The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd has been described as a meeting place of two mysteries: the mystery of God, and the mystery of the child.

Montessori roots

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd was founded in 1954 in Rome by Old Testament scholar Sofia Cavalletti and Montessori-trained educator Gianna Gobbi. Throughout the three levels of the CGS program the image of the Good Shepherd is central, an image that embodies the joyful message that we are all loved by God. For more information about the CGS program, please explore the website of the National Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, www.cgsusa.org.

The child & the divine

Our ministry to children here at Trinity may look a little different than the Sunday school you grew up in, and that is because the program, especially for the youngest children, is highly child-centered, and allows children to enter into relationship with God in their own ways, and in their own time. This child-centered, exploratory curriculum is rooted in the conviction that children have a preexistent relationship with the divine, which it is our privilege as adults to nurture. In recognizing that children have an innate desire for God and a unique spirituality all their own, this program encourages children to develop their religious potential.

A spiritual space

In preparing the atrium, everything is made child-size, and designed with simplicity, beauty, and dignity. Children grow closer to God as they hear the Word, and then reflect on it while working with carefully prepared, and age-appropriate, sensorial materials. Most importantly, we allow our children space to listen, unstructured time in which to work individually and independently with the materials they have been introduced to, time to focus and explore, time to hear what the Spirit may be saying.