I have a copy and have tried to find more copies with no luck. If anyone knows where we can get them..please let me know.

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program is excellent — under certain conditions. The materials are wonderful and have such marvelous potential to nourish the interior spiritual life. I myself started an Atrium (our name for the area or space devoted to catechetical activities) in our church which is dedicated to the extraordinary form of the Roman Liturgy under the auspicies of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP). I am not currently operating it now because my own growing family commitments make it too difficult, but we had outstanding success with it, not the least of which was a number of children who received their First Holy Communion at age six because they were so well prepared spiritually due to the formation received in the Level 1 Atrium.

Having said that, duty obligates me to say that if you take the catechetical formation courses, there is frighteningly little emphasis laid on the necessity of teaching children the Christian doctrine thoroughly. I was saddened to note that in preparation for reception of the Sacraments, very little emphasis was laid on the necessary doctrine required to receive them. I was particularly appalled at how poorly the children were prepared to make a good Confession. There was no mention made of mortal sin, venial sin, the five points necessary to make a good Confession, proper examination of conscience, the Ten Commandments, or why Our Lord came to this earth to die on the Cross and what our sins cost Him. It was all “let’s all be happy and feel good”.

The best way to use the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is to modify the dialogue in the lessons to be sure the essential element gets through and be sure the children are well-drilled in their Baltimore Catechism. The combination of a modified CGS and the Baltimore Catechism is unbeatable in my opinion; the former provides reflection, thought and a deep spiritual life while the latter provides the solid foundation in the truths of the Faith. I have already seen several adults who received nothing but CGS in liberal parish settings as children, and they have left the Catholic Church. Is it the fault of the parents, the liberal parish, the catechists, or the method? This is a question which, unfortunately, has no clear-cut answer. However, it is a good idea to investigate further into the possible root causes and try to come to solutions.

Trained Montessorians, trained catechists and all parents and teachers need to always think about what will best meet the end of their work. Each methodology is only that: a methodology. Some are excellent, like CGS and Montessori, and need only to be taught by people who are willing to modify the method in order to be sure that essentials are not left out. Unfortunately, there are a lot of purists in the Montessori field who consider it heresy to vary one jot from the prescribed norm and consequently imperil our children as a result.

My advice: choose carefully and observe the instructor. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or bring your concerns to the teacher. If you have concerns after talking to them, don’t put your children in the program.

As to CGS, orthodox Catholics should be happy to supplement strongly cognitive and directive catechetical approaches with intuitive and affective approaches that have appeal to children and those whose personalities have a bias in favor of the “experiential.” Why? As long as orthodoxy is not endangered and can be successfully wedded to such methods, it is better to have such means at our disposal so as to help keep them within the fold, least such individuals feel restles and wander off in search of “something more” only to fall into the clutches of misguided liberals who currently dominate the market for all things “touchy-feely”. In a society with a cultural bias that values intuition and imagination over reason and truth, faithful Catholics should not let orthodoxy be boxed in by stereotypes. We need to be able to demonstrate that orthodoxy is not some limited option for emotionally-constricted logical types only, but that orthodox Christianity is universally valid regardless of personality type and is, in fact, especially favorable for developing full, well-integrated individuals and communities, morally, spiritually, psychologically, socially, aesthetically, etc. More concretely, if you have a particularly sensitive, inquisitive child, do you really want to leave his “right-brain” unnurtured to the point that he may later become vulnerable to heterodoxy because his childhood experience of conservative Christianity felt like a strait jacket? We are Catholics, not fundamentalists. We are not are not afraid of new ideas or of the capacity of emotion that God gave us.

So, don’t shy away from CGS and its potential without compelling reasons. If necessary, baptize it and steal the thunder from the pagans and heretics! If it is already valid, graced with truth, then why let it fall into the hands of New Agers and let it become associated with them? Be pro-active, not merely defensive, in your orthodoxy if you really love the Church and believe that her mission is to claim and re-claim all things for Christ. Plant the flag!

I can only say from my own experience of training in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd that it has fed me in my hunger for True, Orthodox, Catholic formation and passing the Faith onto my own children, and I would never have connected it with anything New Age. Perhaps I should read the book though, to understand your concerns, but if you do have concerns it would be well worth discussing them with a trained catechist to put your mind at rest.

Two of my children (3 and 6) have been attending the Atrium for less than 6 months, but their joy and faith has just grown incredibly. . . my 3 year old told me two days ago: “Mummy, let me tell you about God: God is a miracle because He died on the cross . .”
In her simple words it was clear to me that she could grasp Christ’s passion and resurrection in a way that we would not expect of a 3 year old. She also named God as “God is Spirit . . . God is Father . . .” She led me in a discussion on the Trinity!!
This is the work of the Catechesis, that the children will encounter God, Love Him and that the faith will take root in their hearts and grow, and remain!!

God Bless, B

Now for my comments on the comments…

- CGS is only partly based upon Maria Montessorri. Its other (more important) foundations are Liturgy and Scripture! Thus, how could it not be orthodox.
- CGS began in Rome when a bishop (or cardinal) asked Sophia Cavalletti, a biblical scholar of the Old Testament, to teach young children about God and Jesus. Drawing on the work of Montessori, Sophia and her friend, Gianni Gobbi a trained Montesorrian, developed the CGS program over many years. CGS is now in over 20 countries! Sophia’s atrim (classroom) is still open after 50 years!
- this program is Christian formation for children AND adults
- CGS believes that children are already in a relationship with God and Jesus, the CGS program fosters that relationship
- Most of the lessons taught are direct readings from Scripture. (Those not most are Montessori based activities that promote children learning; such as how to be quite, put away your things, etc. In the first level, children do (Montesorrian) practical life activities so they can control their bodies, so that they can be quiet, so that they can listen to God!
- another informative site for CGS is http://www.cgsma.org
- These things have happened during my time teaching this program:
- parents have told me that their children have cried when they find out they aren’t going to CGS
on a given week
- the classrooms of children ages 4-7 are typically quiet as they work with materials
- child has wondered what the Kingdom of God looks like
- child has written many times, ‘Jesus loves me’
- children love working with the mini altar in the class room
- constantly draw pictures of the cross
- here in New England, both the Catholic church and the Episcopal church use it more and more in their dioceses. In fact in training, many classes have a mix of both faiths. Teachers are of either faith as well.
- during the training courses, any and all liturgical differences between Catholic and Episcopal are mentioned and taught to students.
- training can be expensive, but there is grant money to lessen the cost for the individual
- I would agree that Godly Play (GP) is different!
- This program has deepened my relationship with God and Jesus.

Sorry for being long winded.

In His Peace,

Ron