The end of the liturgical year...

Just a short (or not so short) note to offer a peak into the atria:

The youngest children have spent time in the atrium this month hearing the Parable of the Mustard seed. This meditation has 3 'moments' which get visited in consecutive years.  In the first moment we ponder the mystery of God being like the mystery of life itself, moving from less to more through the process of growth and transformation. The following year, we wonder at the mystery of God permeating all of creation - even ourselves! Yet this power does not belong to us, but to God. During the final moment, we ponder if this mystery has an end? Once again, wondering with the children allows us to slow down and enjoy the theology that our scripure offers in such a beautiful way!

The children also spent some time practicing gestures (prayers that don't require words) such as bowing, genuflecting and making the sign of the cross.

They also explored the geography of Israel, learning about the major regions by working on a puzzle map. Some of them learned the names of the 3 most important cities in the life of Christ - Nazareth, Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

The Level 2 children have also worked on geography, spiralling outward from the Level 1 presentations to encompass more of the geography. I did not appreciate the importance of this factor until I was an adult - now it allows me to listen with a deeper understanding when the scripture is proclaimed.

Some of the children have continued to work with the parts of the Mass and are busy making their first missal.

Last Sunday, they heard the parable of the Good Shepherd, prompting one child to write a beautiful prayer asking the Good Shepherd's help in following Him forever. - AMEN!

In Level 3, we began our study of the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos and Ezekiel. This year our focus is on how they were called.

• Isaiah 6:1-8
• Jeremiah 1:4-10
• Amos 7:14-15
• Ezekiel 2:8-3:4 & 12a

Next year we will look at the struggles they faced. This age child often longs for heroes, and the prophets fit the bill nicely :-) Of course, we will never look at a burning ember the same way again!

The children also continued to look at the individual prayers that compose the one big prayer of the Mass. This work is a lovely way to hold our attention at Holy Mass! Last week we focused in on the Preparation of the Gifts. It was a great reminder that all that we offer God was given to us first. My hope is that some of the children will start working on their second missal in the upcoming weeks.

A few of the children have taken the time to work with the Plan of God - but it is a huge work and all too often they don't have a chance to finish. This age child is welcome to come at 8:30 or stay until noon - just let me know if you are interested in those times.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving! I give thanks for Sofia Cavalletti who allowed herself to be inspired to bring this lovely way of learning the Faith into our lives.

~ Beate

"Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, not even if your whole world seems upset. If you find that you have wandered away from the shelter of God, lead your heart back to Him quietly and simply."
~ St. Francis de Sales

NOVEMBER'S UPDATES

The last few weeks have been pretty special. Some of our atrium students went to Sattler and enjoyed tricker treating on Halloween night. All Soul's Day Mass was pretty special as Father Alberic blessed all of our deceased loved ones and prayed for those in purgatory.  He talked of the saints and asked who is ours?  Do you know the feast day of your saint? What are they the patron saint of?  Questions to ponder and to research if you do not know!
Then on November 3rd, Father asked the children to dress up as their favorite saint. It was also the World Youth Day Mass and Festival. The children were flawless in their presentations, choir singing (some of us tried) ushering, presenting the gifts and of course altar serving. Father asked the children who did dress up as saints, who are you? What is your feast day? What are you the Patron Saint of? The children surprised us, as well as impressed us with their answers.  Father has been doing great things at our St. Thomas Parish. We are fortunate to have someone who loves our children and likes getting them involved.
After the Mass was our World Youth Day celebration festival. The kids did bobbing for apples (a classic sight to see), fishing, the infamous and all time favorite cake walk, ring toss, face painting and Karaoke singing. It was run by the older youth for our younger ones. The knights served us great food as always. It was fun and had unforgettable moments. Some older bald guy tried to sing at karaoke and had the whole place in hysteria.

Well we are past the half way mark in November and there is more things coming. Advent starts December 1st. December 14 is the annual Sattler Christmas Day Parade and children are invited to participate as sheep and shepherds on a float provided by the Knight's of Columbus.

Father has asked the catechesists to have the children prepare a skit of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The children will have a month to learn their parts and on December 15th will present a skit honoring the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Also the annual Christmas Pageant and Choir is Saturday December 24th on Christmas eve!

As you can see the children are busy. We do ask that they participate and engage in these events of special meaning to our Church throughout the year. As they go through all the levels of Atrium learning they realize the significance that God and our Church play in their lives. Not just now but as they grow older  and get confirmed. They will enter this game we call Life and become the next soldiers of Christ in the World. 

I have been Catholic my whole life. I heard of Homeschooling in North Carolina when I was eleven. It stuck with me and as I got married asked my wife if she would be interested. We learned all we could about it and decided that the church wants us to be our children's teachers and instruct them on their faith. I never knew or once even heard of Atrium. Sofia Cavalletti (God rest her Soul) created the Catechesis of The Good Shepherd. My wife Joyce (my better half) along with Beate, Ginger, Chris etc. brought it into reality to our parish. It is a hands on approach where the children use everything the priest uses in Mass. They learn that God is present with them and that they just need to listen. They live the experiences of the Mass every weekend in class. They also learn about God's plan from Creation to our present time of Redemption until The Parousia when our Lord will be All in All.

I wish we had this when I was growing up. This is the most amazing religious training I have ever seen. I see why my wife, Beate, Chris, JoAnn, Blanca, Sabine etc. have been loving this for as long as they have. As a new catechist, Iwatch how these ladies interact with the kids. They do it with love, softness and respect. The children in return show respect and listen and speak softly and love. They treat each other kindly and are helpful. They get the materials, work alone or with some other children and when done they put away the materials where they found them. They are a joy to watch and and we thank you for letting us have the opportunity to teach them. I will spend the rest of my life learning all that there is to learn about this wonderful way to teach our Faith to the children of our parish and beyond...

Sorry for this long blog. It will be shorter next time. I am new to this new age wonderment of technology and how to converse without talking.:)

  Your Brother in Christ

      Anthony Colyer