All Saints Episcopal Church - Sharon Chapel

3421 Franconia Road, Alexandria, Virginia 22310   703-960-4808   SharonChpl@aol.com

Our Catechesis Program

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, for children ages 3 to 12: Introduction | The Atrium | History | Outreach | Visits and Observation | Volunteer Opportunities | Notes for Parents | Atrium arrival / Meeting time | Children at Worship | Atrium Year | Atrium One-Year Outline | Suggested Reading

Introduction

All Saints is pleased to offer an exciting and unique approach to the religious formation of children, using Montessori educational principles, recognizing the developmental, spiritual needs and capacities of the child. This method is known as the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. International in its scope, serving children of diverse cultures and backgrounds and growing, Episcopal parishes throughout the country account for half of the existing atria.

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd takes its name from one of the earliest and most central presentations offered to children, the parable of the Good Shepherd. It helps the child enjoy a relationship with God, a relationship of deep peace, a real relationship of being in love. There is a profound respect for the child and the child’s desire to come closer to God.

The Atrium

 Child at work in the All Saints Atrium

The program takes place in a room called an atrium, a prepared space for the children in which every object is a help to knowing God. It is a place of simplicity and order, prayer and work and community. Everything in this room is intended to be appropriate to the ages and sizes of children who gather there. The furniture is child-sized to foster moving about freely, working comfortably, using and moving objects. It is their religious needs that guide the catechesis. The materials aid the children in their understanding of the liturgy of the church and the essential tenets of our faith.

The qualities most noticeable about the materials in the atrium are their simplicity and their order. Each material has its own place on the scripture shelf or on the liturgical shelf. There are other centers in the room as well – a baptism area, an altar table, a geography area, a prayer corner. Above all, the room has a certain solemnity. The young child is shown how to walk slowly and speak softly so that, even though everyone in the atrium is busy and active, an atmosphere of silence permeates the atrium. The sessions offer to children the time to listen, work, pray, sing, wonder, rest and discuss important things. In the silence of the atrium, children sometimes make a first discovery that they have an inner life.

History

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is not new. It began in Rome in 1954 and has roots in the beginning of the twentieth century. In the early 1900s, the work of Maria Montessori (1870-1954), the great Italian physician and educator, uncovered characteristics and capacities of children that were not commonly known. She consistently wrote about the young child’s love of order, capacity for concentration, desire for work, and most surprisingly, love of silence. Montessori had begun some religious work with children in Barcelona, outlined in her seminal work The Child in the Church, first published in 1929 and revised in 1965.

The two women whose work are the foundation of the catechesis are Sofia Cavalletti, a Hebrew and biblical scholar, who lives and works in Rome and her collaborator Gianna Gobbi. Gobbi is a Montessori educator, trainer of teachers, and catechist of children, who served as an assistant Maria Montessori in a course in Rome in 1951. Gobbi brought a knowledge of Montessori education to the endeavor. Cavalletti described her work with Gianna Gobbi, and the work of catechists in many countries, in the book The Religious Potential of the Child. Gianna Gobbi also has written a book about the method titled Listening to God with Children.

Outreach

All Saints is pleased to be the recipient of grants from the Diocese of Virginia to launch the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program. We have opened to the community and children outside of our parish a two-hour preschool atrium session on weekdays. The weekday program is held during the school year (October through June). A fee is charged to cover materials and snacks for the children. Enrollment will be limited and available on a rolling basis.

Visits and Observation

Parents and parishioners are always welcome to visit the atrium. Once the children have settled into the atrium and are well established in their work, generally after the first month, visitors are welcome to come and to observe on an individual basis.

Visits are scheduled in advance with the catechist. Guidelines for observation will be presented prior to the visit.

Volunteer Opportunities

Catechists: Training is available for adults wishing to become catechists. Catechists undergo extensive training and complete 90 hours of coursework in a national certification program for catechists. Additionally, catechists are encouraged to visit and arrange an observation period at Montessori schools in the area. The role of the catechist is to help the children nurture a loving relationship with God. The children work independently in the atrium environment with the materials of their choice related to the liturgy, Biblical narratives, parables and prayer. The catechists are facilitators; preparing materials, maintaining the atrium environment, sharing in listening to God in song, prayer, reflections on scripture as well as giving presentations on the liturgy and life of the church.

Atrium Assistants: One adult volunteer assists in each atrium each Sunday; serving on a rotating basis. Training will be provided. Assistants do not give presentations, but serve very important support roles in the atrium--maintaining shelves, replenishing supplies, reading for the children, etc. Becoming an atrium assistant is a wonderful way to share in our program with the children. Training will be provided.

Atrium Arts Guild: Open to artisans, woodworkers or craftspeople interested in making materials for the atrium. Volunteers complete one time projects involving many media including calligraphy, painting, carpentry, sewing, sculpting, etc. Some items may completed in hours and are available as kits, needing only staining, painting or gluing. A coffee table-sized small scale model of the city of Jerusalem and a relief map of the Holy Land are among our larger materials needs. We will meet once monthly over the summer from June through August to outline and complete projects.

Outreach Assistants: Perform the same duties as atrium assistants for the weekday morning outreach program, serving on a rotating basis. Training will be provided. Assistants do not give presentations, but serve very important support roles in the atrium--maintaining shelves, replenishing supplies, reading for the children, etc. Becoming an atrium assistant is a wonderful way to share in our program with the children. Training will be provided.

Notes for Parents

Through the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, using principals of the Montessori Method, we hope to provide an environment in which the children will grow spiritually and assist them in becoming full participants in the community of the faithful of All Saints Sharon Chapel parish and the Church.

The young children's atrium is open to pre-K and Kindergarten children as young as 2 and 1/2 years to age 6. The older children's atrium is for children 6 through 12. Introductory atrium orientation sessions for the children will be held at the beginning of the church school year in September. Parents may also schedule an individual orientation for their child at anytime during the year with the catechist.

Each child has folder in which they may keep artwork. The children may choose to take work home or save pieces to complete from week to week. The bulk of the children's work however, is with the materials , so very little written work goes home. Parent conferences are scheduled midyear to answer any questions, providing an overview of the atrium work and methodology of the program.

Atrium arrival / Meeting time

The atrium will be opened at 9:15 am each Sunday. Regular attendance and punctual arrival are very important. Please help your children to hang up their coats, any weather gear, backpacks, etc. in the hall closet outside the sanctuary before coming to the atrium. Toys from home are not permitted in the atrium so as not to serve as a distraction to the children.

Children at Worship

Children will be escorted by atrium leaders at the time of the Peace to the sanctuary to attend the Eucharist and the conclusion of the service with their parents.

Families are encouraged to sit in the front pews, so that the children have a clear view of the altar. Through their work in the atrium, the children will gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the liturgy and the Eucharist. The children will be eager to observe what they have learned and become full participants in the worship service.

Atrium Year

The atrium year curriculum and presentations follow the Episcopal calendar and liturgical year in consultation with the Rector. See the sample outline of presentations given to the children during the first year on the following page.

The catechesis spans over a three year cycle. A complete list of presentations is available from the catechist.

Atrium One-Year Outline

* Please note that the above outline is merely a guide. The presentations are given as the children progress in their work. The sequence and pace of presenting the themes depend upon the developmental needs of the individual child and the particular group of children.

Suggested Reading

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