Level III-The Structure of the Mass and Furthering the Plan of God

In my Sunday atrium, which is slightly ahead of the other Level III's who have had server training and guest speakers this year, we have had a few new presentations in the past couple of weeks.


One of these is called the Structure of the Mass which is made up of a chart which separates the prayers of the mass into 4 groups. For the children who have been in the atrium since they were young, the colors on the chart are very familiar:

• Green is for the Liturgy of the Word
• Yellow is for the Preparation of the Gifts
• Orange is for the "heart" of the Mass: The Eucharistic Prayer
• and Grey is for Communion

The children are given small tiles that are colored to match the specific number of prayers in each section. The number of prayers in unchanging each week, but some of the tiles are white on the back which tells us that the prayer or reading for that day is "proper" for that mass. We talked about how "Joy to the World" wouldn't be a very proper song to sing on November 21st, but it would be very proper on Christmas.

The main focus of this presentation is to place the tiles and to notice the few picture tiles that represent the gestures of the priest. Again, these gestures are more familiar if the child has been in the atrium, but we are constantly using new ways to represent these important concepts so that the child will still be interested. The first gesture is in the Prepartation of the Gifts, while the last two gestures are found in the Eucharistic Prayer:

• The Preparation of the Chalice: the priest adds a few drops of water to the wine (the wine represents Jesus, and the water represents us)
• The Epiclesis: God the Father is asked to send his Spirit on the gifts of bread and wine (hands coming down onto the gifts)
• The Offering: where we offer ourselves together with Christ back to the Father (hands raising up the gifts)

We also are continuing our work with the Plan of God. Now that we have had our first two moments (the preliminary meditation and the control strip presentation), the children have a go at the mute strip. This is also a 30 ft. long timeline, but it is mostly blank! The children's work is to place the work of human beings and the peoples in the correct place on the timeline. It is a HUGE work, and is really a copying of the control work, but is way more interesting to the kids because of the cool pictures, woodwork, and such. I'll tell you it was a BIG project, getting that one done!

After the children finish preparing the mute, we all come together to work with the text strips that synthesize the main points of the presentation. Here are a few of them:

• The people of today work; further developing the results of work done in past times. What’s more, through working, they established relationships with people of their own time; and they prepare developments for future times.
• Every division is against the Plan of God, which is to establish a cosmic communion that embraces heaven and earth, all people and all things.
• We await the time when God will be all in all.
• When Jesus, who is true God and true man as one, came on the earth, people are no longer only united to people but; God is united with people in a communion of love.

Each child will read one of the strips and together the group will discuss what it means and where on the timeline it might be placed.

This whole work lays a foundation on which all of the work we do in Level III is based. This is because it is simply a concrete way of stating that somewhat abstract concept of God's plan for creation: Communion. God created us to: "Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength," and to "Love your neighbor as yourself." When we see how we as humans have and can continue to work together to build communion (and of course the ways in which we haven't done this), and when we see how God has bridged the gap himself so that we may come to Him, we can see the plan--even for our own lives. Come, Lord Jesus!

God bless you and your families,

Ms. Mandie, CGS Catechist and Director of Faith Formation

Level III--The Plan of God

For all of you who have been waiting patiently, this week's blog post is here to answer your questions about The Plan of God!

This material and the presentations that go with it really bring to the fore the Montessori philospohy of giving children the universal picture and then bringing the focus into the details. What is the Plan of God? Believe it or not, the answer is simple: Communion!

When God created the universe and the world, he did it in preparation for the creation of man--a creature made in his own image and likeness. We see mankind from the very beginning working in communion--building bridges--through man's transformation of creation. The man who made the wheel, for instance: we have no idea what he looked like or who he was, but through using God's gift of stone, this man's work and his gift is still connecting us today.

Think about it, could we ride in an airplane without it? Just looking around All Saints, we see that in single room, the life's work of hundreds, thousands, perhaps millions of people come together to give us the technology to provide heat, light, batteries for a clock, the engine of the truck that brought the concrete, the generations of farmers who perfected the sowing of cotton that provides us with the soft filling for our chairs--or the scientists who developed synthetic materials! We are all working together, building bridges that overcome racial, social, language, and physical barriers.

When God revealed to the Hebrews his plan for covenant--communion--with them, this vertical bridge was not just for them! In the womb of the Hebrew people, God sent us His only begotten Son to reveal that God's plan for communion is for everyone! Jesus now gives us the gift of the Sacraments to continue to build these bridges and build us up for the culmination of his plan at the Parousia!

Giving the children this overview, I am struck by the gift it is for me to see the BIG PICTURE. More importantly, the question that we pose to the children becomes very starkly addressed to me: What am I doing to bring about the Plan of God for communion among all people? Where do I fit in to God's Plan?

~Mandie DeVries
CGS Catechist and Director of Faith Formation at All Saints

Level III--4 weeks in!

Well, as things settle down into manageable chaos, I have a bit of time to tell you how it has gone so far this year with our first Level III atrium.

The beginning of the year in Level III is always focused on what are called "bridge works." These works help to transition the children from Level II to Level III, but they also serve to set the stage for the work that is ahead. Each is created for individual or VERY small group work, and this gives the catechist a good opportunity to see at what level each child is ready to engage. All of these works are "card works" which were handwritten and laminated by our All Saints Level III catechists in preparation for the year.

Here is a little synopsis of our 3 bridge works:

• The History of the Kingdom of God and the Open Bible: This is actually one of my favorite works. There are 20 cards that are made to look like an open book, and most of them have Bible verses on them. The work of the child is to sort the readings into a timeline of the History of God under 3 headings: Creation, Redemption, and Parousia. (That "Parousia" word is one that was introduced in Level II and has captured the imagination of our Level III kids already this year--"What will that time be like?" they wonder "When God will be All in All?" After the children have read and sorted (sometimes there is quite a discussion about the order!) the catechist returns with more headings, "Old Testament" and "New Testament" are fitted over the proper headings, and we see that it is in the Bible that we are told the History of the Kingdom of God. The booklet that goes with the work proclaims to the child: that there is "One God, One History, One Book."
• The Fettuccina: I was quite surprised when a child told me that this work must be called this because it is a like a little ribbon ("You know Latin?"), but he was absolutely correct. This work is based on our Fettuccia work from Level II and helps the children to continue thinking about that HUGE work that is a meditation (again) on the History of the Kingdom of God, from Creation, to Redemption, to the Parousia. This card work has "fill in the blank" boxes and lots of little strips that fit only one spot correctly. This one builds with the "Open Bible" work to prepare the children for our BIG Level III work: The Plan of God.
• The History of the Kingdom of God: The Gifts of God: This work expands on the Level II gift work, and fleshes out how the History of the Kingdom is really a history of God's gifts to his people. God prepared all creation FOR us, and he wasn't content to just give us the world, he wanted to give us His very Self: in Jesus Christ! The Eucharist is the greatest gift, and all of these gifts are preparing us to live forever with God in the Parousia (there's that word again!)

