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CONTINUING EDUCATION 24 Spring 2009 St. Michael’s Tending the Flock Catechesis of the Good Shepherd programs encourage children to find their own way to God BY AMY STUPAVSKY Kathleen Ennis, Toronto coordinator of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, with some of the teaching tools in the Atrium. PHOTO: AMY STUPAVSKY
BEGAN IN ROME IN 1954, WHEN A YOUNG MOTHER asked Sofia Cavalletti, a Hebrew and Scripture scholar, ITALL to instruct her son in religion. Initially hesitant because she knew little about children, Cavalletti soon discovered that her experiences with the seven-year-old boy would change her life and the face of religious education—she realized that young children possess a unique understanding of spirituality and an intrinsic connection to God. With this relationship in mind, Cavalletti partnered with Gianna Gobbi, a student of Maria Montessori, to found the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Rooted in scripture and Roman Catholic liturgy, the program nurtures children’s religious formation from birth through adolescence. Applying the child-directed Montessori method of learning is essential to the program’s focus on personal spiritual growth, setting it apart from conventional religious pedagogy. “We used to look at religious education as filling the child with knowledge, but with us it’s about fostering the relationship between the child and God that already exists,” explains Kathleen Ennis, coordinator of the program in the Archdiocese of Toronto. “We’re providing a place and time where it can grow.” This difference is the cornerstone of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd approach. The program eschews workbooks and the traditional student/teacher dynamic, following the Montessori method of training the senses and self-education by focusing on concrete rather than abstract exercises. The environment for the child’s religious activities, called Atrium, is filled with handmade objects designed to make Christian themes more readily accessible. The first theme presented to a child is a physical representation of the “Parable of the Good Shepherd”. Small wooden sheep graze inside a corral on a felt pasture, protected by the figure of a shepherd. As children interact with the objects of the scenario, they can remove the sheep and replace them with figurines of people, driving home the connection between the Catholic community and a shepherd’s flock. Each child performs at his or her own pace, allowing time for reflection on the lesson, bringing the child closer to God. The didactic materials’ success at engaging children is the result of years of trial and error by Gobbi and Cavalletti. “They are linked directly to the scripture,” says Ennis. “The whole purpose is to come deeper into the Word. Our words can be few because “Cavalletti soon discovered that her experiences with the seven-year-old boy would change her life and the face of religious education— she realized that young children possess a unique understanding of spirituality and an intrinsic connection to God.” the materials speak directly to the children.” Established in Toronto in 1982, the program is active in 14 parishes. St. Michael’s College has played an important role in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd since the 1980s, when classes to instruct adult catechists in Cavaletti’s approach were held in Christie Mansion, then part of St. Joseph’s College at St. Mike’s. In 1992, the Senate approved a certificate program through Continuing Education. A year later, the program—complete with a model Atrium—moved to a space in Teefy Hall, where it would blossom. Nearly 400 people have com- pleted the course since its inception. Ennis acknowledges its farreaching benefits: “It’s important to know that it’s not just for people who want to become a catechist in an Atrium. It’s for parents, grandparents, anyone who wants to accompany children in their faith journeys.” The best way for adults to come into this program is trying to mimic the ways children learn in the Atrium: through self-direction, wonderment and openness to God. “Often the children surprise me because they can see things with great clarity that may be more difficult for me,” says Ennis. “The child forces the adult to slow down. It’s what Jesus meant when he said we should become like children. Children under six are great teachers for us in their relationship with God.” Ennis’s goal for the future is twofold: to involve more parishes in the program and to familiarize more people with its approach. She compares the program’s day-by-day achievement to the Parable of the Mustard Seed. “It grows like a mustard seed; it’s a bit of a mystery to see how it’s going to grow. When something grows slowly, the roots are deeper.” The Certificate Program includes three levels of courses, beginning with a ten-session Level I: Foundations Course: The Child from Birth to Six Years, providing both an introduction to the approach and the curriculum for young children. It also serves as the basis for Levels II and III, which address the older child’s needs. For more information on the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and/or the Certificate Program, contact Kathleen Ennis at 416-934-3400 ext. 511 or kennis@archtoronto.org. For more information on adult formation classes and tuition, contact Laurel-Ann Finn, Continuing Education Division, University of St. Michael’s College, 416-926- 2249 or continuinged.stmikes@utoronto.ca. ✦ St. Michael’s Spring 2009 25
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