Catechesis of the Good Shepherd level 2 comes to Fargo

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a Catholic education method for children ages three through twelve, is seeing growth in the Diocese of Fargo. When a parish begins this approach, they start by offering level one (for ages 3 to 6) and open level two (for ages 6 to 9) and then level 3 (for ages 9 to 12) as resources and desire allow. Parishioners from several parishes in Fargo and surrounding area recently attended the level 2 training. Sts. Anne and Joachim Church in Fargo, which started with level 1 last year, will be offering level 2 this fall.

According to Sts. Anne and Joachim’s website, “Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) is a religious education method for children that builds upon a child’s natural sense of wonder and their need to learn through rich sensory experiences in order to help the child fall in love with God. This Montessori-based approach seeks to create and facilitate a sacred ‘hands-on’ space in which both the children and catechists can hear, ponder, and celebrate the essential mysteries of the Catholic faith as revealed in scripture and liturgy.”

CGS catechizes each child individually in a unique and beautiful space called the “atrium” which contains simple yet beautiful materials children work with to draw closer to God in prayer. Materials in the atrium are all handmade and painted by local volunteers. The children gather with the catechists to listen to God through sharing of Holy Scripture, learning about the Sacraments, exploring the parables Jesus shared about the Kingdom of God, learning about the Mass, and understanding the history of the life of Jesus through the bible and biblical geography. They also learn individual and communal prayer, exercises of practical life meant for developmental as well as meditative movement, and art as an expression of relationship to God.

Carolyn Kohlhaas has provided training for adults to teach CGS since 2009 and came to Fargo in mid-July to provide training for level 2 catechists. She has AMI Primary (ages 3 to 6) and Elementary (ages 6 to 12) Montessori training and a Masters in Education and in Theology from St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity and has seen many effects of CGS for children.

“I have witnessed many beautiful moments in the atrium with children,” said Carolyn, “including their awe and wonder, focus and concentration, and, principally, their joy as expressed in their total engagement in their work, in words, in song, and in their artwork in response to presentations on scripture and liturgy. With adults, I have had many similar experiences.”

Catechists immersed in the scriptures and lessons during training are learning too. During training, catechists experience the lessons as children, often sitting on the floor and engaging with the materials of the atrium just as children do. By receiving the lessons in a docile posture, they recall the way they learned as children and recognize their littleness before God.

“As a catechist, I have learned so much in this space, in this way of teaching children,” said Sarah Hoepfner, catechist for Sts. Anne and Joachim. “There's a reason behind all of the items that are in the atrium. Every material, every color, every scripture passage is set apart for us to use to teach the children an essential element of our Catholic faith. This also happens in the Mass, so our time in the atrium is meant to help us and the children discover those connections in order to participate more fully in the Mass.”