These three bridge works, as well as beginning study of the saints and some art and practical life (like brass polishing) fill the first several weeks of the Level III atrium. The foundational work of Level III is coming soon: The Plan of God! If you've ever looked in our atrium, you've seen this 30' chart on the wall. This presentation has 4 moments. We'll talk about these more next time!

God Bless!

Mandie DeVries, Level III Catechist and Director of Faith Formation at All Saints

Level II Sept. 2010 – The History of the Kingdom of God

Each year in Level II, the first 3-4 weeks are spent reflecting on “The History of the Kingdom of God”. This is done through several different presentations (lessons), but they all carry the same message and have the same direct aim. This is done because the 6-9 year old child no longer loves repetition, however, they still need it. In this way they receive repetition without getting tired of the material because it is presented in a new way each week.

In the first moment (usually the first week) we simply discuss and contemplate with the children on the History of the Kingdom of God. The following week we present “La Fettuccia” or The Ribbon. This LONG ribbon really gives a visual of the great time and care God took in preparing the world for us and in unfolding His plan for our redemption and eternal happiness. Finally the children see the Blue Strip. This is basically a smaller version of the La Fettuccia which makes it easier to work with on a regular basis. It also contains symbols and scripture passages, again giving the children a new point of interest.

The Mute Strip goes along with this and is presented to the older children. The mute strip is a smaller version of the Blue strip and, as is left almost completely blank. The children then use the Blue strip as a guide while they place the symbols and scripture verses on their own.

During these presentations, we focus with the children on the three great moments, Creation, Redemption and Parousia. We begin with creation, the great gift and long work of God. As I said, we talk about the time a care which God took in preparing the world for us. The children love to discuss what kinds of plants and animals God created. God gave us every kind of plant and animal, both to help us and simply for our enjoyment.

Then when the earth was ready God created us! Humans were given the gift of intelligence, thus we could use our hands to work and transform things God had prepared for us. As the presentation continues, we see that much more time passed and then God, although he had already given us everything we needed, wanted to give us something even more, the gift of His Son.

This brings us to the second great moment, Redemption, when Christ came and died for our sins and rose on the third day so that we might have eternal life. From the time of Redemption until today the light of Christ has been spreading. One child was excited to add that "We help spread this light!", and she was exactly right. We have been given these great gifts and now we chose how we are going to respond with our lives. We refer to our time and our place in the History of the Kingdom of God as the "Blank Page" that we are writing on along with God. Each person is writing on the blank page, each person is an important part of this History. We don't know how long this time will last, but at the end of this time we know that Christ will come again.

This is our third and final moment called Parousia. We are waiting with great hope for this time when there will be no more pain, sadness or death and when God will be all in all. Another child commented that they hoped we were very close to this wonderful time. The children I've had in the atrium, respond to these presentations with prayers of thanksgiving. "Thank you for creating the plants and animals!" "Thank you for creating us!"

I have to add that a friend of mine recently as the question "Is good still winning or does evil now have the upper hand?" He intended for it to be somewhat rhetorical, however I had just given the above presentation and felt that it had something for him. In the History of the Kingdom of God, we see God's great plan for mankind and that he has always been active in this plan. This is no different for today, God has not abandoned us, he is ever present to us, particularly in the Eucharist. Good has already won, God has already won. In the struggles and pain of everyday life, and when we look at the events taking place in this world it may not always seem like it, but we know the end result, and we wait with great hope and expectation for the time in which "God will be all in all"!

Liz Stone, CGS Catechist and Assistant Director of Faith Formation

Level I Sept. 2010 – Orientation to the Atrium

Hello and welcome to another year of CGS Faith Formation! We are happy to see so many new and returning children in the atria this year.

The first few weeks in a Level I atrium are generally spent giving the children time to adjust to the flow and feel of the atrium. This is done first by discussing and modeling how we act in the atrium, reminding the children that in this beautifully prepared space, we walk slowly and talk softly, we treat the people and things respectfully etc. These “lessons” fall under the title of Grace and Courtesy Lessons, which set the tone of the atrium and lay the foundation for the year.

The second, but equally important way that the children adjust to the atrium is through the Practical Life Materials. As Mandie mentioned in her Parent Orientation blog post, these materials may, at first glance, seem totally unrelated to religious formation. However, they answer a need in the 3-6 child and prepare them directly and indirectly for future work in the atrium. The practical life materials, water pouring and cloth folding for example, give the children practice doing activities that will later be applied to such things as the gestures of the Mass and the altar work. Other practical life activities, such as bean spooning, paper cutting and bead stringing, while not as directly related to future material, help the child develop concentration, control of movement, a sense of order and independence. These skills will carry over into every area of the atrium.

In my experience, the time spent on these preliminary activities is a valuable and necessary part of the year. Soon, however, we will be moving on to the model altar, the gestures of the Mass and the seasons of the church year, but the foundation laid and the skills developed through the Grace and Courtesy/Practical Life lessons will cause the year(s) to come to bear great fruit.

Liz Stone, CGS Catechist & Assistant Director of Faith Formation

Parent Orientation In Sum

Greetings Families,


We are well into our 3rd week of Faith Formation, and I finally have a moment to make a summary of our September 8th parent meeting for all who are interested. It actually only took 30 minutes or so, but I bet reading it will take even less time!

How Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is different from traditional textbook methods of religious formation:

We can begin with the obvious: there are no textbooks! But let's first describe a textbook classroom. In a textbook classroom,

• there are tables and chairs where similarly aged children usually sit for the entire class time,
• a catechist leads the class as a whole, usually at the head and leads the lesson and makes assignments. She or he is the director of the classroom activity
• the catechist in these classrooms may be someone with 15+ years of experience as a catechist and a professional teacher on the side, or it may be someone without any formal training doing this for the first time
• the material is covered according to the textbook. The scope and sequence is determined according to the text, as well as the interest of the class as a whole.
• a good catechist is someone who can create exciting ways to impart the material in the text in a way that the children will retain it.

In a CGS atrium:

• there are many different areas where the children may sit and receive lessons or work, as well as 3 different ages of child who are instructed not simply according to age, but also interest and ability.
• the catechist generally does not instruct the class as a whole unit, but gives lessons or "presentations" to small groups of children at a time. The child's activity, beyond the presentation he or she receives, is chosen by the child from a variety of choices that are offered. In this way, the child is generally the director of the class time, choosing work that corresponds to his or her interests and abilities.
• Each trained catechist has an "album" of presentations, 50+ presentations per level, complete with direct and indirect aims laid out--these are the goals of what we want the children to achieve and how we measure our success in the presentation. The material from these presentations is drawn from liturgy (the Mass) and scripture.
• the CGS catechist falls into two categories: lead catechist and assistant. The lead catechist is someone who has undergone a 90-hour formation/training course (over 2 weeks of formation) for the level in which they work. Each level is a pre-requisite for the next, so if someone is a lead catechist in Level III, she or he has completed a 90 hour training course for Level I and a 90 hour formation course for Level I, as well as 90+ hours for Level III. It does not necessarily mean that the catechist is "experienced," yet, and I can tell you that it is definitely a learning process to catechize in this way, but generally catechists will return year after year to serve and often get to serve the same child for multiple years. An assistant is someone who may or may not have been through formation, but "assists" the lead catechist with the work of maintaining the environment and assisting children in their work.
• the material is presented on a 3 year cycle and is presented according to the age and ability and interest of the individual child as much as possible. A material is never "done," and a child who wants to delve more deeply into geography or the parables or the bible work may always choose to do so.
• a good catechist is a "co-listener" with the children to the Word that she or he proclaims. The true catechist in the atrium is the Holy Spirit, and adults come to learn and be led with a listening, rather than instructing, stance before the child.

