TODAY! OPEN HOUSE! AFTER MASS! Please join us for a few minutes after all the Masses this weekend for a special “self-guided” tour of our completed first atrium. Fr. Joe will lead us in a prayerful dedication of the space to the children of Christ the Redeemer following our 11AM Mass. The self-guided tour features several “stations” that explain, in brief, things like: The History of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, What is the purpose of an Atrium?, a typical outline of what time spent in the atrium looks like, and such. The experience ends with a silent tour of our atrium.
For those of you still scratching your head, a couple years ago our staff started researching and establishing a different method of Faith Formation here at Christ the Redeemer called “Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.” CGS was founded over 50 years ago by two Italian laywomen, one a scriptural scholar and one an expert in Montessori education. Together they conceived of a simple and exceptionally effective method for sharing the richness of our Faith with children. The curriculum is presented in three levels for ages 3-12 years old. Central to this CGS method is what is called the “atrium”: a sacred, prepared space containing beautiful homemade materials that focus the child's attention on key scripture passages or liturgical moments. Our Pre-K, Kindergarten, and elementary students have benefitted from a rich CGS-inspired curriculum over the past year! After two-years of intense training, creating and study we have just completed the first of what we hope will eventually be three atriums.
It is believed that young children learn best through the work of their hands. Fashioned after a Montessori educational environment, the atrium includes hands-on materials such as small models of various objects they would see inside the church, dioramas and figures to accompany the Scripture readings, prayer cards, maps of ancient Israel, timelines of the history of salvation and resources for further study of Scripture and liturgy. Research shows that through their engagement with these three-dimensional materials, children are better able to absorb the Christian message and explore the themes they find most vital to their spiritual life.
Our deepest gratitude to Fr. Joe for giving a rather “newbie” team the go ahead for such an ambitious effort – we continue to appreciate your confidence and support. We hope that we are able to communicate our great excitement and confidence in this program in just a few minutes after Mass today. All are welcome! Bring the kids! We will have some donuts back by the atrium too!
We will have a second open house preceding a brilliant presentation on the CGS method by Sr. Nancy Ayotte, IHM on Weds, May 25th at 6:30PM in Bethany. The kindness of an RSVP for this presentation is deeply appreciated to Lisa Brown at dre@ctredeemer.org.
Also, with enough interest, we would love to have a book discussion of the seminal work by Sofia Cavalletti on the CGS method entitled The Religious Potential of the Child sometime this coming year. Again, contact Lisa if you are interested (childcare provided).
No RSVP is needed for the OPEN HOUSE today! Just follow the bright yellow signs and arrows as you exit Mass. You may also invite friends and family who may be interested via our Facebook event here: facebook.com/events/1648505518747714
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