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