How it was developed over the course of the last 50+ years

• CGS began simply. The foundress, Sofia Cavalletti, was a well-educated scholar of the Hebrew Scriptures, and was asked to help prepare a friend's child for First Holy Communion. She took this role very seriously, and through collaboration with other women who had great interest and experience with child development research and success of Maria Montessori, this group of women developed what we know today as Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. It has been over 50 years now of observing what lessons and parables most resonate in the heart of the child, and what work leads them to desire holiness and develop spiritually according to their great potential.

What to expect (and what not to expect) from your child

• Atrium is a bit more like going to church than it is like going to school. The experiences are very personal and sometimes difficult to explain. It is not a matter of: "I drew this today" or "I learned about this today" so much as it is, "I received the Word of God, and it spoke to me in a new way." These sentiments can be difficult for a child to verbalize. However, sometimes it happens! We had a child last Sunday who spent time in the class "prayer chair" writing up her "prares" after working on two materials over the previous weeks:

"Jesus Christ thank you for bringing me into the world. You take away the sins of the world and keep me safe."

"From creation to Redemption to Parousia you have been leading us into your light. You sacrificed your life for us thank you Jesus Christ Amen"

• In the younger ages, the first few weeks are not as obviously fruitful, as the child has quite a bit if "practical" work to do to prepare and enable themselves to hear and absorb the content that will be presented. In some ways, the practical life work in the atrium, such as cutting paper, spooning beans, and pouring water, can appear to be completely unrelated to the goals at hand. However, these activities build the child's capacity for concentration and control of movement: very important skills needed for further exploration of the atrium!

How the three levels of CGS meet the developmental needs of the 3-6, 6-9, and 9-12 year old child (Levels I, II, and III respectively)

• It is worth pointing out that CGS begins with the needs of the 3 year old child in mind, but continues to grow and change to meet the needs of children in their own unique developmental stage. The need for repetition in young children is more than met in the Level I atrium by the work presented there, while the need but lack of desire for repetition is met for older children by varied works on the same topic. Many of the materials in a Level III atrium can be as difficult or simple as the child needs them to be, and the extention works (e.g. research that the child may do) are directed exactly where the child is. This is why one never really outgrows the material in Level III (I know I haven't), but the way in which it is used changes. For more information on this, keep reading in the blog for individual work descriptions!

How CGS follows the guidelines of the General Directory for Catechesis

• The GDC and the NDC are both followed very carefully by the content presented in CGS. The difference is merely in the method and approach. We have a catechist in our Level II (1st grade-3rd grade) atrium who had taught 2nd grade faith formation for years and she was impressed at how everything that was covered in the book was woven seamlessly into the CGS approach. I have templates covering exactly how our presentations work to meet these guidelines available for parents who want them.

Why CGS is respected worldwide and used by the Nashville Dominican Sisters and Missionaries of Charity

• When asked why the Missionaries of Charity have gone to using CGS in their schools as well as in the formation of their own sisters, the superior of the order (after Mother Theresa's death) replied, "Contemplation." The Good Shepherd approach, as you could see in the 5th grade girl's prayers above, facilitate contemplation in the child... more than just thinking about God, it is a communication with him, and a driving force behind the desire for holiness.

How to follow your child's work and communicate effectively with his/her catechists

• This BLOG! Read here to learn more about the actual lessons and fruit that is taking place in the different levels of CGS.
• Email Mandie! I can put you in contact with your catechists with one click!
• Observe in your child's atrium! Ask your child's catechist when would be a good time to come and observe. There are some guidelines that we have (trying to be invisible is one of them!) that the catechist will give you to help you see how the class goes even when you aren't there!
• Hang around after class or come early and ask the catechist how your child is doing. Catechists love nothing more than talking about the work of the children in their atrium!

That is about all for this rather lengthy "orientation," but I hope you have a better understanding of the experience your child will be having this year. We look forward to working together with you!

God Bless,

Mandie DeVries, CGS Level III Catechist and Director of Faith Formation

History of the Gifts

Last Saturday, our First Communion team had the awesome priviledge of putting on a day-long retreat for our First Communicants. There were various activities and presentations that the children worked on in the morning, and in the afternoon I was blessed to be able to present my absolute favorite work: a presentation called the "History of the Gifts." This work, and the children's reflections on it, was so powerful that I would like to share with you our experience as relates to the great feast we celebrate this weekend: Pentecost.

The History of the Gifts is contained in a beautiful "treasure chest." The chest, full of gift boxes filled with different pictures and articles from creation, is a step-by-step consideration of God's preparation for US. It is a History of the gifts He created to give US.

We first think about the galaxies and the stars and the planets and the moons. The children were very excited to share all they knew about planets and the sun. We then moved into the mineral world and opened gift boxes one by one that contained different rocks and minerals. We considered coal, for example, and how God's creation of coal made it possible for trains to run, and houses to be warm. We considered gold, and how humans have transformed this precious metal into jewelry and money. We considered pyrite (fool's gold), which so captivated one boy that he held onto it for the rest of the presentation.

Next, we considered ocean life. When I asked the children why they think God made shells, some children began to explain how the shells protect the creatures from predators. I looked at the beautiful collection of shells carefully, and asked again. One child cut to the heart of the matter, "God made shells to fascinate us."

With those simple and powerful words echoing in my mind, I continued our relflection with a new appreciation of creation, knowing more and more that each plant, each animal was not created for its own sake, but for our fascination, as a gift to us. When we reached the moment when God gave us other people it was perhaps the most beautiful moment in the presentation. People are the first created beings that were created for their own sake and not for the use of others. The children reflected on how lonely we would be without other people to love us and take care of us or to play with. We then reflected on how the gifts of creation have been transformed by humans--into buildings, cars, clothing, heat, etc. If there were not other people, then we would be back in raw creation--a creation that had never been transformed by the power and genius of human invention.

The final gift, of course, was the best of all. We reflected on how God sent his Son to us--who gave his life on the Cross and who gives His very Self to us in the Eucharist!

