Family Formation & CGS
Family Formation Model
Parents and children ages 3 years old-5th grade will meet at St Ben's to learn more about the faith through insightful teachings and discussions. We utilize the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd model as a method of religious formation for children. More details on CGS below.
Parents are required to come to the one Sunday meeting of the month, this meeting is meant to help parents assume their role as the primary educator and catechist of their children, the children will learn in their separate classrooms among their peers. The second Sunday classes are for kids, but parents are welcome to stay at visit with other families. Families will receive Sophia Institute's a Family of Faith books to take home and work on with their kids outside of the classes at St Ben's.
Please contact Elisabeth Cyr with any questions. faithformation@stbensduluth.org
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is an approach to religious formation of children. It is rooted in the Bible, liturgy of the church, and the educational principles of Maria Montessori. Children gather in an “atrium”, a room prepared for them, which contains simple yet beautiful materials that they use.
The motto of the Good Shepherd is: “Help me fall in love with God by myself.” In this program the image of Christ as the Good Shepherd who loves his sheep and gives everything He is for them forms the center of the young child’s relationship with God. The Good Shepherd knows His sheep and calls them by their name. The child comes to discover who the Shepherd is and who they are- His children. In the midst of this blooming relationship these same children are exposed to small, isolated items and “moments” of the Mass. They hold a small chalice, learn to name each of the vestments that the priest wears, and wonder at what occurs at specific moments of the liturgy. Their relationship with the Good Shepherd is nurtured in such a way that they are preparing to live the fulness of the life of the Catholic Church through the liturgy and the sacraments. They begin to realize the depth of Christ’s love for us, as it is revealed to us through these sacraments, particularly the Eucharist.
If an adult hears a beautiful passage from the Bible, the adult might take a Bible, find the passage, and read it slowly again and again. He or she may think deeply about the words and perhaps speak to God. But a little child, too young to read, needs another way. In an atrium the child can ponder a biblical passage or prayer from the liturgy by taking the material for that text and working with it- placing wood figures of sheep in a sheepfold of the Good Shepherd, setting sculpted apostles around a Last Supper table, or preparing a small altar with furnishings used for the Eucharist. (taken from cgsusa.org)
Children in level 1 (ages 3-6) spend time enjoying and nurturing a relationship with the Good Shepherd. The children are deeply affected by the boundless love of the shepherd for His sheep as described in the Scriptures. Materials and presentations on the life of Christ and His teachings help to make the great mystery of who God is more understandable for the child. Through geography, the words of the prophets, and infancy narratives, Jesus is established as a real person. The Paschal narratives are treated similarly, using model cities of Jerusalem, empty tombs, and cenacles for the Last Supper. Selected parables further the child’s wonder and curiosity about the great mystery of the Kingdom of God. Children become familiar with the articles of the Eucharist and Baptism by arranging them in their own atrium miniature altars and fonts. They also become acquainted with the gestures of our liturgy and their meaning of the Paschal mystery: Christ has died, Christ has rien, and Christ will come again. A prayer corner located in each atrium reflects the liturgical year by means of appropriate colors, songs, artwork, and readings.
Children in the Level 2 (ages 6-9) atrium come to know that God is working from Creation, through redemption, toward Parousia when God’s love will be all in all. God calls us to participate in this plan. Jesus shows us the way to live together in peace and joy as we abide in him through the Eucharist and Baptism. Children usually spend 2 years (1st grade and 2nd grade) preparing to receive the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist in this atrium.
The Level 3 atrium (ages 9-12) gives children the opportunity to explore more deeply the covenants with God revealed in Hebrew Scripture. Looking at more detailed history of humankind, they discover how God draws all of creation toward the Parousia. They see in a more challenging way how God calls us to use our gifts to write the blank page toward the Parousia, and to be held in covenant with God and each other through the Eucharist and Baptism.