place, and on the independence which results from consistently knowing where to find what they have been presented in order that they might repeat it when desired. Here are some practical ideas for preparing and maintaining the Atrium:
|
Carolyn Kohlhaas
CGS Catechist and Formation Leader (Levels I, II, and III) Categories
All
Archives
April 2024
|