This weekend, I would like to think a little bit further on the gifts that Jesus sent us after his Ascension, at Pentecost. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are not like the gifts that came in Creation. The gifts of Creation were given for human beings' fascination, as that little boy reminded me, and they are for us to use and transform to bring out the gifts' potential: transforming raw cotton into thread and fabric and creating a beautiful quilt, for example.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit, however, are given to transform US from our raw potential into that perfect state to which Christ calls us, "Be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect." Matt 5:48. As Sofia Cavalletti, the foundress of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, reflects in her book, Living Liturgy: Elementary Reflections,

"Would human beings be restricted to their own level--however high and exalted--and thus be shut off from the possibility of access to a level of greater fulfillment and richer meaning? If so, these creatures that crown creation would be in a position inferior to irrational creatures... Will they not be given wings to fly above their own human world?" (page 9).

God in his great love and mercy, deigns to come among us and remain with us, that through our participation in Mass and our cooperation with the Holy Spirit, we may "fly above" the material world. Through the Holy Spirit's refinining touch and the Potter's gentle hand, we also are transformed into a full revelation of the image and likeness of God that is hidden in each of us. We are being transformed even now! What dignity we have, that God Himself co-operates with us in this great work of perfecting our souls!

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created, and Thou shall renew the face of the Earth!

May the Holy Spirit in his sevenfold gifts come mightily upon you and your families and remain with you always!

God Bless,

Mandie DeVries, Director of Faith Formation

Last Class

We can't believe it. Our final class of the year is over and done. The last class of the year will almost always involve the Pentecost presentation. This presentation involves a reading from the Acts of the Apostles 2:1-4:

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together.
And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

This proclamation is followed by the presentation of the 7 gifts of the Spirit. Each gift has a red ("red is for Pentecost!") candle and a red tent card that lists the gift and its explanation. For the first time this year, we also made individual gift cards in the shape of a red flame that had the gift and description on it. As we lit each candle, we explained the gift and what it was:

Wisdom: that we might know in our inner self the greatness of God and be able to share that with another in their time of need.
Understanding: That we might know God more and more
Knowledge: That we might know more
Counsel: That we might know what to do and how to do it
Fortitude: Strength: that our faith in God might be strong
Piety: That we might love God totally
Fear of the Lord: That we might be aware of the greatness of God

One child chose wisdom and said, "I think that my gift is already at work in me, but in a hidden way...kind of like Jesus was hidden in the Good Shepherd...the Holy Spirit is hidden in the flame."

What a way to end the year. Of course we still have First Communion meetings to go, and those are always very wonderful and exciting... Keep us all in your prayers as we prepare the children for this special gift: Jesus himself!

God Bless,

Mandie DeVries, Catechist & Director of Faith Formation

First Communion Pilgrimage

Our trip to the Grotto last Saturday was very awesome. I've attached some pictures for you, though they don't even begin to do the Grotto justice. For more information about this phenomenal "8th Wonder of the World", check out their website: http://www.westbendgrotto.com/.

We arrived around 11:30-about 30 minutes earlier than we intended. Mapquest thought it would take nearly 3 hours, but even driving the speed limit and stopping to grab sunscreen we got there in 2.5!

This was the back of the sign that greeted visitors. We definitely felt the blessings!

This was the first grotto that we entered. There are 9 total.

This grotto glorified the Trinity. Mary is holding baby Jesus out for the world. The symbolism was very deep and meaningful and the children loved finding the hidden words and symbols in the stone.

This is the ceiling of the first grotto. It is meant to represent heaven!

This is the Christmas chapel. The pictures don't even begin to convey the beauty! There are beautiful pearls and precious stones that adorn this grotto that is called "Glorification of the Incarnation." It was quite a stark difference from the other nativity, which emphasized the poverty and humility of the Holy Family and our Lord especially. It is very plain and the whole structure is made with petrified wood.

This is the empty tomb. Visitors purchase roses in honor of loved ones (instead of lighting candles) and place them throughout the grotto. This was a favorite spot! He is Risen! Alleluia!

Check out these ordinary looking rocks.


Just like human beings, the outside doesn't always show the true beauty. We must look at things with the right light! (in this case, blacklights!)

There are many, many more pictures. Those who joined us on the pilgrimage definitely want to go back! This will be a yearly pilgrimage for our first communicants! They have a campground next door for those of you who like the early morning quiet. This is the largest collection of precious stone and rock anywhere in the world, created and maintained for the glory of God!

It was truly a gift for the ages. Thank you, Father Paul!

Liturgy of Light

Have you ever been to a Mass and experienced a holy moment and just wanted to stop and think and rest in the beauty of the experience? The Liturgy of Light is kind of like that. This "paraliturgy" is a borrowing of elements from the most intense and beautiful liturgy of the Church year: the Easter Vigil.

Isolating one aspect of this 2-3 hour liturgy, we focus on the Christ candle--hence the name: Liturgy of Light! We also have a child-friendly Exultet sung, which is one of the most beautiful prayers I have ever heard intoned! If you'd like to hear it again, check out the video I have attached!

The children's work in the atrium following the paraliturgy was truly a fruit-bearing exercise. Some children got to work making 3D Easter candles, complete with the symbol for the Alpha and Omega and the incense marking the five wounds of Christ. One child made a cross and taped stones on the parts of the cross where the wounds/incense nails would be. Last year, a child drew a beautiful picture of the Easter candle in the darkness with the bright light eminating from it.

This year, a new child who is in 1st grade made a booklet. One the front page she wrote Jesus, God, Love. The second page was black and on it she wrote (in black) "Can you see me, Good Shepherd?" and on the final white page she wrote, "I can see you in the darkness, Love, Jesus."

We also had a child in the older grade (not CGS) who shared with us an intense experience of Jesus during the Liturgy of Light. He said that he sat there and closed his eyes and tried to think about what God might look like (contemplation!), and he said he saw an image of Jesus--but he looked different than the pictures--and his face was in the flame of the big candle.

It is amazing the fruits that come from prayer and giving God the opportunity to work with souls. CGS is about creating an environment where God and the child meet, but it's funny because any catechist will tell you that when you give the Holy Spirit the opportunity to light a flame in a child's heart, you can't help but be set on fire, too. Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.

Amen.

Mandie DeVries, Catechist & Director of Faith Formation

Here is the video.. The Exultet starts at around 3m30sec. The first part is very like the Liturgy of Light in that there is silence and the spread of light! Divided but undimmed!

How the Mass Began

The last class before Holy Thursday, we always have a special presentation for the children in both Level I and Level II. This presentation is called the Cenacle and is named for the upper room where the apostles and Jesus celebrated the Passover meal that was the setting for the institution of the Holy Eucharist!

The material is nearly the same for both atria, and we use 12 little 3D apostles and 1 3D Jesus to represent the real apostles and Jesus on that night. There are also little candlesticks and candles, and a plate with bread (paten) and a cup with wine (chalice).

We prepare the children by saying that during this meal, Jesus spoke words that had never been spoken before: "This is my body," and "This is my blood." As we read the red "Last Supper" booklet containing the pertinent scriptures, the catechist moves the figures to retell the story. We finish the Level I presentation by recalling what happened in the Garden of Gethsemene after this meal.

