Prepare Ye

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great Light" Isaiah 9:2.

This week, many of our Level I children as young as three years old heard these words spoken eight centuries before Jesus Christ was born. God is preparing His people for a gift, we tell them, and through the prophets, God tells us for what and whom, and even where, we should look.

A light. A star. A ruler. A son. Born of a Virgin. Emmanuel: God with us. Bethlehem. A child with authority. Wonder Counselor. God-Hero. Father-Forever. Price of Peace.

All of these things the prophets foretold. As we prepare these children to celebrate the mystery of Christmas, all of these signs point to that child who lays there in a feed box for animals. It's an incredible paradox: King of the world. Foretold for centuries. Heralded by angels. Lying in a manger?

It's all there, just like the prophets said, but it isn't quite as we might expect it. Good thing God pointed the way for all those years, or we might have missed it!

As the children grow, we offer further reflections on the Messiah "who is to come" from the prophets. In Level II (for 1st-3rd grades) and Level III (4th-6th) we hear about the incredible peace that will flood the earth. The wolf will lay down with the lamb. The young lion and the calf shall browse with the young child to lead them. No harm or ruin on all my holy mountain. The earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord as water covers the sea. There will be no mourning or wailing. Death will be destroyed forever.

Is this what we see on Christmas? Even the most stubborn optimist would have to admit it is not. Jesus is the Savior, and He did come to establish His kingdom. Yet we wait for the day when "everything is subjected to him" and "God will be all in all" 1 Cor 15:28.

With the children, we reflect deeply on the prophets' words because they have relevance for us today. The prophets had a call, a vocation, to listen deeply to the word of God--to encounter Him in their own hearts. From the depths of this relationship of listening, the prophet speaks God's message. It is not just to the people of their time, but of our time as well. Their words not only prepare us to recognize and accept Jesus Christ who is born on Christmas morning as the Messiah foretold, but to look and prepare carefully for the Parousia: that time in which God will be all in all.

Risk the Descant

The first weeks of the atrium are always interesting. Bringing in a couple dozen new children who are under 4 years old, it's not surprising that it takes a while for everyone to get used to a new routine, a new way of living and being together. In these first few weeks, we see some children who seem to be seeking out the edges, searching for what's allowed and what's not allowed. It is part of the process of figuring out what kind of world we live in. "Is this okay? How about this?" Some children don't seem to do this very much and go along and get along pretty easily, while others do it Every. Single. Minute.  It's like trying to lead a choir to sing in unison, with someone boldly risking the descant part and missing the mark.

Most of us, if we can sing at all, are comfortable singing the notes that everyone else sings. The majority of us aren't exactly solo types. If we've been in a really good choir for a while, we could even venture into some 4-part harmonies (written on the page for us to practice), where we can sing along with someone else on a harmony part while others carry the melody.

This reminds me of the Level I atrium. Some children are good little "choral singers" and can find the unison part right away. They pick up on the expectations of how we will live in community together. Other children might need some one-on-one practice. Just like you can't really sing in a choir if you don't know some of the basics about singing, the grace and courtesy lessons in the CGS atrium help build the skills necessary for community living.

But there is another aspect to choral singing that reminds me of atrium life: the descant. It takes a great amount of courage to try to pick out a harmony without someone else to help you, or if you are really inventing it as you go. It is much easier to go VERY wrong, and you might get a few looks from the others in the choir as you're working on it. When it is done well, however, it adds a richness and beauty to the whole song. Not everyone can be a descant singer. You have to be confident, strong-voiced, and very brave. Not to mention a very good singer.

I wonder if some of the children in the atrium who we think are "testing the boundaries" might actually be the equivalent of our future atrium descant singers. They are seeking to belong and to create peace in the community, but it is difficult to do when you aren't acting in unison with the others in the group. They want to sing along, but for one reason or another they are drawn to searching out a different part than everyone else.

Life is a lot more interesting when you meet those brave souls that can risk being fun, unexpected, and surprising. In the beginning, the child may have just seemed like a bad singer who missed the mark, but well-encouraged and carefully observed, our role is to recognize that this present difficulty may be a sign of something extraordinary: someone who is willing to risk the descant. Let us do all we can to help them sing it well!

Red is for Pentecost

In the atrium, our celebrations mirror the liturgical year as much as possible. We are simply living and enjoying the life and rhythm of the Church year with the children.

