Level III--Typologies begin!

We've been so excited to come back to classes so that we could begin one of the most interesting studies of our CGS Catechist formation: the typology works. There are 5 of these, and we begin, rightly so, with the CREATION.

Creation is one of the three moments that take central importance in the Level III atrium--the other two are the Redemption (the time when Christ came to redeem us UP to today) and the Parousia (the time when Christ comes back and God will be All in All!)

Our first week of "Creation" was spent in a bible study on the first story of Creation found in Genesis 1-Genesis 2:3. After the solemn reading of scripture, we spend some time thinking about what this story means. Was the author there? In truth, the story of Creation is a reflection many centuries and even millenia after the creation of the world, but because we believe in God's divine inspiration, we know that this story speaks the truth about God and also about us.

What does Genesis reveal to us from the very beginning? God is not like us. He is not a creature. He is the only one who can create with the power of his Word--from nothing. I could say, "Let there be pizza," until I am blue in the face, but this does not a pizza make.

We think about all of the things and animals that are created and then we hear a dramatic pause... and something new:

Then God said: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the cattle, and over all the wild animals and all the creatures that crawl on the ground." God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:26-27

What is the divine image? What is this we hear? We are made in the likeness of God! What does that mean? What does that look like? The children come up with many answers, but we usually rest in the answer that man can LOVE... man can CHOOSE good... man can PRAY...

The second week, we focus on the second story of Creation in Genesis 2. Most times, the children are not aware that there IS a 2nd story, or that they are different. This is not troubling to them, however, because they can see it as a different way of saying something true about God and man's relationship to him.

The 2nd story is the familiar story of the Garden of Eden and the creation of Adam. It is cool to think about the Hebrew word for mankind: adam which so closely ties into the word for "the earth": adamah. We hear how mankind is made from the clay of the ground, and also about the special relationship between adam and God. God made all of these animals FOR adam. Truly, all of creation was made FOR adam, and God gives the great privilidge of naming the animals to man.

There is also mention of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This discussion is interesting because we have to think: are we as humans made to know everything? In some ways, it is grasping to be more than we were created to be... When we do our Sin Typology, this will come in to play more.

The creation of woman is also worth noting. The woman is not created from the dust, but from the man. In Hebrew, we hear that from ish comes ishah. These verses then lead to the man's exclamation (the first words man speaks in scripture):

"This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; This one shall be called 'woman,' for out of 'her man' this one has been taken."
That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body.
The man and his wife were both naked, yet they felt no shame. Genesis 2:23-25

Our last pause before finishing is about this "naked without shame" verse. We discuss how there are many different ways to be "covered up" and reasons for this. We cover our eyes when we are ashamed, we cover our thoughts when we don't trust another... Adam and his wife were not ashamed of anything. They were completely open and uncovered in their relationship with each other AND with God. It was a beautiful time in the garden.

In the next week or two, I will post about the "chart work" that goes with this presentation. Once the children have participated in the scripture studies, they will go forward with a more individual reflection which I will detail here soon!

God's Blessings!

Mandie DeVries, CGS Catechist and Director of Religious Education

Level II-Moral Parables

A couple weeks ago in level II, the children were presented the Synthesis of the Kingdom Parables of Growth. The children are familiar with these parables from level one. If you would like to read more about the Kingdom parables please take a look at the latest level I post.

This past week we moved into the Moral Parables. At this age (6-9) children are very sensitive to what is right and wrong, fair and unfair. The moral parables begin to feed that need in them and help answer some of their questions.

We began with the Good Samaritan Lk. 10:30-37. The children were eager to answer Jesus question “Which of these, in your opinion, was neighbor to the man?” It was very clear to them that it was the Samaritan man because he “…treated him with compassion” Lk. 10:37a They commented that the man might have been surprised that holy men from his own city would pass him by, but this Samaritan would treat him as a friend. In relating this to their own lives, they determined that we should treat all people as our neighbors! “Then go and do the same.” Lk. 10:37b

In the upcoming weeks we will continue to focus on the moral parables, each one giving a new message which encourages moral virtue. These are some of my favorite presentations in level II and I am looking forward to reflecting on them with the children!

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

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

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