"We know that something very sad happened. The soldiers came and arrested Jesus, and the next day... he died." (At this, the catechist extinguishes the candles). Many of the smallest children and some older ones audibly gasp upon hearing this... not because they may not have known it already, but because it really is an amazing thing that Jesus truly died for us! The catechist continues, "But we know that Jesus did not remain in the darkness of death! (relights candles) On Easter morning, he rose again!"

The Level II presentation continues after this point into a presentation called "The Origin of the Eucharist." The catechists remembers with the children how Jesus rose and appeared to the apostles over the course of the next 40 days until his Ascension into heaven. Then the apostles return (and the catechists replaces the apostles around the table in the upper room), and celebrate the Eucharist (probably Peter said the words of Jesus: "This is my body" and "This is my blood"), and Jesus became present to them in the bread and wine. But the apostles grew old, and other faithful men were appointed bishops to succeed them. (At this point we bring in a 2D bishop to represent many bishops that were appointed), and as the Church grew, these bishops appointed other men, called priests, to assist them (now we replace the bishop with a 2d priest).

Now this is the best part: "Over the centuries, bishops and priests have continued to repeat the words of Jesus--bringing the gift Jesus wished to give to all people of all times, his presence in the bread and wine. Even to this present day, priests and bishops continue this apostolic ministry. (Now the backdrop is turned around to reveal the picture of our own parish church!) So that we all can receive the gift of Jesus, even here at All Saints!"

The children's "oohs" and "aahs" were very sweet, especially the children who have seen this presentation for the past 3 or 4 years and never knew what was on the other side of the backdrop! This is a concrete presentation to help us all understand how we are a part of what happened in that room 2000 years ago on Holy Thursday, and it helps us to have a great respect for our priests and bishops who bring us this gift that Jesus wished to share with all people of all times: His very Self!!!

God be with you all this Holy Week!

Mandie DeVries,
Catechist and Director of Faith Formation



Children

Mystery of Life and Death

The catechists are very happy this week that we have finally found someone to help us prepare the work called "The Mystery of Life and Death." It requires planting wheat seeds at 1 week intervals and showing the progression of the life/death of a seed and the new life that comes from it. Unfortunately, many of your CGS catechists are not blessed with green thumbs, but Ms. Lynn happened to major in horticulture and apparently that is what we needed!

The meditation began with this reading from the Gospel of John:

"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit." John 12:24

We then explored with the children what happened to the grain of wheat when it fell to the ground: it changed! Life came out of it! It was fun digging up a plant to see what has happened to the seed. Looking at the sheath of wheat, we see what has become of this grain falling to the ground--although some of them thought it was a bit of a stretch to call the full sheath of grain "fruit"!

We did this work in both levels this week (since it's the first time any of the children ever saw it!) and some children were absolutely rapt with attention. One child wrote a prayer, "O dear Jesus, help me not to stay small like the grain, but to grow and grow and grow!" Another child synthesized our "Blue Strip" work that details the History of the Kingdom of God and drew a picture with concentric circles, starting very small and growing larger and larger. He said that the center circle was the Resurrection of Christ, and that it keeps radiating out--growing and growing throughout history. When he showed this to his classmates at prayer that evening, one child raised her hand and said, "That is the most amazing thing I've ever seen."

Speaking of amazing, there was one other Level II work that two children did that I want to share with you this week. Two boys, a 3rd grader and a 1st grader, who do not usually work together, took on the HUGE project of copying the entire Blue Strip. This is a meditation on the creation of the world, with scientific explanations paired with scriptural verses. One child took it upon himself to start drawing the strip on a 10-15 foot strip of adding paper, supplementing it with verses, and the other began to write the bottom explanations on white paper, stapling them in their appropriate place on the adding paper. It is by far the BIGGEST work any children have done so far, and it was entirely on their own initiative.

As one of our catechists said, the prepared environment of the atrium is a place where work is prepared and the child may use it to the glory of God. This catechist said that CGS has helped her to appreciate how God made a prepared environment for us: the world! There is work for us to do, and it will (hopefully!) lead us to Him.

May God bless you and your families! Have a happy Spring Break!!!

Mandie DeVries
CGS Catechist & Director of Faith Formation

Level I Feb. 24th and Mar. 3rd

The City of Jerusalem

We had a great atrium session this week! The children love their work time and keep busy working with many different materials. The altar, the Good Shepherd, the Gestures of the Mass, and the leaven work are always favorites.

This week, the second year children were introduced (or reintroduced) the City of Jerusalem work. If you have not seen this material before, I invite you to come take a look, it is really cool. It’s actually a 3D map that shows the various places of significance within the city. All the pieces are movable so we can assemble the map as we discuss each location. We begin the presentation by recalling with the children that we are in the season of Lent and that we remember Christ's death and resurrection in a special way. Then, using the map we talk about the events and locations staring with the Last Supper and ending with His Resurrection.

They all knew that Christ died on the cross to save us from our sins and that on the third day he rose from the dead. However, this presentation gives more information about the events leading up to Christ's death and it helps them to more fully understand the life of Christ in time and space.

The children loved this presentation, it really draws them in. The younger ones can't wait until it is their turn to see it as well!

I hope you are having a blessed Lent!

In Christ,

Liz Stone, Catechist & Assistant Director of Faith Formation

Level II--Bible History, Prayers, and Weddings

This week in Level II, first year children were presented a "Archival" type book that was handcopied and adorned with special pictures to help them think about Where the Bible Came From. It was awesome to see the children so engaged with the story of this ancient book that really is the history of the Kingdom of God. In the Sunday class, we sat near the Blue Strip which also titled "The History of the Kingdom of God" and the children were drawn even deeper into this amazing plan that God had from the beginning of time.

Two boys from our 5:15 class (one 3rd grader and one 1st grader) have been working especially hard at recreating the Blue Unity Strip together. One child has busied himself at redrawing all of the pictures on a long piece of adding paper, "This is the best horse I ever made!" and the other has gotten a good deal of tape and copied down the many, many words that accompany the work to attach it to his friends' work. They hope to finish it this week.

The Wedding Feast material was presented to many 3rd graders this week, and can be a very intense work, since it involves the murder of the King's servants, the anger of the King, and the opening of the Feast to all people, good and bad. The children were asked to think about the man who came without a wedding garment. In those days, guests to weddings were actually given a wedding garment to wear. Why would this man refuse to wear the garment? Many of the children simply pondered this question, and will undoubtedly go deeper with this work over the next few years. For us, though, we know that this garment reminds us of the garment that we were given at Baptism, the garment of worship. We are all offered this gift, and it is important that we bring it unstained into the eternal banquet.

The final story I have to share is from the 7pm atrium. All of our children who are planning to enroll in First Communion preparation have now signed their names in gold and placed their name cards on our special board. One 3rd grade girl chose to make a replica of this board, name for name, even to the point of outlining each card twice. She wanted to take her replica home and place it by her bed so that she could remember to pray for her classmates each night. The children were very taken with this, and all of the 2nd graders wanted to make sure that their names were on her paper. It is very sweet to see love for each other growing in their little hearts.

