The Atrium

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) is a specialized Catholic approach to the religious formation of children ages 3 to 12. It is a reflective-based program of religious formation that helps a child to further develop their relationship with God in a developmentally appropriate way. It is rooted in Sacred Scripture, the Liturgy, and the educational philosophy of Maria Montessori. Click here to go to the CGS website.

A prepared environment

We are in the process of creating our own atrium (or sacred space) at HT. The atrium is one of the important elements that helps the relationship between God and the child to flourish. The atrium is a place of meaningful work through which the child can have a conversation with God and prepare for involvement in the larger worship community through the important seasons of the liturgical calendar. During our time in the atrium we learn about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and how we celebrate and receive the gift of Jesus at our Baptism and the Eucharist. We are blessed to have this opportunity here at Holy Trinity where our children will have an opportunity in this approach to strengthening their relationship with God.

Relationship between God and child

The atrium (or prepared environment) is one of the important elements that helps the relationship between God and the child to flourish. After a theme has been presented, the child is free to choose an activity that will make possible the inner dialogue with the Holy Spirit.

In traditional classroom, primary relationship is between the teacher and the child. But with this concept, the environment itself is a teacher; in fact,  children sometimes learn more from interaction with environment than from direct instruction. If our aim is to help children enjoy relationship with God we must ask, “What kind of environment can we create that will respect and cultivate the child’s needs and capacities at this level of their development, especially in terms of their spiritual development?” We hope an answer is our atrium.

The Materials

Mrs. Nessner, our Grade 1 teacher, is training in CGS and is excited to prepare our sacred space with materials and presentations to offer children a prayerful place to learn, to listen, and to respond to a relationship with God through Jesus, the Good Shepherd. Materials on the life of Jesus Christ and his teachings help to make the mystery of God concrete for the child. Children enter the mystery of the Eucharist by first learning the names of the articles used on the altar and then through the most important gestures including the preparation of the chalice, the epiclesis and offering, and the sign of peace. Through the experience of these gestures, presented one by one, the Mass emerges as the Sacrament of the Gift.