“I love that I get to teach the younger kids things about Jesus that I know. I also love my teacher Ms.Theresa because she is so nice and she tells me all the things I know about Jesus. My favorite part about CGS is that I love playing and learning about the timeline of Jesus. I am so excited to go back to CGS this fall.”
Children’s Formation
2022/23 registration is now open ! To Learn more about CGS, click here. If you are ready to register your child, click the button below!
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for Children
The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd invites the child to enter a sacred room, the atrium, and to hear God's word, proclaimed from the Bible. The child is invited to speak to God and work with materials created especially for their developmental age that helps them draw closer to God. The atrium is a community in which the children and the catechist live together a religious experience that facilitates participation in the wider community of the family and the church. The atrium is a place of prayer and worship, in which work and study spontaneously become meditation, contemplation, and prayer. The atrium is a place in which the only teacher is Christ; both the child and the catechist place themselves in a listening stance before His Word and seek to penetrate the mystery of the Liturgical celebration*.
A catechist is one who echoes Christ, and announces the kerygma. As catechists in the atrium, we work together in a spirit of unity and harmony, in tune with God's plan for communion in the history of salvation and in keeping with the theme of unity so strongly expressed in the parables of the Good Shepherd and the True Vine. The attitude of the catechist has to be marked with humility before the capacities of the child*. (Characteristics of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd: The 32 Points of Reflection)
There are 3 Levels: Level 1 for 3-6 year olds, Level 2 for 6-9 year olds and Level 3 for 9-12 year olds. Each 2 hour session consists of prayer, a presentation of new material based on Scripture or Liturgy, and personal time working with the material they have seen.
CGS (Catechesis of the Good Shepherd) is new for many of our families in the parish, after registering please pick up a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd introductory booklet at the office.
Interesting facts about CGS:
CGS was developed in Rome over 60 years ago but has grown slowly like a mustard seed throughout the world, it is now a mustard tree!
There are atriums (atria) on six continents – rich and poor countries.
Mother Teresa’s order, The Missionaries of Charity adopted it not only to give to the poorest children in the world, but also as part of their formation.
The Dominican Sisters receive formation in CGS and have atria in their schools.
Bishop David Talley (Diocese of Memphis) has received formation in all three levels of CGS as have many priests!