The atrium really is a different approach to faith formation. Nearly every week the children are presented with some new work (we usually call it a Presentation) which can take anywhere from 10-30 minutes, and either before or after this they are given an opportunity to do their "free work." This work will vary from child to child, but the environment is prepared for them so that they can work. Contemplation and understanding stem from 3 things: material-something to think about, silence-a chance to work without distraction, and time-that mysterious agent that causes growth, though we do not know how or why. It is when we offer these 3 things that we truly begin to see the depth of the Religious Potential of the Child.

God Bless,

Mandie DeVries,
Catechist & Director of Faith Formation

Level I February 21st and 24th

'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.'

This week in the atrium we celebrated the beginning of Lent with the children. We had a procession into the atrium singing “Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord”, and changed the prayer cloth to purple for this time of preparation.

We presented the Sign of the Cross to the children and talked about how making the Sign of the Cross is a symbol of protection (like a shield), and reminder that God is close to us.

Finally, the second year children received the Lost Sheep presentation. As I was thinking about the questions we ask the children in order to lift up certain ideas from this scripture passage, I realized how prevalent this passage is to my life, and what a beautiful parable this is to contemplate during the Lenten season.

“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it?

And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy.

And, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, 'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.'” Lk. 15:4-6

How does it feel to be lost? The children immediately respond “scary”, they have either been lost or can imagine what that would feel like. But as an adult, what does it feel like to be lost? We have all experienced confusion, loneliness, being unsure of God’s will or feeling as though we are far from God.

Yet…

What does the Good Shepherd do?
He looks for that lost sheep, and he does not stop looking until he finds it, he never gives up! The lost sheep must have been so happy to be found be the Good Shepherd! And we know the Good Shepherd was happy, too! He carried the sheep home on his shoulders, and when he got there called everyone together to celebrate!

The Good Shepherd does the same for us, even now! Praise God for the sacrament of Reconciliation and for this wonderful season of turning our hearts and minds back to God. I believe all of Heaven is rejoicing!

May God bless you all!
-Liz Stone

Level II Atrium Feb 21st, 24th, & 28th

This was our week of First Communion enrollment. The 2nd graders were invited to write their names in gold pen and present themselves for enrollment in First Communion preparation. Each child's name was posted on a beautiful board that is placed near the prayer table. The children's names will be read each week as part of class prayer.

It was very sweet to see the how excited the 3rd graders were to see the board: "Hey, look it's our names... No, they're not!" We did show the children the special box where all of the enrollment cards from past First Communicants are kept, and this was of special interest.

The First Communion children had a few presentations (based on the child) this week. The Synthesis of the Mass work was expanded to include prayer cards. This work goes deeper into the Mass with prayer cards (which they have to place in order) along with the Missal work (where they make their own Missal). This work continues the color-coded organization of the mass parts that was begun in Level I--Liturgy of the Word, Preparation, Liturgy of the Eucharist, etc.--and which will come into play even more in the Level III atrium.

Another material we presented this week was the "Found Coin" work. I love this work, as the woman, her 10 coins, and the broom that she uses to "sweep out" her room really help us to think together with the children about how hard that woman must have looked for her coin. The neighbors are my favorite, though, because they have their arms raised to heaven, sharing her joy. We ask the children, "who do you think this coin represents?" They will have time to meditate on this presentation again during their special First Communion Bible studies.

So much is going on in the atrium, that with our 40 children, we really do have 40 stories a week to share (or more!) Besides receiving new presentations, some children have busied themselves working on their Missals (a small white binder into which they copy our "control missal"), some have been studiously copying Scripture booklets, some have been working on the altar work, and many have been working with the Books of the Bible (more on that next week). The favorite is still the leaven work: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman took and mixed with 3 measures of flour, until it was leavened through."

The last story I will leave you with is about the simple prayer we prayed at the beginning of class on Sunday. We (the Sunday class) have begun by singing the "Hail Mary" each week, but this week we added a "Glory Be." I realized that this prayer has a lot to do with that big blue strip that is hanging on the wall in the atrium. It is titled: "The History of the Kingdom of God." It really is a timeline that begins with Creation, continues through the Redemption, and through to the Parousia, the time when "God will be all in all."

As we prayed the "Glory Be" we walked over to the Blue Strip and prayed the beginning part: "Glory Be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit" and then continued while walking along the strip with a hand outstretched: "...as it was in the beginning, is NOW, and ever shall be, world without end, AMEN!" When we got to the part about "world without end" we made our fingers wiggle like a fringe on a piece of ribbon that represents eternity. It was very cool, and the kids remembered the prayer at the end of class! It was a great chance to review the Parousia and the Plan of God and to offer GLORY to God for all of his great work!

God Bless!

Mandie DeVries,
CGS Catechists
Director of Religious Education

Level II, Week of February 7th

Ordinary time following the Christmas season is almost over. Just as the liturgical colors are green, the essence of "ordinary time" is to grow and bear fruit after the feasting of Christmas. The atrium has gotten quite busy over the past few weeks as children have been spending more time on BIG works (such as the "Books of the Bible" material and the Missal work), and receiving more in-depth presentations.

Last week, many children participated in a Bible study called "The Synthesis of the Kingdom Parables I." This work is a meditation on the parables of growth: the Leaven, the Mustard Seed, and the Grain. As we thought about the properties of an "earthly" kingdom, we listened to these parables that Jesus used to teach about how different His Kingdom was. It is truly amazing to have the opportunity to truly hear these parables with the children, as they consider the meaning of the seed, leaven, and grain. There were many gasps and Aha! moments that remind the catechists of the simple beauty of Jesus' teaching and his promise:

"I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike." Matthew 11:25

This week was also an opportunity for some 3rd grade children to go more in depth in their study of the Rite of Reconciliation. This card material helps the children learn about the 4 parts of this beautiful Sacrament of healing:

• Examination of Conscience-where we compare our life with the teachings of the Good Shepherd and realize that we are not always able to walk in His paths,
• Confession-where we confide our weaknesses and sins to God through the priest,
• Absolution-where the priest extends his hand above us and calls down the Holy Spirit as he prays the beautiful prayer of Absolution, and
• Penance-which is our response to the gift we have received in Jesus' death and Resurrection.

We will be opening up the atrium for observation time for parents and catechists who are interested in seeing what CGS is all about. If you are interested, please email me to set up a date and time!

God Bless!

Ms. Mandie, CGS Catechists and Director of Religious Education

January 24/27th Levels I&II

Another week has passed in the Atrium, this is the time of the year where I (Ms. Genny) find that time just flies, though the tempo in the atrium is much slower so it really feels peaceful and rewarding.

The first part of each class this week was dedicated to discussing the earthquake in Haiti. Faith Formation Director, Mandie DeVries, spent about 15 minutes discussing the earthquake and the devastating toll it had on the people of Haiti. The most important part of her message was that though there is suffering, God’s love is bigger than suffering and we can help those who are suffering by praying for them and showing them our love. Each of the children were then given the opportunity to offer prayers, or draw pictures to be delivered to Notre Dame D’Haiti parish in Miami that has close ties to the people of Haiti.

