Catechesis of the Good Shepherd 
​at
St. Alban Roe

History of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is the result of a long period of careful observation of children by Sofia Cavalletti and her Montessori collaborator, Gianna Gobbi, in Rome. It began quite by accident, without warning or planning, the way God so often comes into our lives. In 1954 Sofia was a Hebrew and Scripture scholar, comfortable in her role in the academic world, when a mother asked her to give some religious instruction to her son. At first Sofia refused, saying she knew nothing about children. The mother persisted and eventually, Sofia consented. That experience with a 7 year-old changed her whole life. She saw in that child and in numerous other children since, a way of being in the presence of God that is both unique to the child and a gift to the adult who stops long enough to notice. Perhaps it is because Sofia went before the child with no preconceived ideas of what should happen that the child responded with such joy. Certainly her background in Scripture made it possible for her to talk about God in a way that opened and enthused the child. From that day to the present time Sofia and Gianna remind us constantly to look to the child for that sign of a deeply religious life - joy - and to always ask the question: "What face of God is the child telling us he or she needs to see?"

Purpose
To assist the involvement of children and adults in a common religious experience in which the religious values of childhood, primarily those values of contemplation and enjoyment of God, are predominant.
 
Mission Statement
Our mission is to support catechists, parents, and others in the Church and beyond, as they grow in their understanding of the religious potential of children.

Parishioners Response

We are very grateful to all the parishioners who have responded to our request for various items needed in our Atrium. Many of them were dropped off to the parish office by responding to the requests in the bulletin. We are also grateful to the following who did some woodworking, sewing, and building. They are:
​Marty Poetz, Dave Robbe, Gail Albers, Molly & Michael Root and Michael Crane.

Children Who Will Participate

The pre-schoolers in the Family Faith Program have experience Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for several years when they had their Sunday Activity day.

This year, we have expanded Catechesis of the Good Shepherd to the Kindergarten Class at St. Alban Roe School and the Kindergarten Class and First Grade in the Monday PSR Program.

CGS Catechestists

We are fortunate to have three dedicated parishioners who have been certified for Level 1 and who are continuing to become certified for Level 2.
They are:
Mrs. Julie Crocker
Mrs. Liz Knoesel
Mrs. Jeanne Bilsland

You may email them at: cgs@stalbanroe.org

Interested in Becoming a Catechist 

The training program is an eleven month commitment to all day classes on Saturday. Once a person has completed the training they will be part of the St. Alban Roe team to continue the education of our young people. If you are interested, contact one of our present catechists.

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