The exceptions are when the "school year" has ended before the greatest celebrations have taken place. So even though we still have several weeks left to enjoy and you grow from the Feast of Easter, we celebrate Pentecost this week with the children in our Level 1, 2, and 3 atria, as this is already our last day in the atrium. It's such a beautiful reflection on the "Birthday of the Church" and the gifts of the Holy Spirit that came not only to those who are waiting in the upper room, but also to each of us.

Liturgy of Light

Exult! Let them exult! The hosts of heaven!

An excerpt of the Exsultet (sung by one of the children) during this morning's Liturgy of Light in the atrium. The 4th-6th grade children prepare this special celebration of Easter (modeled after the opening rites in the Easter Vigil) for the younger children. There may have been happy tears on the part of some adults in the room!

Taking the Good News to All Nations

Sometimes it is more difficult to handle the overabundant blessings of God than it is to deal with suffering. St. Peter responded to the overabundant catch of fish by falling to his knees and begging Jesus to "depart from me... for I am a sinful man" Luke 5:8. Yet, if we can bear it, God will not tire in showing us his great desire to fill the nets and bring in a great harvest.

I was speaking to my friend, Maggie, last week about her recent mission trip to Haiti for spring break. She had been dying to tell me the amazing story of her trip, most specifically about how God is using Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (the program we use here at All Saints) to bring the Gospel to all nations.

While on mission, she met a woman living in Haiti who had previously lived in Georgia and served as a Director of Religious Education there. The woman brought her family (5 children) to Haiti, with the desire to serve as a missionary. She showed Maggie some of her CGS materials that she had been working on to help begin an atrium in Haiti. She thought that maybe these materials would help her to evangelize in a way that simply talking and teaching couldn't do.

Maggie, filled with excitement, encouraged her new friend, "Let's do it! Really. Let's just try it and see what happens!"

So, later that week, equipped with a white sheet and the Good Shepherd material that is very similar to the one we have in our rooms downstairs, she and Maggie embarked on a mission to proclaim the Gospel to the children of Haiti.

As they walked around the area where the families lived in huts, they invited children to come and see. "They just kept coming!" Maggie and her new friend spread out the sheet on the ground and, speaking in creole, her friend gave these children the first proclamation of the Gospel that many had ever heard in their lives. Parents, whose religion is heavily influenced by Voodoo, a belief in a distant, unknowable God, lingered close by, sitting under nearby trees and keeping and eye and ear on what their children were seeing: an image of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who cares for His sheep and loves them. Perhaps it was their first exposure to the Good News of Jesus Christ who is God with Us.

Maggie kept looking up to heaven and saying in her heart, "Stop, Lord. You are just too good!" as the children drew pictures of the sheep and the Shepherd. Then a young boy took her hand and pulled her over to a place where he liked to go and think. "This is where I go to be alone and think of God."

Maggie shared her overwhelming gratitude for this trip and for the knowledge that indeed, the harvest is rich. God is doing His work everywhere and in all nations.

Figuring It Out

(Re-post from 2013. This showed up in my "timehop" on Facebook and I just had to reprint it! Enjoy!)

It was a Monday morning. The stark reality of responsibilities, getting up and ready for school and work, and settling into the swing of our week had hit me again. It was quite the opposite for my five year old, Leah, who was dreamily pondering before she ran into my room as I was just ready to head downstairs.

"MOM! Guess what?! I've figured it out!"

Her enthusiasm was enough to make me stop and sit on the bed and really listen to her. Sometimes I don't take enough time to slow down and really listen to my children. Thank God I did this time! "What did you figure out, Leah?" She took a deep breath and revealed her newly discovered treasure:

"We're the sheep!"

Now, Leah has been in our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program for 3 years now, and she has heard and seen the parable of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. She knew that he calls his sheep by name, that he leads them out, that he loves them, and that he would stop at nothing to find a sheep that was lost. Her catechists, as all CGS catechists do, stopped there. We don't push them to "figure out" the parable. We just let them enjoy the Good Shepherd and his great love and care for his sheep. As Sofia Cavalletti, the co-founder of CGS, said, "If a parable does not wish to state clearly the meaning it teaches, then there is a reason." Nobody wants to think long and hard about a riddle whose answer is already given. A puzzle someone else has completed holds no interest for us.

