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Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
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Welcome to the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) website for St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. This site provides basic information about the CGS program here at St. John, our plans for expanding the program, and links for those that want to learn more about CGS.
For those new to CGS, here is a brief overview. Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) is a hands-on faith formation experience for children ages 3-12 years old using a Montessori-style approach. CGS is based on the belief that young children can and do experience God, assisted by a well-trained adult catechist and directed by the Holy Spirit. Central to CGS are the Bible, the rituals of the Liturgy, and age-appropriate parables such as the Good Shepherd and the True Vine.
CGS takes place in a prepared environment called an atrium, a special room created to nurture the child ’s spirituality with beautiful handmade materials that allows them to enter their relationship with God more deeply. Lessons are connected to specific moments in scripture and the Mass. While recognizing the true teacher of our faith is Jesus Christ, the catechist's role is to prepare the atrium environment and give selected presentations from scripture and liturgy that “call forth” the child’s response rather than “pours in” information.
Much more information is available from sources such as the United States Association of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGSUSA). https://www.cgsusa.org/discover/cgs-approach/
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What's Happening at St. John
St. John introduced an adaptation of CGS to our kindergarten age children in the Fall of 2025. A beautiful Level 1 atrium has been set up in Room 110 of the Education Wing using generous contributions from parishioners of their time, talents, and treasure!. We currently have one group of 11 kindergartners that meets Sunday mornings from 9:00-10:15am. Our current catechists are Linda Hansmeier and Barb Pederson, along with aide Sarah Covington.
The Level 1 atrium is for children ages 3 to 6. During the year, each child is offered presentations to help bring them into a relationship with Jesus and His Church. They are also given the opportunity to work with practical life materials to provide them with a chance to perform tasks that both prepare them for their life in the world and to give them opportunities to work quietly in the beautiful space that has been prepared just for them.
Level 1 offers approximately 50 presentations over a three year cycle aligned with the church liturgical seasons. So far, the children have been invited to presentations of the model altar and the liturgical colors.
The model altar presentation introduces the altar as the center piece of the sacrificial meal we receive in every Mass. The children are given the names of items associated with the altar; altar, altar cloth, paten, chalice, crucifix and candles. Following the presentation, the children are invited to work with the model altar materials during free work time to "set" it and to reflect on this special and holy meal that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, invites us to.
The liturgical colors presentation introduces the colors of the seasons of the church year; purple, white, green and red. The children are given the names of items associated with the colors, such as chasuble, which is the outer garment worn by the priest during Mass. They are also given names of the different seasons; purple is for preparation, white is for celebration, green is for ordinary time and red is for Pentecost. The children are shown how to "dress" stands with Chasubles in the colors and learn a song that teaches the colors and the meaning of each. Following the presentation, the children are invited to work with the materials during free work time.
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