Our Answer to a Loud World: Finding Wonder in a 'Quiet Space' for Children

Turn on the news or scroll through a social media feed, and it's clear the world feels louder and more anxious than ever. We hear competing narratives, deep-seated fears, and profound grief. In the midst of all this noise, we as parents are left asking a fundamental question: How do we raise children who have a core of inner peace? How do we give them a quiet space to simply be?

For many of us, the traditional Sunday School model of crafts, songs, and lessons doesn’t quite seem to meet the needs of this moment. While well-intentioned, it can sometimes feel like just another scheduled activity in our children’s already over-scheduled lives. We felt a deep need for something more—not just more information, but more wonder.

The Power of an Intentional Space

A recent New Yorker article exploring an intentional community of Palestinians and Jews in Israel highlighted the incredible power of creating a "sanctuary"—a space set apart to model a different way of living. That's exactly what we believe the Atrium is for a child's spirit.

This is what makes Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS), our approach to spiritual formation at Sharon Chapel, so different. The Atrium is not a classroom; it is a holy space, prepared just for children. It’s an environment intentionally designed for quiet, reverence, and a child’s direct, personal relationship with God, standing in stark contrast to the rush of the world outside its doors.

A Language of Faith, Not Just Facts

In the Atrium, children don't just learn about God; they are given the tools to encounter God. Using a hands-on, Montessori-based approach, children work with beautiful, sensory materials—small wooden figures for the parables, a miniature altar and chalice, maps of Israel—that allow them to sink into the stories of our faith at their own pace.

Just as a community struggling with conflict knows that the words we choose have enormous weight, we believe the language we offer our children about God is profoundly important. In CGS, we don't offer them simplified cartoons or catchy slogans. We offer them the real, beautiful, and potent language of our faith: the parables of Jesus, the words of the liturgy, the names of the prophets. We trust that this true language, absorbed in a place of peace, will form a foundation of faith that lasts a lifetime.

“I’m thankful for a place where my child can think through something by slowing down. All of life feels like it’s tricking you and into speeding up, and over this last couple of years I’ve seen that change in her and have really appreciated it.”— A Sharon Chapel Parent

Equipping, Not Sheltering

It's natural to wonder if creating such a quiet space is just sheltering our children from the complexities of the "real world." We believe the opposite is true.

The peace of the Atrium isn't meant to be a permanent escape from the world's problems. Rather, it is a place to build the spiritual "muscle" children need to face that world with compassion, resilience, and a deep, unshakable knowledge that they are loved by the Good Shepherd. Just as our parish’s work in racial justice calls us to engage the world’s complexities, our CGS program equips our youngest members with the spiritual fortitude to do the same.

By giving them one hour a week of pure, quiet wonder, we aren't hiding them from reality; we are giving them the spiritual anchor they will need to navigate it.

In a world that will always be loud, we are committed to providing a space for quiet. When you bring your child to the Atrium, you’re not just enrolling them in a program; you’re joining a community of other thoughtful parents who are asking the same big questions you are. We invite you to come and see what makes this approach to faith formation so unique.

You can learn more about Catechesis of the Good Shepherd on our website. If you'd like to see the Atrium for yourself, we would love to show you. Please join us this Sunday.