Shepherd’s delight: making space for children to encounter the Living God

Have you ever visited a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atrium? There are currently five across Melbourne. It might be a classroom, an office, a side-room or even a corridor. You will see shelves at child height filled with trays and wooden chests—filled with ‘works’. There will be baskets of small, rolled-up mats, little chairs and tables. Your nose will fill with the smell of sharpened pencils, of fresh garden flowers, of candlewax and clean tea towels. Looking around, you may see hand-painted wooden figures; a shepherd and a sheepfold; a custom-made set of miniature chasubles in purple, green, red and white; a papier-mâché relief map of the land of Israel. And, if you pay attention, you will feel the peace of this place where children come to have a living encounter with the Living God.

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) is a contemplative approach to religious formation for children aged 3–12 years old. Using the principles of Montessori education, the children are invited into a prepared environment—called ‘the atrium’—to work with materials that encourage them to enter into relationship with Jesus the Good Shepherd.

If you pay attention, you will feel the peace of this place where children come to have a living encounter with the Living God.

Kathy Menzies has been a catechist at St Scholastica’s Parish Atrium in Bennettswood for 19 years. ‘Everything you see in the atrium is a passage to prayer or prayer itself.’ The prepared environment is filled with carefully handmade works, provided by catechists and other volunteers. If a member of the parish is a woodworker, seamstress or artist, they might soon find themselves co-opted into service preparing works for the parish CGS ministry. It takes a village to prepare an atrium!

Together with fellow catechist Julie Zaar, Kathy helps to provide formation for catechists on behalf of the National Association for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. They are currently planning another round of catechist formation for 2025.

Kathy is quick to emphasise that while the catechist prepares the environment and shows the children how to work with the materials, ultimately their role is to be as unobtrusive as possible. ‘God and the child are already in a relationship. As a catechist, we create the environment, but then we step aside.’ In this way, an atrium is also distinct for what you do not see. At CGS, you will not see a catechist rushing in to correct a child, or taking over, or—heaven forbid—interrupting a child who is absorbed in her work to ask her what she is doing. ‘As catechists, we are not the teacher,’ says Kathy. ‘The teacher is the Holy Spirit, the Inner Teacher.’

The ministry is divided into three levels. Level One is for ages 3–6; Level Two is for ages 6–9, and Level Three is 9–12, though not all parishes that offer CGS provide this ministry at all three levels.

They know this is their special quiet time. As catechists, we are there to guide—not to correct, but to assist and walk with them. And that’s a privilege.

Every atrium has three main sections: Scripture, Liturgy and Practical Life.

Scripture works allow the children to meditate on God’s Word, often using small figures to work with and reflect on the verse. Scripture also encompasses geography works, which seek to impress upon children the understanding that Jesus was a real person in place and time. Here, among other works, is a globe with Israel marked, and a wooden puzzle of the regions of Israel.

Liturgy works allow children to develop a deeper understanding of the Mass, as well as the gift of Baptism. Works here explore liturgical colours and articles of the Mass, vestments, sacramental gestures and the profound mystery of the Eucharist.

Practical Life is part of the philosophy of any Montessori room. Here, children can choose works that allow them to help take care of the atrium. They might water the indoor plants or do some dusting. They may choose to put flowers in a vase or clean a spill. This is also the place to find preliminary works that help children to develop their fine motor skills.

The Bayside CGS in Stella Maris, Beaumaris, is currently taking enrolments for their Level One Atrium. Lisa Brick is a catechist there. ‘It’s such a wonderful and engaging program for children, where we get to walk with them and discover God,’ she says. There is power in the way children become absorbed in the work. ‘Just to see them settle,’ Lisa says. ‘They know this is their special quiet time. As catechists, we are there to guide—not to correct, but to assist and walk with them. And that’s just a privilege.’

The atrium is for everyone. This ministry is for children, and ... we are being formed as well. This work is life-giving; it’s faith formation.

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd was developed in 1954 by Hebrew and Scripture scholar Dr Sofia Cavalletti and Gianna Gobbi, an educator who trained with Maria Montessori. The ministry follows Montessori principles of child development and has a firm grounding in Scripture, theology and liturgical tradition. Theological concepts are ‘essential’ and never watered down. There is no attempt to ‘dress up’ the work to somehow make it more entertaining for children. Instead, this ministry taps into the child’s inbuilt sense of wonder.

CGS can be particularly accessible to children with disabilities and to neurodivergent children. ‘We have different expectations in the atrium,’ Lisa says. ‘The children have a chance to be relatively self-directed, and they have permission to take time. They have permission to take as long as they need on something.’

We accept the children where they are, and we know that in the process they’ll be led along the way to where they need to be. We just need to trust in the process and trust in the Spirit.

Lisa tells me about a boy in her atrium with a troubled home life who would spend hours absorbed in the scooping work. This is a simple Montessori work where dry beans are transferred from one bowl to another with a small scoop. At other times, he would choose a similar work, pouring dry beans from one small jug into another and back again. ‘He would spend ages doing pouring, sitting peacefully doing scooping or pouring, and we would just let him. That is what he needed.’ Another child was really active and struggled to keep his body still. One time, he sat under a table for the group discussion, ‘but he still answered all the questions from under there!’ Lisa laughs.

Kathy agrees. ‘The atrium is for everyone. This ministry is for children, and as the catechists and volunteers sit and observe in this sacred space, we are being formed as well. This work is life-giving; it’s faith formation. It deeply respects the child. CGS answers the child’s silent plea: “Help me to come closer to God by myself.”’

While not everything always goes to plan, this ministry always strives to provide an environment for prayerful encounters with the living God. ‘We accept the children where they are, and we know that in the process they’ll be led along the way to where they need to be,’ says Lisa. ‘We just need to trust in the process and trust in the Spirit and … they’ll get there.”