Save these dates please!

Hi everyone,

To help familiarize parents and catechists with the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program, and to create materials that the children will be using, I've reserved a room in the PAR for us on these Wednesdays:

July 8

July 15

July 22

July 29

August 5

August 12

We'll meet from 7-9 p.m. on these dates.

I'm working on an agenda for each session which I will release soon.  

Our first session will be an introduction to the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atrium.  We will watch a DVD of the first atrium, which was set up in Rome near the Vatican.

I'll also try to arrange a visit to a local CGS atrium for one of these weeks. 

I know that summer schedules can be a bit chaotic, but please plan to attend as many of these sessions as you can.  It will be informative!

If you have any questions, please email me at caswrite at aol dot com.

 

Tour of an atrium: part 1

Many have asked what makes Catechesis of the Good Shepherd different from other faith formation programs. One of the things that you will immediately notice when you step into a CGS atrium (we don't call them classrooms) is that the environment looks and feels different.

This blog post, from "Thoughts from the Sheepfold," explains how the prepared environment helps build a meditative atmosphere for the children:

http://fromthesheepfold.blogspot.co.nz/2011/08/tour-of-atrium-structure-for.html

Wonderful News!

I just received some wonderful news!  We have been awarded a grant from the Diocese of Joliet to buy materials for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program at SJA!  We'll probably use the money to buy some movable, lockable shelves where we can store our materials during the week.

Please say and extra prayer of thanks to the Lord for providing so well! 

Meetings planned for July and August

I'm finalizing plans for a series of meetings/get togethers in July and August.  Some of the sessions will offer a general introduction to the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (including the viewing of a lovely DVD showing photos of the first atrium in Rome, Italy).  Other sessions will provide parents will helpful tips on integrating CGS and their Catholic faith into their everyday lives.  (Yes, it can be done!)  We'll also do some training for the parents and catechists who would like to be involved in the program.  Finally, we will be making materials for use by the children this fall!

Keep checking this page and our Facebook group page for more information and dates.  Here is our Facebook group page:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SeekingtheShepherd/

Are you connected to our Facebook group page?

Did you know that we have a Facebook  page?   It's here:

https://www.facebook.com/SeekingtheShepherd

Please check it out, and "like" us, to stay updated on the progress of our program at SJA!

We also have a group page, which is here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SeekingtheShepherd/

I originally created the group page to start the discussion about the CGS program at St. Joan of Arc.  However, it is rather limiting, as it does not allow me to schedule posts in advance.  I tend to work on a batch of posts at one time, whenever I have a moment.   Eventually, the "groups" section will be used by catechists and parents exclusively to promote weekly updates in the atrium. 

To ensure you aren't missing anything, please "like" both the Facebook page and the Facebook groups page!

(Sorry, that's a bit confusing.  Sometimes these social media platforms are rather complicated!)