Children and Youth Ministries
“Welcoming children and youth to their own spirituality.”
Important Notice: All volunteers who work with children and youth are required to fill out an application, including references. All approved volunteers must then complete Safeguarding God’s Children before they are able to work with anyone under the age of 18. Feel free to ask the Rector about the Safeguarding God’s Children Program. We welcome parents to take the course as well.
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
General Information
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a Montessori based approach to developing the spiritual life of the child. It is centered upon Christ. A fundamental belief is that the child already has a relationship with Jesus, with the goal to further develop this relationship.
The Atrium
In ancient times, the atrium was the part of the church through which people entered the church, a transition space into the church itself. The Atrium, as used by Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, is the place that is the prepared environment where the child can encounter Jesus in developmentally appropriate ways, with sensorially rich materials. Each child has choices in working with materials that represent essential proclamations of the Christian message and the sacraments of the church.
The Catechist and Assistants
In the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program, the role of the Catechist and the Assistant is to provide a loving, nurturing environment to direct children to spiritual discoveries. The environment, materials, and respect and caring allow the child to enter into a prayerful relationship with God. The “teacher” in the program is the Holy Spirit.
Ages
We have both Level I and Level II materials in the Atrium. We have a combined room that is designed with both levels in mind. Level I is historically ages 3 to 6, while Level II is ages 6 to 9/10. The level I child typically works alone or in parallel work with another child their level.
The Level II children prefer to work in groups of at least 2 children. Our room is designed to accommodate both needs.
For more see background.