Children's Education

Catechesis is offered to children between the ages of 3 and 5 years.  It  begins at 9:45 A.M. on Sundays in the Lower Atrium in the Parish House. The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd uses a Montessori approach for the religious and spiritual formation of children.  The goal of the Catechesis is to involve adults and children in a common religious experience in which the values of childhood  predominate, especially those of simplicity, contemplation and joy.  Each child is encouraged to work with the materials that speak to him or her that day.  The liturgy, ritual, and biblical traditions of Christianity are experienced as short weekly presentations by an adult facilitator and the teachings are then reflected on by the children using "wonder questions" to evoke their musings and imaginations.  The attitude of the adult has to be marked by humility before the capacities of the child, establishing a right rapport with the child, respecting the personality of the child, and waiting for the child to reveal himself/herself.