We were very pleased with the response of the children. Their love for the people of Haiti was evident in their drawings, in the prayers that were offered and in their actions in class. One child offered at least 7 prayers to the parishioners, another child worked hard on making a beautiful drawing, and was very specific with what she wanted her teachers to write on the paper, “I am sorry that your home got broken and you have to sleep outside, I pray for you...” Another child decided to start a “We’re Praying for Haiti” club, and everyone that was going to pray for the people in Haiti got to wear a bracelet (piece of yarn). By the end of the class every single child was in the club. Another child drew a picture and wrote “I love you as much as the Sunshine is bright, The sea has waves, and the Night is dark.” Truly Christ is the light in the darkness and I pray that the people in Haiti are comforted by the prayers of these 3 to 9 year olds!

The rest of the atrium time was spent with children working on their prayers for the people of Haiti or other works that the children found interesting. I did a bible study in my level II atrium with my older children (2nd grad and up) about The Finding in the Temple. The kids reflected on how much Jesus knew and how amazing it was that he was teaching the people in the temple even though he was only 12 years old. One of the children in the bible study was 10 and there was a general consensus that Jesus had to know he was God’s son even then. One boy even said he had to know at birth! It was very cool breaking open scriptures with these children. I definitely look forward to 1st Communion preparation when we will have time to go even deeper into the Word.

Level II atrium this week was truly an example of "following the child." Though we had the opportunity to give "planned" presentations, it is always awesome when a child or two show an interest and readiness to go deeper in some aspect of the faith. This week, one child was so interested in the books of the Bible, that a catechist pulled out the "Where did the Bible come from?" material that was handmade for our atrium. The child made discovery after discovery, and was so excited that it was a shame for the class to end.

The Sunday classes and Wednesday 7:00 led the singing at Mass on Sunday January, 24th. All of the children took turns going up to the microphone and singing and they did a wonderful job! It constantly amazes me how willing the kids are to put themselves out there. Even the most introverted seem to find their way up there! So much enthusiasm from such a young age is an encouraging sign for the music program in our parish.

~Ms. Genny, Level I&II Catechist (Sunday and Wednesday)

Level I & II for January 17th

The lucky Sunday kids got to meet last week, even though their Wednesday counterparts were iced out. This week was a very individualized one for both Level I and Level II. In Level I, some children did their own work utilizing materials they had seen before, while others received new or "refresher" presentations. "The Presentation in the Temple" is a favorite of mine, since the materials include a baby Jesus that is held by Mary, and then moved into the arms of Simeon. It is a beautiful passage and also striking in its forshadowing of the sufferings and great mission of that small child. This is no ordinary baby!

Level II saw some children who worked with the "Flight into Egypt" work that was presented the week before. This is one of the great beauties of atrium work, because no presentation is "over and done." As Father Harris quoted Vatican II on Sunday, the Scriptures are God's word to his people and when coupled with prayer, meditation on Scripture is a conversation with God! Using the materials, even very young children can enter into this conversation!

Two presentations in Level II were done with individual children. One 3rd grade child is very interested in the geography of the Holy Land, and had spent many weeks working with our Land of Israel pin map. We started working on the first geography packet for the Ministry of Jesus. This was quite a work, as it involved reading about different miracles of Jesus, looking up the location in the Bible, and plotting the city on the map. What surprised me was how well the child knew the locations of the cities. The child didn't even look at the control map when plotting the cities of Cana, Tiberius, or Bethany!

The other presentation was with a child who was a bit nervous about Reconciliation. She was very anxious to have me show her our Reconciliation card work, and reminded me of this at the beginning of class. She said, "When you finish showing me, I will ask my mom to take me to the priest." She even wrote a sweet prayer to Jesus asking him to make her unafraid to talk to the priest about her sins ("Because I love you so much, Jesus.") This is a great material for discussion about this Sacrament that can be so frightening for us all as it is a great reminder of the mercy and gift of God that comes to us in such a special way in this Sacrament.

That's all for this week! I hope that we get to meet with all of our children this week. God Bless you all!!

Mandie DeVries
CGS Catechist & Director of Faith Formation

Level I Jan. 10th and 13th

Hello Everyone!
It is always great to start class again after a nice, long Christmas break! The children always seem to come back with a renewed excitement about the atrium. This week, we celebrated the changing of the prayer cloth with the children. We follow the Church year and have the appropriate color cloth for each season. We asked the children to recall what feast we just celebrated. They all eagerly answered "Christmas!". We processed into the atrium singing Joy to the World, and gathered at the prayer table to change the cloth from purple, for the time of preparation before Christmas, to white for the celebration of Christmas!

We also did a presentation for the 2nd and 3rd year kids called The Epiphany Celebration. This is a beautiful presentation which focuses on the coming of Christ and how the Light of Christ spread. All of the Infancy materials are laid out side by side, staring with the Annunciation to Mary and ending with the Presentation in the Temple. We invite the children to recognize who knew about Christ's coming in each of the stories. First only Mary knew, then she went to visit Elizabeth and so Elizabeth knew as well as John the Baptist who was still in her womb. When Christ was born the angel appeared to the shepherds who proceeded to spread the good news everywhere they went. One of the children in my class made the connection right away and stated that Christ's Light spread to all the world. At the end of the presentation we talked about the length of time since the coming of Christ and how the Light of Christ has spread to us more than 2000 years later.

This beautiful meditation caused me to consider what an amazingly rich heritage we have in the Catholic faith. The Church which Christ founded has suffered relentless persecutions and seemingly unbearable hardships. Yet, it has continued to grow and to spread the Light of Christ to all the nations. What greater proof could I ask for? It is here, in the Catholic Church that Christ gives Himself completely to us in the Eucharist. It is here that we receive His love and mercy in the sacrament of reconciliation. It is here that we receive His Light and the strength to go out and spread that Light to the world! What an incredible gift, thanks be to God!

Level II, January 10th and 13th

It was a great week in the atrium, though for the Wednesday evening classes it was a little shorter than usual! The Sunday and Wednesday 7pm classes will be leading the singing on January 24th at 10:30 mass (mark your calendars if you haven't already), and the 7pm class began rehearsing this week. The Wednesday evening classes also celebrated Vocations Awareness Week by watching the film Fishers of Men (click on the title if you would like to watch it. It's about 20 minutes long, but very good). One 3rd grade boy was struck by the testimony of one of the priests in the movie, because he had given up everything for the "precious pearl" (Matt 13:45-46--This is one of the parables we present in the atrium). The child ran up to his catechist afterward and with great joy announced: "That movie reminded me why I gave up everything for the Precious Pearl: Jesus!"