Leah had been pondering this parable that particular Monday morning, and it was a very special day for her.

"We're the sheep! And we're the ones who get lost! When we sin, our hearts go away from Jesus, just like the sheep go away from the shepherd. We're the sheep!"

"And what happens when we sin and go away from Jesus?" I asked her. She didn't even pause:

"He looks for us and searches and will never stop until he finds us, just like the shepherd. And then, when he finds us..." She looked up and even raised her hands a little, "He REJOICES!"

I was so blessed to share that moment with her, a moment of discovering just how loved and special she is to Jesus. This moment was so profound to her, that when she arrived at school that morning, she announced to her teacher,

"Ms. Ginger, I've figured out LIFE."

And in so many ways, she had. Over the course of the next decades of her life, she will likely have to relearn this truth in many different ways. But seeing through the eyes of someone who is just 5 years old, I think I've figured out something new about life, too.

Work Is Love Made Visible

It's funny how we model the faith in the littlest things. The children come into the atrium and it is all prepared for them. They leave it beautiful when it is time to go. They take care of the environment and each other. Parents have told me that when they use our language at home, they find a magical power to the words: "It is time to restore our work." It isn't magic, though. It is tapping into the dignity and desire of the child to live in harmony with those around them. It gives purpose to their work and their life.

"Work is Love made visible." Kahlil Gibran

I was asked to make this with a new and equally relevant quote :) #stteresaofcalcutta #catholicart #catholicartisans

A photo posted by Sweet Oak Gallery (@sweetoakgallery) on Feb 6, 2017 at 8:06pm PST

Unless a Grain of Wheat...

"Can I take some of these seeds home and plant them?"

Ms. Lynn had finished presenting the Mystery of Life and Death, and one of the children wanted to see how it worked for herself.

This picture is the result of planting about 9 seeds last year, then harvesting the wheat and planting those seeds.

Now a 4th grader, the young girl had this to say:

"I don't think that the seed really dies. There is still life because it can grow again. Just like in a garden, things look like they are dead, but they aren't. I think that Jesus is trying to tell us that when we die, we bear great fruit, because we go to heaven. We don't actually die! Our bodies will die, but our souls won't!"

And Now For Something Completely Different!

Serving as a catechist in multiple levels always gives a fresh perspective on child development (spiritual and otherwise), but this is the first year I've been in a Level I atrium alongside the older kids. After 7 years with the older kids, I could describe the transition back to Level I with six words:

"And Now for Something Completely Different!" 

This is probably because the 3-6 year old child has not yet moved into what Montessori called "the rational mind." They are still absorbing everything with no filter, and they can't necessarily verbalize what they need or what they are thinking. I have already had to use nearly all of my skills as a reverse hostage negotiator to help some of the 3 year olds get over the threshold of the atrium.  Never have I had to do that with 10 year olds!

At the beginning of the year, the catechists from the older atria are often smiling and going on about the fruit they are seeing with the children they serve, while the Level I catechists share struggles with spills, messes, and little children who actually get up and walk away during their presentations.

But there is the other side of the coin: one parent told a Level I catechist that her child has been talking about her all week and already loves her.  I don't think any of my Level III boys will get quite to that point, even after the whole year! Another three year old Level I child told his dad, "I didn't think I would like going to catechism. But I do! I really, really do!"

It's pretty easy to get a big head when you are a catechist for the youngest children, because they are so full of joy and love, and when they see you, they want to hold your hand and they seem so happy.  But that is the nature of the 3-6 year old child.  They love with all that is in them, and they want to feel safe, and protected, and cared for.

It is our work as catechists to be the "matchmaker" between these little children who have such a desire and capacity for love and the Good Shepherd who calls them by name and cares for them so deeply.

While the privilege of seeing an older child mature into a more adult faith is awe-inspiring, the spiritual development of the 3-6 year old child retains and reveals something to us that is totally mysterious and, in reality, completely different.

Jesus Christ, the true Catechist, reminds us to pay attention to how His love grows in these little ones:  
"The kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it." Luke 18:16b-17

And again,

"Whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me." Matthew 18:5

May God Bless you and your family,

Mandie DeVries, CGS Catechist and Director of Religious Education

Interested in learning more about Catechesis of the Good Shepherd? New formation courses are beginning all the time!  Check out www.cgsusa.org to find a course near you.  

