Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Training Courses Level 1 : Part 1

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Saint Patrick’s Catholic Church
Soho Square Catechesis of the
Good Shepherd
Training Courses
Level 1 : Part 1
11-16 May 2015
18-23 May 2015
12-17 October 2015
This course consists of half the training
needed to set up a full Atrium for 3-6
year old children
21a Soho Square
LondonW1D 4NR
The May courses are led by CGS
Formation Leader Jo Culhane
The October Course is lead by CGS
Formation Leader Linda Kaiel
www.stpatricksoho.org
Tottenham Court road
Leicester Square For more information on this method of
children’s formation, we recommend
reading Sofia Cavalletti’s
“The Religious Potential of the Child”
hosted by Saint Patrick’s Catholic
Church
Soho Square
Context and History
The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a
Roman Catholic formation programme but
The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a may be adapted to other Christian faiths.
Christian education process for children
aged 3-12 in which they experience and Course Description
form an authentic, faithful relationship with
God.
The CGS level 1 course is designed for
anyone interested in offering the Catechesis
The Catechesis is grounded in scripture and of the Good Shepherd to children ages 3-6
liturgy framed by Montessori’s principles of and is the foundation for all three levels of
education. This allows children to hear the the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd*.
Gospel through the use of sensorially rich These week long intensive courses contain
materials. The children are free to work with the first half of this level 1 courses and will run
these materials that represent the essential from 9.30am-6pm from Monday till Saturday.
proclamation of the Christian message.
This course will cover 50 hours of lectures,
lesson presentations, practicum and material
The adult’s task is to prepare the sacred making. We will also have time to pray and to
space for the children called the Atrium so meditate upon the Scriptures throughout the
that they can respond to this holy week.
relationship, first proclaimed to them through
Jesus, the Good Shepherd. The Atrium is a Course Instructors
place of worship rather than a classroom for Jo Culhane is a qualified Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
academic study. It is a place to be with and Formation Leader and currently runs an Atrium in Dublin,
enjoy God, listen to the Word, and pray. It is Ireland. She has 30 years of Montessori teaching experience
and her M.Ed from University College, Dublin was based
designed to reflect the beauty of creation upon the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and included
and God’s abiding love.
interviewing Sofia Cavalletti. She is a lecturer at the Saint
The vision for this Catechesis began in 1954
with Dr. Sofia Cavalletti, a Hebrew and
Scripture scholar and member of the Vatican
Commission for Jewish-Christian Relations
and her colleague, Professor Gianna Gobbi,
a Montessori trained educator. They
discovered that children have vital religious
needs and that they desire to draw near to
God but need sensitive guidance of adults as
well as the inner guidance of the Holy Spirit to
nurture this relationship.
Your invitation
These coursee are being hosted by
Father Alexander Sherbrooke at Saint
Patrick in Soho. Please see the
booking form for the price of the
course.
If you would like to find out more
about the Catechesis of the Good
Shepherd, an excellent book is Sofia
Cavaletti’s Religious Potential of the
Child: Experiencing Scripture and
Liturgy with Young Children”* and the
websites
www.cgsusa.com
or
www.cgs.ie
If you have any other queries about
the training please contact
Teresa Calonje or Valérie Valentin at
cgswestminster@gmail.com
We look forward to meeting you !
Nicholas Montessori Training College in Dublin and is trained
in all 3 levels of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
Linda Kaiel is a catechist at the Franciscan Montessori Earth
School in Portland, Oregon. There she works with children
each week at all three levels. Her formation as a catechist
began with studies with Sofia Cavalletti in a summer course
in 1985. Since 1991 she has worked as a formation leader
throughout the United States, Australia, Canada, Austria,
Germany, England, and most recently, in Kolkatta, India. Her
time in India was spent training the Missionaries of Charity.
Linda holds an AMI Montessori diploma, and has served on
the National Association’s Formation committee.
*Level 2 addresses the need of children ages 6-9, while level
3 is for 9-12 year old children.
* For anyone attending the training we also
strongly recommend reading:
« Listening to God with Children: The
Montessori Method Applied to the Catechesis
of Children » by Gianna Gobbi and “The
Good Shepherd and the Child: A Joyful
Journey » by Sofia Cavalletti.