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