Handles

For a three-year-old, getting through Mass on Sunday can be quite the challenge. Some people, recognizing this difficulty for the young child, elect to wait until the child is older and can understand what is going on before bringing them to Mass on a regular basis.

Yet, when the time comes to get ready for First Communion, you'll often see that fidgety 6-year-olds and children who are learning the rules of this quite foreign experience are put off with crayons and books so that they will be less distracting to the rest of the congregation. Around the age of “you’re too old for that stuff” we’ll sometimes see kids who are prone to long bathroom breaks, or who sit with a less-than-interested expression, as though they are being forced to do something they loathe. After a while, parents say, “Well, I can’t force them to come” and we don’t see the kids at all anymore.

A recent pew study found that after 8th grade, ¼ of youth stop coming to church at all, and by the time they are graduating college, less than ¼ remain.

But there is another way.

Much like language is assimilated much more easily by the youngest child, a child who attends Mass as a baby and toddler is far more likely to experience the Mass as a native—to develop the prayerful attitudes through practice—than to see it as a foreign, impossible thing.

But just bringing a child to Mass doesn’t make them know the Mass! They can’t enter into something that isn't made accessible to them. Just as we repeat and practice and encourage language and physical development, we must help the child get across that hour on Sunday in a way that gives them (and you) joy! I like to think of these familiar moments as “handles.” What are the moments that a child can grab on to and understand that helps him or her participate more fully in the Mass?

In our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program, we offer the young child (3+) “handles” in the form of:

· Prayer language—like the Amen, Alleluia, and the Sign of the Cross
· Familiarity with the objects of the Mass—like the three-year-old who pointed out to his mom,  

“Mom! Father just poured wine into the chalice!” 

· Knowledge of gestures he can do and see like genuflection, epiclesis, and offering
· Reverence—a growing ability to be silent and focused in the presence of God
· Community—the young child loves to be loved! When he comes and sees those who are his friends and those who have come to love him, Church feels like a place of love and friendship.

Of course, you don’t need to wait until your child is three to start doing and teaching these things! Parents are the first teachers of their children, and our parish CGS program can be a great asset to you as you seek to help your child grow in his love and reverence for the Mass. It is my hope that we see more engaged toddlers, children, and teens in our parish every year. They have much to teach us about their great spiritual potential if we will take the time and make the effort to help them participate as fully as they can in the Mass each week!

Note: Atrium lists for our CGS program that serves 3 year olds – 6th grade are being put together right now for the coming year! You can find more information about our programs and sign up ONLINE! Check it out on our website www.dmallsaints.org under Faith Formation. We look forward to welcoming your child(ren) this fall!

Communal Prayer in the Atrium

Prayer changes as the children grow and move through the levels of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.  Here's a little overview of ways we experience prayer in the atrium.

All Levels: Nearly every presentation in the atrium has an element of prayer.  Either we are solemnly reading scripture, or isolating a part of the mass, or proclaiming some truth of the Faith, but it is always a call to think more deeply, to respond with joy, and with that joy and pondering to be drawn further into relationship with God.  I wanted this post to be a picture of what "group prayer" looks like in the different levels.

Level I: In the first level the group prayer is led by the catechist. Since the children are largely pre-readers, the prayer will usually consist of reading a prayer card that was chosen (like "Hail Mary" or "Glory to God") and reflecting on those words in silence for a few moments.  The candle is always lit, and the children always marvel as we talk about Jesus as the Light!  These children also pray for their families, friends, pets, neighbors, and they also say thank you to God a LOT.  They also love to sing simple songs at prayer.

Level II (1st-3rd grades or 6-9 years): Prayer becomes more child-led in this Level.  A few examples of prayer from the past two weeks that were pretty amazing:  Two girls, a first grader and a third grader, were using a template to prepare prayer and they were trying to choose a scripture.  They began to walk around the atrium and found the Kingdom of God parables.  The older girl took the lead and they made a booklet with ALL of these parables.  They even drew pictures.  It was beautiful!  The other example was of a boy who loves to make timelines for his prayer. He made a timeline of Jesus' life.  The catechist tried to get him to limit his "props" from around the atrium to four or so, but the young 3rd grader complained, "But I want to inspire people!"  He ended up pulling the shell from the baptism work over for the moment Jesus was baptized, and he chose the scripture from the Flight into Egypt for his reading.  The final moment on the timeline was (of course) the Leaven.  He asked the other children what the meaning of the Leaven was, and after they shared their ideas, he told them that it was like heaven because it rises so big and so fast, and that is the Parousia--what we're waiting for!  It was a profound reflection and synthesis for all who shared in this prayer.

