After working with the Synthesis of the Mass together a few weeks ago, only one child chose to stay and begin making a missal. But every child had something in mind to return to either from the previous week or from several weeks back. Here is a taste of the variety of their work with pictures taken over the course of about sixty seconds.
As we finish up this summer of Prayer Art, it is good to return to the youngest of children. In this drawing we see the essentiality of the child who chose to use one color to draw the chalice and paten on the altar with the priest beside it. The Eucharist, Jesus truly present, remaining with us as a testament to His incomprehensible love, is at the heart of our faith. Truly, God is so good.
As part of an "end of the year" card, I received the following image from a Level 3 child who is finishing her seventh and final year in the Atrium. She chose to write out portions of Psalm 23 and of John 15, showing they are passages from the Holy Bible. Her illustration focuses on the still waters which are surrounded by green pastures, an image of the peaceful environment which the Good Shepherd prepares for His sheep.
Psalm 23 is a favorite Scripture in the Atrium from the time it is first introduced in Lent of the 3yo's first year in the Atrium. This copy of Psalm 23 was written and illustrated by a 3rd grader. There are a number of elements of the drawing which are noteworthy. You see the green border which indicates that Psalms are part of the Liturgy of the Word as well as the bright yellow sun shining down on the scene. The vine branches (laden with much fruit) weave around the words of the Psalm, indicating a connection to the True Vine. The mountains seem to be beyond the fence of the sheepfold which speaks to the reality of the dark valley and yet the protection offered by the Shepherd.
During the Easter Season, at times the older children extend their enjoyment of the Resurrection by looking up Scriptures which are about light. In the following images a 3rd grader copied Matthew 5:16 and Isaiah 60:1 and then drew an illustration on the back of his paper. The cross forms the center of the flower which has "light" as its petals. I am reminded of the saying "the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians" as we see the light and life which comes forth as a result of suffering and death in the life of Jesus, and in our own lives, depicted in this simple drawing.
One of the great works of the Level 2 Atrium is the copying of a personal missal. In this work there are ten prayer cards which are copied and then illustrated by the child. This is often a work which extends throughout the whole 2nd grade year. One child this year, after completing her missal, chose to "redo" four of her images. Here are the ones she chose to remove from her missal and replace.
During the final work time of the year two second grade girls took time to draw and write. The following are images of their work. "Dear Jesus, I will follow you always and promise to obey you. Hail Mary..." The image of Our Lady which accompanies this prayer reveals the child's understanding of Mary as perfectly living what the child is expressing to God. In the image of Mary we see the child Jesus held in her arms, a huge smile on her face, beautiful roses growing at her feet, and stars surrounding her. "I am the true vine. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes and those bear more fruit but every one that does not falls off." The text on this card is not an exact copy of Scripture but comes from the child's memory of the passage. She has illustrated this parable with an image of a tree producing beautiful fruit of many colors, surrounded by blue sky and healthy green grass.
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Carolyn Kohlhaas
CGS Catechist and Formation Leader (Levels I, II, and III) Categories
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April 2024
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