A is for Atrium: Learning the Faith through Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
September 7, 2025
Kids are back in school, Labor Day is over, and football is back – regardless of when the solstice is or what the forecast says, it’s fall! Fall means cool air, cozy sweaters, and pumpkin spice EVERYTHING! Today, fall also means that Children’s Faith Formation (CFF) and Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW) are both starting. I’m so excited, and I know our 5-year-old is too! Just about every week this summer he asked me two things: 1. Do I have to serve? 2. Am I going to my class?
A couple of weeks ago, John talked about Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) and how its method applies to the pillars of education. Today, I would like to share why CGS is so important to me.
I first fell in love with CGS when our oldest, now 16, was 3 years old; we were living in Grand Rapids at the time, and she went to St. Thomas the Apostle School. At St. Thomas, the preschool teachers are CGS trained, so they had their first experience during class. When I saw the City of Jerusalem, I was hooked. It was a wooden model of the city that they could pick up and work with: the walls, the buildings, the temple, the trees in the garden on the Mount of Olives, the cross atop Calvary, the pools. Everything. Wow. Two and four years later, her brothers joined her.
Fettucia? Parousia? I’m a cradle Catholic, but I must have missed that week of CCD.
I remember one day, our second oldest came home and started talking about the Fettuccia and Parousia. What? I’m a cradle Catholic, but I must have missed that week of CCD. Well, Fettuccia is an Italian ribbon yarn, but it’s also the very long ribbon that we use to show the History of the Kingdom of God. Parousia is a Greek word meaning “presence” or “arrival”. In Christianity, it refers to the second coming of Christ when we will be with Him for eternity. It’s not heaven, where one’s soul eventually goes when they die (hopefully); Parousia is the beautiful forever at the end of time. This is pretty big stuff, why is my first grader talking about this?
In CGS, we have these beautiful presentations that are all rooted in the Bible and the Liturgy. In Level I (ages 3-Kindergarten), the children learn about the items used at Mass: the chalice, patten, cruets, altar, ambo, lectern, sanctuary lamp, tabernacle, ciborium, etc. They learn what these items are not because we tell them and show them a picture, but because they get to work hands-on with the items. We don’t have plastic adaptations, we have smaller versions of the real items, made of glass and metal. Yes, glass dishes for little kids. We help them learn to make silence, to use careful hands, and walking feet. They can do it! We have vestments for the priest, articles of Baptism (including Holy Water AND fire), and so much more. We also have practical life works that help the child hone their life-skills: pouring, scooping, threading, and weaving, among others.
It’s not about learning concrete facts; it’s about meeting God.
But the most important concept we help them with has nothing to do with knowing the name of the chalice or the Liturgical colors – it’s about a relationship with Jesus. We help them learn how to sit with God, to listen to His call, to recognize and appreciate His gifts, to follow His word. CGS isn’t about learning concrete facts, it’s about meeting God. Too many times, we have heard stories of someone raised Catholic, but they didn’t meet Jesus until they went elsewhere. We’re trying to change that. We want the children to not just meet Jesus, but to have a relationship with Him. We want them to know He is always there for them and cares for them. He is the Good Shepherd.
We are guides on their journey; the direction they go is up to each of them.
Being a catechist in a CGS atrium is also different because we are not there to teach in the traditional sense. We present to the children, then we guide them in additional discovery. We ask them questions such as, “I wonder what Mary was thinking/feeling?” when talking about the various miraculous moments surrounding the birth of Jesus. We present the Gifts to them (the various plants, animals, minerals, and people that God has created for us) and inquire, “Did one of these stand out more than the others? I wonder if you could express or share your idea using some of our materials?” We invite them to copy prayers and verses, trace images, and discover further. We are guides on their journey; the direction they go is up to each of them.
Going through the catechist training is more than I had ever imagined, but in a good way. We have approximately 100 hours of class, reading, and work for each level of CGS (there are three levels). It sounds intense, and it kind of is, but it’s beautiful! I try not to be intimidated by remembering that God doesn’t call the prepared, He prepares the called.
I am so incredibly thankful that God brought our family to St. Thomas where we were first introduced to this beautiful program. I am also so very thankful that God guided our family here to ABVM to this incredible parish and has blessed us with a growing CGS program. I am thankful for our catechists: Emily, Shannon, Larissa, and Maria; our aides: Grandma Mary, Elizabeth, Benjamin, and Matthew; and the volunteers that have helped with various materials: Gregg, Ken, Dave, Anna, Stitch & Prayer, the previous Level I materials makers, and anyone else I may have missed. I am also thankful for each of you – thankful for your prayers and support for our Children’s Faith Formation program and our family. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Come see what it’s all about!
If you feel like you might be called to be a catechist or an aide, or even if you just want to sit in on a session and see what it’s all about, please contact me! I’d love to hear from you!
Peace,
Wendy
Coordinator of Children’s Faith Formation