We began classes with our Christmas procession, since we have not had class since the Christmas season started. The season of Christmas actually ended on the 10th, the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord, but everyone got to sing "Joy to the World" and process in with the white cloth that signifies a celebration. We also presented the "Flight into Egypt" which is the final infancy narrative material we have in the atrium.
This presentation, based on the scriptures from Matthew 2: 13-18, was met with a combination of sadness and wonder by the children. Of course, fearing for the child's life, the parents of Jesus had to travel very far (some children wanted to check out some reference materials to see how far Jerusalem and King Herod were from Bethlehem--less than 10 miles!--and we could see that Egypt was a very long trip indeed). The child was always well guarded and protected, though, and the angels seem to still have a very important place in Jesus' life: we saw the angel come to Mary, the angel appear to Joseph in a dream to tell him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, the angels appeared to the shepherds to announce Jesus' birth, and now an angel warning Joseph of the danger caused by Herod's jealousy. Of course, we did have some children who thought that the Holy Family walked to Egypt, so they were a little surprised that "they took a flight?!" :) The children also continued to grow in their understanding of who's who in scripture as they discovered to their surprise that the King Herod in this story died, and so it was a different Herod that we hear about when Jesus is older.

Next week, we will return to the green cloth that we haven't seen since November! We are all looking forward to the special "growing time" in the atrium before the solemn season of Lent is upon us.

God bless! ~ Mandie

Level I

…and a little child will lead them Isaiah 11:6
The first half of the year in any Level I atrium is a wonderful, although sometimes challenging time. I think it can be described in two words: Growing Time, because so much growth takes place both in the children and the catechists. The new children are introduced to the atrium and the returning children take some time to readjust. The first couple weeks are spent on the basics of the atrium. We remind them that this space has been specially prepared for them and go over how we act in the atrium. We talk about the Bible and the prayer corner where they can go to be silent and talk to Jesus.

The few weeks before we enter into the Advent season are filled with presentations that help the children to understand, and therefore participate more fully in the Mass. The altar work is a favorite. The children set a model altar as it would be set for Mass and in doing so learn the names of the various articles as well as awareness and a respect for what takes place on the altar. For example the square cloth laid on the altar is called a corporal. They learn the name and also the meaning, which is even more important. It is called the corporal because corporal means body and it is on this cloth that the Body and Blood of Christ are laid.

In the season of Advent (and also in this first week after break) the children reflect on the Infancy Narratives: the Annunciation to Mary, The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth, The Birth of Jesus and the Adoration of the Shepherds, The Adoration of the Magi and the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. As we reflect on these scripture passages with the children, we talk about waiting for the light of Christ. How did the people feel who were waiting in darkness? What does it feel like when we are in darkness and then when the light comes? How did the people feel when the Light came, when Jesus came into the world?

In the Level one atrium, the Good Shepherd is one of the central works. It is something the children return to again and again. It really speaks to the child about the love of the Good Shepherd for His sheep, the love of Jesus for us. As I was presenting the Good Shepherd material this year I had a mixture of first, second and third year children. One of the children was particularly eager to answer the meditative questions, I found this surprising since I knew they had seen the presentation before. Rather than being bored, this child was excited to see the presentation again and seemed so joyful as I read the scripture and we meditated on it. I was in awe. These children, who are so young, understand, better than I do, the love of the Good Shepherd and they are full of joy! How often do we as adults (or young adults) meditate on this love which is total and unconditional and eternal? I am the Good Shepherd…I will lay down my life for the sheep. Jn. 10:14-15 What would life be like if we trusted in the mercy and love of our Lord, and casting all our cares upon him (Ps. 55:23) let him fill our hearts with joy. Joy that even in times of sorrow and difficulty, does not fade because it is founded in Christ. I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete. Jn 15:11

It amazes me how much the children have to teach us!
…and a little child will lead them Isaiah 11:6

May the JOY of the Good Shepherd fill your hearts!

~Liz

CGS Level II--It's a New Year!

In the 2008-2009 Faith Formation year, we made it a practice to email parents each week to give a little "behind the scenes" insight at the work we are doing with your children in the CGS atrium. We had a lot going on this year, but no time is better than the present to get started again! Here, in a nutshell, are some of the highlights of work we have done and fruit we have seen in our Level II atria so far this 2009-2010 school year:

• We began with the BIG work, the La Fettuccia (Italian for ribbon). This work is a guided meditation on the creation of the world, and we think about all of the rocks, living things, trees, animals, creatures of the sea, etc. that God made, and the time which he took to make it. God spent a long time preparing creation for his final and most important creation: US! When God made man, he made him in his own image. It is pretty incredible to see that the powerful God wished to share his image with his creation, and even more incredible when he gives us the gift of his Son. The whole work is a meditation on the plan of God which includes all time, from before the creation, to the end of time and beyond--a time in which God will be "all in all"--a time called the Parousia.
• Many children have appreciated our new Altar work (thank you to the Mr. B, the parent who made this for us!). The work is actually a Level I material, but as we have many new children it is a wonderful material to have in our atrium. The children will use this work as a way to think about the articles of the mass, and have the opportunity to set up a miniature altar the way they would for Mass. We have a card material with the names and definitions for each article including the paten and chalice, the corporal and purificator, the tabernacle and ciborium, and the Lectionary and Sacramentary.
• Another special work that many children have loved is the pin map. The pin map is in our geography corner in the Level II atrium. I was especially impressed when a child who worked on this map all year last year was introduced to the "Life of Jesus" geography card packet. He saw the names of the cities where Jesus performed miracles or preached in his early ministry and could point to where they were on a mute map! I could not have done this! The geography work is very important for the children to help them conceptualize Jesus in time and space--the wedding feast at Cana has a whole new meaning to you when you know where Cana is!
• We have just finished our Advent work and it was a very special time for us in the atrium. My favorite part was the "Synthesis of the Infancy Narratives." Around the age of 7, children begin to make comparisons and actually "synthesize" the information they have been gathering for the first 6-8 years of their lives. The infancy narratives of Jesus are stories that they are all more or less familiar with: the Annunciation of the Angel to Mary, the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth, the Nativity and Adoration of the Shepherds, The Adoration of the Wise Men, and the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. The synthesis involves the reading these stories one after another, with the "nativity scene" type materials in front of them and we think about the similarities of the emotions of the people in the stories as well as the themes that are growing. In some sessions, the catechist invited the children to further synthesize what they have been working on in the atrium with the scriptures we just read. One child brought a priestly stole over to the work for the Adoration of the Wise Men because she felt that the priest was a wise man who was seeking Jesus. Another child brought the key to our miniature replica of a tabernacle over to the Visitation, because as more people understood that Jesus was coming, the mystery of God was being "unlocked" and opened for all to see. Another child brought the green cloth representing "Ordinary Time" or "the growing time" from the liturgical colors work over to the Presentation in the Temple work because he felt that Jesus was "growing" and it must have been spring because everyone was outside! Then the last child brought a small pool of water from our map of the city of Jerusalem to the Visitation because John the Baptist was in Elizabeth's tummy!

I can't tell you how excited we are to resume classes next week. I hope you continue to check out this blog as much as I hope we will find the time and inspiration to update it! God Bless!

~Mandie