Why CGS?
Why is CGS a good choice for parishes?
The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd actively engages the youngest parishioners in the Christian faith.
CGS provides time and space for children to participate in the covenant relationship to which we are all invited.
(A poorly kept secret: CGS serves the adults as well.
Adult parishioners (parents, catechists, people who make materials) experience deep spiritual renewal and conversion. They find language for their faith they had not known.)
Covenant in Scripture
"Listening in community is always enriching. Listening with children is especially so...because God's Word resounds in a different manner in young children than in adults, and thus it is through children that another nuance of the Word reaches us."
- Sofia Cavalletti, Religious Potential of the Child
The gift of God
Children contemplate the Mystery of the Incarnation through Infancy Narratives and Messianic Prophecies. They come to know the gift of God's own self in the person of Jesus.
The gift of Wonder and Awe
Children are rich in the gift of Wonder and Awe. Through the parables of the Kingdom of God, we contemplate together the mystery of life and the great gift of belonging to the Kingdom of God.
The gift of Covenant Relationship
At a very young age, children respond to the One who calls each of his sheep by name. They recognize that this is an active and personal relationship. They know his voice and follow.
The Greatest Gift
Young children first contemplate the Paschal Mystery by considering Christ's sacrifice as gift. They come to recognize Christ's offering at the Last Supper and on the cross as one action. Thinking not of the cost to himself but only of us, Christ offers all that he is to God the Father of all.
Covenant in Liturgy
“Worship is like breathing. It comprises two moments...an exchange between heaven and earth ...heaven sending its gifts to earth, and earth, as far as it is able, responding and reciprocating the gifts from heaven through Christ and the Spirit’s operative and animating presence.”
- Sofia Cavalletti
