Notes on This Week's Catechist Tea

When we learned of how Sofia Cavalletti, Gianna Gobbi, and catechists who worked with them would meet in the atrium after sessions each week and drink tea while discussing how things went in the atrium that week, we got the idea to gather as best we can in our program, have some tea (or hot chocolate, or decaf coffee!), and discuss life in the atrium. We call these gatherings "Catechist Tea" and we try to have them quarterly, or monthly, or even weekly, depending on the year and availability of catechists. We had one this Tuesday after our session and were joined by catechists from all of our sessions. This was some of the fruit of our discussion:

1) Broad (and then particular) discussion on what we are noticing. Is CGS serving the children and the families? Catechists shared many beautiful stories about how things are going with interesting comments children have made, work that they have chosen/created, and how we see glimpses of a profound relationship that is developing in the children. We may not be able to "test" the children or "measure" them, because how can you really "measure" a relationship? But as one Level II catechist reflected, "The only difference I can really put my finger on is that the children are happy and excited to come in and that the don't want to leave at the end. So much so that they are actually upset when we ring the bell to invite them to restore their work. That's different from any other experience of RE that I know of..." The other catechists concurred that this is their experience as well. I added the other big difference: "It is probably just as amazing, if not more so that the catechists share that." I know that sometimes it is a struggle in the atrium... Sometimes personalities don't mesh (and come and talk to me so we can do something about it!), but by and large, the overwhelming experience in the atrium is retreat-like and positive for all involved. This is something of a minor miracle. Maybe even a major one.

A group of children chose to "visit Jesus"
before atrium began last week.

 One new thing this year is having "tea" (usually cider or hot chocolate are chosen over the tea) with the children who are in Level III (4th-6th graders) during extended presentations on Bible Studies. The children have loved this and feel very "adult" as they open their bibles together and discuss the scriptures.

**It was also noted how much the children, even the Level I and toddlers, LOVE the opportunities for Eucharistic adoration. The other comment was about the LINES for confession each month. This is something of a surprise to us grown-ups.**

A 6th Grader chose to copy the
"History of the Jewish People" Timeline

It was also noted that 70% of the children in our program have parents who volunteer weekly or monthly (donating meals and serving the catechists!). While we don't have any solid numbers to compare this to, we feel that so much adult/parent involvement is something that continues to communicate to the children how important they and their inner life with God is to us.

2) Observations: Discussion about how and why we spend time in observation (instead of always in direct contact with the children or in discussion with other adults in the room). What sets our approach apart is that we do not primarily observe the children, but how the environment serves the children (and we adults are part of that environment). We are not primarily looking to see what the child needs "next" but to see what material is calling children to personal work, and which is not (is it because it is poorly designed? in a bad location? does the drawer stick? did I give a poor presentation that didn't draw them in? Were the consumable materials restored so there was enough for the child to finish and restore his work?) We are constantly looking at ways to improve the environment, trusting that the more prepared the environment, the better will we serve the children. The children can handle "disordered movements" from other children far more easily than they can handle disordered movements from the adults in the environment. After a period of time, when we see work cycles that are complete (get a mat for work, get work from shelf, do work--greatest concentration at the end, restore work to shelf and roll up mat, sense of fulfillment) and an atmosphere of peace and helpfulness in the atrium, even in snatches, we see that the environment is serving the children.

3) Albums and Record Keeping: Catechists were further invited to use down-time in the atrium (or train your assistants) to update the permanent record sheets that tell us which presentations a child has received. My goal for next fall is to have 100% of the children with a permanent record sheet that follows them to the next level. These are simply a tool to help catechists in a program as large as ours, but a great gift. If we do this well, we can serve the children even better. I did hear a comment though that I want to address: While we do want the children to see presentations and get the most out of each level, it is not a goal to have the children see 100% of the material in each level. If you have a child who decides to work extensively with geography, for example, and is focused on the booklets and looking up the cities in the bible, and can do the whole pin map without looking at the control, you do not need to worry that the child is being "shorted" because he did not see an expanded parable work. Trust the child. If he is deeply engaged in his work, we have seen the fruit of ours.

A gathering of catechists in my home as we discuss
"The Domestic Church"
(There were 35 children in the basement that day!)

As to albums: I encourage each catechist to make it a goal to rewrite your albums over the long course of your work as a catechist. Your group album is not YOUR album. Even your first album that you write 100% in your own words is not really complete. It is the work of the catechist to prepare (and constantly rework) his or her album. If you have not done this (and most of us have not), you are working in the atrium without the preparation that is most essential to your work in the atrium: your own deep reflection on the doctrinal content of the presentation, the aims, and the meaningful questions that you offer to the children. Please consider making it a goal to work on at least a couple of album pages before the end of the year. I will check over them if you need me to.

I am again humbled by these fabulous catechists of our parish, and I look forward to welcoming more men and women into our ranks in the coming years. For now, though, I am looking forward to next month's tea. We are always growing, and what a blessing that we can grow together!