Level III (4th-6th grades or 9-12 years): Prayer here can either be much simpler than the Level II kids, or can be much more involved, depending on the time these big kids have to put into it.  A few examples from the last couple of weeks:  In one atrium, there are three girls who love to sing. Their scripture readings were chosen around the songs they wished to sing.  And they sang in parts.  And the other children in the atrium joined in.  It was like a choir broke out in the atrium. Beautiful!  Another group was of younger children, and they broke up their scripture reading into a choral reading piece, with each having their own part, and sometimes reading all together.  The very first day of Level III, a few older children decided that they had to read from the Creation story in Genesis because it tied in so well with the works they had done that day. They read the whole first chapter, and though this can be a long reading, the other children were perfectly attentive and reflective. This age child will also bring in intentions to prayer and some of the intentions these bigger kids bring can be hard and heavy.  They also like silence.  For several years we would have silent moments in the atrium and the children would all comment on how LOUD the clocks were. We just built three new atria and I had an excuse to buy new clocks for every room. Digital clocks. I can't wait to make silence with them!

Stumbled Upon a Goldmine

A guest reflection by parishioner Melissa Hill

“What are they doing?”

This was one of the first thoughts I had when I was led into the atrium, the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd classroom, for the first time. The room was unlike anything I had seen before, and I have to admit that this style of Religious Education seemed a bit odd.

Having just registered at All Saints, I was determined to get my kids involved. So I decided to stay around and watch what they were doing. By the end of the session, I was very interested in what was happening there. I thought I needed to learn more about it, and honestly, it would have been hard for me to leave my children in an environment I didn’t understand. When invited to become an assistant in the room, I agreed without hesitation.

Within only a few weeks, I knew I had stumbled upon a goldmine. This "weird" form of education was producing a profound result with the children. Not only did they know terminology I didn’t know as an adult, they had a reverence for the liturgy and scripture that I hadn’t seen before.

Later that year, I enthusiastically entered into the formation course for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, but I had no idea the impact my formation would have on my personal relationship with God and Church. I thought this would be a class on how to be a catechist in this new style of classroom. Sure, that was part of my journey, but equally as significant was my own formation, my own experience.

During the extensive training sessions, I became like the child myself and learned about liturgy, scripture and relationship in a way I never had. I came out of the educational experience with a certificate of completion and ready to lead an atrium. I also came out with a new excitement for Catholicism and a readiness to make changes in my own life. I am convinced that the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program has made me a better mother and wife, and has been the catalyst for so many other growth opportunities for me.

I am so grateful that instead of turning around and going the other way, I was willing to go inside that strange looking classroom and find out for myself what was going on in there!

May God bless your families and your week! ~Mandie DeVries, Director of Religious Education

CGS Brings the Faith to Fareway

A parent (and catechist) sent me an email this week about her 4th grade son who insisted on two particular cans of Pringles while they were grocery shopping. He wouldn't tell her why he wanted them so much, and she was especially confused since they already had two cans of Pringles at home.

This is how he set them up when he got home...

"See, Mom!" and he began to sing the song he has sung in CGS since Kindergarten:

"Purple and Green and Red and White, are the colors of the year! Purple and Green and Red and White, remind us of the Light!"

Even at the grocery store we can be reminded of the Light! Who knew that Pringles cans could help us learn our liturgical colors? Way to go, Mom!

God Bless Everybody!

Mandie

This Holy Week! CGS-Inspired Prayer Presentation for Teens and Adults

Many adults in the parish have asked if there is an "adult version" of CGS. It seems adults are drawn to the materials and intriguing presentations of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.

To that end, we are offering a unique Holy Week experience this year. As we celebrate the "birthday" of the Liturgy of the Eucharist on Holy Thursday, it seemed appropriate to offer a prayer presentation on Holy Wednesday called:

The Holy Mass:

The Origin of the Eucharist & The Origin of the Liturgy of the Word

These two presentations (one from Level II, and the second from Level III) will be presented live and projected on a big screen. These presentations follow the roots of the mass all the way to the time of Jesus, and even further back in time.

