Faith Formation PreK-7th grade here at Christ the Redeemer is rooted in the contemplative, Montessori-based style of spiritual development called The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS).
CLICK HERE to view some photos of our atria spaces.
Below is a short 3-minute video that gives an overview of our program too:
CGS uses Montessori teaching principles to present the most essential realities of the Christian faith to children of all ages so as to nourish and develop an informed and genuine relationship with God. Thoughfully researched and designed materials and inspiring presentations help children to “fall in love with God” and explore topics of faith appropriate to their developmental age, such as:
- The Life of Christ
- The Wonder of the Kingdom of God
- The Plan of God/History of the Kingdom of God
- Sacraments
- Moral Formation through Parables, Virtues, Maxims, and Service
- Sacred Scripture/The Bible: Hebrew (Old Testament) and Christian (New Testament) Studies
The outcome is a profoundly personal and joyful expression of faith, unique to each child’s relationship with God.
Underlying Principles
Underlying the entire catechesis are the following principles:
- God and the child have a relationship that catechesis seeks to serve with reverence and respect.
- The child is capable of perceiving the greatest realities of faith, and must never be talked down to.
- The catechist is a servant of a message that is not his or her own, and together with the child must humbly listen to God’s word.
- The child must be given the opportunity to discover the truth on as deep a level as possible.
- Prayer, contemplation, and silence are natural components of the child’s religious life, and must be honored.
A trained teacher/catechist prepares a special environment called an “atrium” for the children’s work, worship, and reflection. “The Atrium” is a prepared environment that allows and encourages the children to work independently and ponder the mysteries proclaimed in the catechesis at their own pace once the materials have been presented. Rather than a classroom feel, the atrium is intended to offer a retreat-like atmosphere for children. We enthusiastically invite parents to tour and/or assist in this beautiful spiritual environment for our children. We need catechists! Bonus – the children of those who serve in this role attend faith formation for free. You are welcome to email Lisa Brown at dre@ctredeemer.org at any time for a personal tour and discussion of our atrium spaces and methodology.
All three of our Montessori style classrooms run simultaneously so your children ages Pre-K through 7th grade are all able to attend on the same day and time. We will gather our children in small groups of no more than 12 with multiple sessions offered each week, not unlike dance or swim lessons are designed to run.
If you need a particular day and time to make room for dance, sports, scouts, or other extracurriculars we encourage you to register early.
We are still in need of volunteers. Tuition is waived for those who serve as a catechists or assistant catechists.
We are planning for two cohorts (or groups of students) Each Cohort will meet alternating weeks for twelve (12), 90-minute sessions each year along with eight (8) Parent & Child, FULL Family Formation events, including fun evenings of live Praise and Worship music, Service Projects and Special Seasonal Events – to which all are invited.
CLICK HERE for a short but informative introduction to CGS designed specifically for those considering service to our community in the role of catechist. Your prayerful consideration of this essential work is deeply appreciated.
CLICK HERE if you are interested in taking the official CGS certification formation course recognized by the Archdiocese of Detroit. A generous CTR couple has offered to cover the $400 tuition cost.
Here are a few more resources that may be of interest:
The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is an approach to the Christian formation of children developed in 1954 through the work Dr. Sofia Cavalletti, a Hebrew Scripture scholar, and her co-worker Gianna Gobbi, a Montessori educator. After 50 years of working with children all over the world, these women found that whatever their culture, children respond with great joy to certain elements of the Christian message. This observation shaped the core content and methodology of the catechesis that has now spread to over 35 countries.
Scripture, liturgy, salvation history, and sacramental signs provide the content of the catechesis – with a special emphasis on scripture. The Archdiocese of Detroit and The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan have both endorsed this unique approach to faith formation and recognize its substantial theological content, sound principles and proven methodology.
Through this remarkably effective style of faith formation, the children have an experience of spiritual enrichment that is profoundly biblical and sacramental … and prayerful as well. The kind of knowledge that Jesus wills for His disciples is not a limited, academic knowledge, but a knowing that addresses the whole person – heart, soul, and mind. Therefore, while the children receive a thoroughly informed formation, the primary aim of the catechesis is to lead the child to an authentic, joyful relationship with God.
The Atrium
“The Atrium” is the name for the prepared environment offered to the children in this Catechesis of the Good Shepherd style of Faith Formation. The atrium is intended to offer a retreat-like atmosphere for children. It is a place where children experience the joy of falling in love with God. We enthusiastically invite parents to tour and/or assist in this beautiful spiritual environment for our children. You are welcome to email our Director of Religious Education, Lisa Brown, at dre@ctredeemer.org at anytime for a personal tour of our atrium spaces and an introduction to our methodology and curriculum.
LEVEL I ATRIUM (KINDERGARTEN & 1ST GRADE) – CLICK HERE
LEVEL II ATRIUM (2ND, 3RD & 4TH GRADE) – CLICK HERE
LEVEL III ATRIUM (5TH, 6TH & 7TH GRADE) – CLICK HERE
Sacramental Preparation
Sacramental Preparation is part of our curriculum in atrium two, however, reception is not tied to any one age or grade level. Sacramental preparation is a particularly rich and joyful time that provides life-long memories for children, therefore our aim is to remove any anxiety that might come from feelings of “being behind” or “needing to catch up.”
We recognize and deeply respect the parental role as primary catechists of their children, therefore we listen intently to when the parent(s) deem the time is right and when their children feel ready and prepared. If you have any questions about sacramental preparation, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
- First Communion Preparation (typically in 2nd grade)
- First Reconciliation Preparation (typically prepared in 2nd, celebrated in 4th grade)
If you have any questions about sacramental preparation, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
* Portions of the text on this page are taken from the booklet, “The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd”, published by the National Center for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Oak Park, IL and the website for The Good Shepherd Catholic Montessori school in Cincinnati, OH.
During the pandemic we developed a virtual program called Family Sabbath (www.familysabbath.com). Also, Lisa Brown, Director of Religious Education, filmed a series of videos from her “little atrium” at home that provide a glimpse into some of the presentations offered in the atrium.
It’s important to note that our lessons are much more dialogic in nature when the children are present in person – wondering and talking with the catechist. It is very difficult (impossible really) to translate to a video/virtual format the profound exchanges and “ah ha!” moments that happen in our atrium spaces – for both the children and the catechist alike! But, these videos give you a little taste… NOTE: Click on the square icon in the lower right corner of a video to enlarge it to full size or to reduce it.
Some articles about Catechesis of the Good Shepherd:
1. The Faith of a Child: An increasingly popular approach to teaching young people the faith – CLICK HERE
2. Religious education is broken. It’s time to fix our Sunday school culture – CLICK HERE
3. Montessori schools are exceptionally successful. So why aren’t there more of them? – CLICK HERE
TESTIMONIALS:
Atrium Stories – CLICK HERE
Ribbon Lesson – CLICK HERE
Serendipity – CLICK HERE
Preschoolers – CLICK HERE
Where is Everybody? – CLICK HERE
Purpose of “Works” – CLICK HERE
More CGS Resources – CLICK HERE
[…] In the atrium, we begin the presentation on the Parable of the Good Shepherd by saying, “One time when Jesus wanted to tell people about himself, he said ‘I am the Good Shepherd.'” Then we ask the children, “What does a good shepherd do?” and they respond, “A good shepherd takes care of all the sheep, keeps them safe, leads them to good food and water,” and so on. All great answers, of course, but if we look at this scripture passage in its historical context, the significance of the shepherd imagery becomes even more illuminating and informative. […]