The Institute for Ministry Formation also supports the youngest members of our Church by encouraging and forming those who accompany children. We fully endorse well-offered Catechesis of the Good Shepherd as it models elements of our IMF Spiritual Direction formation program: helping people (in this case, children) learn to pray, helping them grow in their relationship with God and helping them to respond to His call in a healthy and holy Christian life.
In Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, children enter a very specially prepared space called the “Atrium”… a place to grow in love with the Good Shepherd, to learn to listen to His voice, and to prepare to respond with a joyful life in the sheepfold of the Church!
This model of Faith formation – Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) – was first developed by a Scripture Scholar, Sofia Cavaletti, and a Montessori Guide, Gianna Gobbi, in Italy in 1954. To learn more about CGS, we invite you to visit the CGS-USA podcast: “Characteristics of the Good Shepherd Catechesis by Sofia Cavalletti” in particular starting at 4:00 mins.
You can also learn more about the toddler atrium by viewing Bobbie Anne Abson’s presentation from the 2022 Catechetics Conference.