The "direct aim" of nearly every presentation we do in CGS is this: to lead the child to fuller participation in the mass. I believe these presentations can do this for teens and adults as well. I know they have changed forever my own experience. I hope you will join us: April 4, 2012 @ 7pm in the church! (When we finish up, the Life Teen kids will go back to their regular class!)

God Bless,

Mandie DeVries, CGS Catechist and DRE

Silence

With some recent articles about what Pope Benedict has to say about silence, I thought it might be a good time to talk about silence in the atrium. Thank you to Ms. Lynn, a Level II catechist at our parish, for passing these on to me!

In Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, the mantra is "simple and essential." We meet about 25 times per year. We have to make sure that the most essential formation happens for the children in that time. But one of the most essential parts of that formation is to make the child comfortable with prayer--not just spoken prayer, but most importantly silent prayer.

As Mother Theresa said: "The fruit of silence is prayer. The fruit of prayer is faith. The fruit of faith is love. The fruit of love is service. And the fruit of service is peace."

In the stillness of our hearts, we become aware of the guest of our soul.

I suppose that is why CGS formation trains us to start this work with the smallest child. You would be amazed to see how peaceful a 3 year old can be for a few minutes of silence. This week in my class, a fourth grade boy asked if we could make silence for the whole class time. We got to about 7 minutes before entering our presentation for the day. I was impressed, though, at how much more focused the children were after the time of recollected silence.

As an aside, that same 4th grader was very disappointed to discover that he only had a few more years in CGS. "Isn't there a Level 4? Can you make one?"

God Bless you and your families,

Mandie DeVries, CGS Catechist and Director of Religious Education

Reasons it is OK to be late to Atrium... (True story)

We had a child come in a little late to atrium last week, and she apologized to her catechist but said, "My grandma said we had to be late today."

The catechist was a little surprised and said, "Oh, okay. Why is that?"

"Well, as we were driving up tonight, the sun was just setting and it was so beautiful that Grandma said we just had to sit and watch it. She said that watching God's beautiful sunset was more important than being on time today."

The catechist smiled and said, "Your grandma is right. In our class, we are practicing taking time out and thinking about God and thanking him for his blessings. Your grandma is doing that in the real world!"

Way to go, Grandma!

Catechist Tea

Just a quick post on a little something we started doing 3 (or so) years ago: Catechist Teas. Modeled after what one trainer mentioned in passing--that Sofia and her collaborators would often sit in the atrium after classes and drink tea while discussing the presentations, the children, and/or making materials--up to 10 of us meet once (or more) per month to do just that.

Lately, we have started to choose one presentation to focus on as the springboard for our conversation. Two months ago it was the presentation of The Presentation (in the Temple--a Level I presentation). Last month we looked at the International Eucharistic Presence (Level II), and ended up bringing together many different album pages and tweaking the presentation until it was "just right." Yesterday we looked at the Level III work, The Cardinal Virtues.

This is a good opportunity to revisit the presentations as adults and to be sure that we are on target with our direct and indirect aims and doctrinal content. The presenter usually reads the direct and indirect aims afterward and we all discuss on how (or not) the presentation mirrored those.

It's been a beautiful way to build a community and to get stronger in our own understanding and formation. These concepts are never outgrown... each is like the song we sing with the children in Level I: "It is the smallest seed that there is...[that] becomes a magnificent tree!"

"And the Kingdom is in the highest... and the Kingdom is o'er all the earth... and the Kingdom is o'er all the earth... And the Kingdom is inside of us."

God's Blessings,

Mandie DeVries, CGS Catechist & Director of Religious Education

Level 1 Atrium: Falling in love with God.

Well I can’t believe it has been two weeks since our Christmas celebration and break, the children were so excited to be back in the atrium. We started off by recalling the birth of Jesus in the manger and the people that came to visit him, like the poor shepherds. The children were presented a work about the adoration of the Magi also known as the three Kings or astrologers. It is a beautiful work that reminds us that Jesus came for everyone, the rich and the poor.

We lifted up the word, “homage” which means to show respect and honor by kneeling and bringing gifts. We also discussed the meaning of the three gifts (gold, frankincense, and myrrh) to help us ponder the true identity of this child, Jesus.

It is sometimes easy to forget the meanings of the gifts in which gold was a gift for a King, frankincense was used by a priest and myrrh is holy oil used to anoint a person’s body after they died. After the presentation, some of the children would be called to the work and we would reread the scripture (Mathew 2: 1-12) as the children moved the figures to reenact the event. Some children also enjoyed tracing pictures of the work.

Connected

It is amazing how one work will flow and be connected to another work. Each work builds on each other and helps deepen the children’s love and understanding of God. When talking about the word, homage, we also discussed that we give Jesus homage every time we genuflect at church. We talked about the gifts of bread and wine that we bring to Mass. Children seem to intuitive know that gifts are brought to special people. We presented a work about preparing the cruets. The cruets are the containers that hold the wine and water. At All Saints the cruet of water is on the altar table whereas the cruet of wine is brought with the other gifts. Make sure you point out the gifts that are brought up during Mass and the cruets; it is a wonderful way to help the children be more involved at Mass. This is a favorite work of the 3-6 year olds as it helps them master controlled movement of pouring, learn new words and being more involved at Mass.

I’m sure you have already experience this with 3-6 year olds, but don’t be surprised then your children want to start pour more of their own drinks at home.

This coming week we will be learning the parable of leaven. It is work that helps us contemplate how the Kingdom of Heaven grows. A concept that is honestly still a mystery to me. I encourage you to read the short passage Matthew 13:33 and do your own contemplation. Don’t be surprised if your children come home telling you they made bread as the presentation does involve flour and yeast (leaven).

We don’t let the children bring this work home, but feel free to stop in and look at it and ask questions. I have seen many children find a sense of peace and joy in this work as they slow stir the mixture. It is as if they are talking to God.

God’s Blessing,
Michelle Moore, CGS Catechist

Level I & II-Overview of the Advent and Christmas Seasons

I would like to give a brief recap of what the advent and Christmas seasons looks like in the Atrium. In both level I & II, the weeks of advent are spent in preparation for the birth of Christ. The children reflect on the Infancy Narratives and the Prophesies and we light the advent candles together as a reminder of the time spent in waiting.

The Infancy Narratives begin with the Annunciation to Mary and the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth which are presented during advent. After Christmas the level I children hear about the Adoration of the Wise Men and the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. The level II children receive a beautiful presentation called the Synthesis of the Infancy Narratives in which they reflect on all of the narratives together. They watch as the knowledge of Christ’s birth spreads to more people throughout each story, and remember that his light has continued to spread throughout the world, all the way to us here today.

Through the Prophesies, the children hear some of the earliest proclamations of the coming of Christ. The level I children love the prophesy of light, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great Light” –Is. 9:1 Just as the people of God waited many, many years for the coming of Christ, we are waiting now for the birth of Christ at Christmas. The level II children recall all of the level I prophesies in the Synthesis of the Prophesies and they look at the ways in which the prophesies were fulfilled at the coming of Christ.

~Liz Stone, CGS Catechist and Assistant Director of Religious Education

Level I--Parables of the Kingdom

This past week in Level I we began to look at the Kingdom Parables. I had one little boy in my class that had been interested in the Pear of Great Price material for many weeks, so that’s were we began. The children learn that parables are special stories that Jesus told, they are special because they have a deeper meaning. In these parables Jesus wanted to help us understand what His Kingdom would be like.

Throughout the three years in level I, the children receive five Kingdom Parable presentations.

· 3 Parables of Growth
-The Mustard Seed Mk. 4:30-32
-The Grain Mk. 4:26-29
-The Leaven Matt. 13:33

· 2 Parables of Value
-The Pearl of Great Price Matt. 13:45-46
-The Hidden Treasure Matt. 13:44

The parables of growth focus on the transformation from small to great. The mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds, yet it grows into the largest of all shrubs. When the leaven is added to the flour, a total change takes place. The grain grows while the farmer sleeps, producing an entire ear. We reflect on where this power of growth comes from, (God), and whether or not this transformation can be reversed once it has begun. We wonder with the children what these parables can tell us about the Kingdom of God?

The two remaining parables focus on the great value of the kingdom. The merchant would sell all of his fine pearls when he finds the one of great value in order to buy it, and the man would buy the entire field in order to obtain the hidden treasure therein. We again wonder, what these parables can tell us about the Kingdom of God? As adults, we might ask ourselves, what are we willing to do or give up in order to be worthy of the great gift of the Kingdom?

~Liz Stone, CGS Catechist and Assistant Director of Faith Formation