New Beginnings!

The Holy Spirit definitely keeps me on my toes! The past year has been filled with both sorrow and joy, as one door closed and another opened. The upstairs floor of the RE building at a nearby parish was my home away from home for 11 years. My younger children roamed those hallways and made cherished friends. At one point, I saw myself as an old person, still sitting on the floor upstairs, unpacking scripture with young theologians.  The Good Shepherd has been whispering my name, calling me to trust and head forth. First to say yes to the role of formation leader, and then to then to walk away from someone else's vision of catechesis. I felt a bit like a storm tossed traveler when I briefly greeted the new pastor at my home parish. "Have you heard of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd?" "No." "It's a Montessori based catechesis for children aged 3 to 12 and I'd like you to come and and see." He said "Yes," followed by "When can we start?"

There were space constraints, there were time constraints, there are beautiful programs already in place... "Trust," nudged the Holy Spirit. So here we are, starting again. I love making materials! Sofia was right when she urged catechists to work with their hands. It's a meditative, contemplative time that draws one ever deeper into scripture. I also love meeting young moms, who love their children beyond measure. People have brought me to tears with their generosity. People from 3 parishes have helped build furniture! I'm humbled by the love I've been shown.

So here we are, just a few short weeks from our very first session! Rick Zapf solved both the time and space constraints with his generous offer of the former youth room. It makes an absolutely perfect atrium. We will start slowly - Sarah and I as lead catechists with beautiful children all new to the atrium. Thank you, Holy Spirit, thank you Good Shepherd, and thank you God the Father for loving us so abundantly!

 "...the atrium is not only a place for announcement and celebration, it is also a place for work. It is a particular environment in which work easily becomes meditation and prayer." ~ Gianna Gobbi

Liturgy of Light:

The reverence and deep contemplation of the children takes my breath away!

Prayer in the atrium..

"Oh God our Savior, help us to learn, love, share and forgive." H. and K.

The Child and the Adult

From The Religious Potential of the Child pages 52-53:

“There is a deep bond uniting God to the child, the Creator to His creature…a bond with which no person should dare to interfere.

“The help the adult can give the child is only preliminary and peripheral, and one that halts – that must halt – on the threshold of the ‘place’ where God speaks with His creature.

“The incandescent moment of the meeting with God occurs in secret between the Lord and His creature, and into this secret the adult may not and should not enter.”

I read the above again recently and it touched me deeply, so I thought I’d share.

The world rewards the quick answer, the fast solution. We are trained to respond at the earliest age, garnering praise for coming up with the correct response with alacrity. The atrium allows the adult, as well as the child, to ponder the great mysteries of God without the pressure of an expected response. This is a beautiful gift, one that often takes my breath away  :-)

~ Beate

Our Work in the Atrium

“...it should never be forgotten that yours is a holy work.  The Holy Spirit is present wherever the name of Christ is proclaimed.  He is in our midst whenever we lift up our hearts and minds to God in prayer.  He will give you the light and strength you need!” ~ Pope Francis

Christmas in the Atrium

Today culminates the Christmas season in our Church, so it is fitting that we spend our atrium session with a Christmas celebration. It is always lovely to be pulled back into the heart of the matter - that beautiful manger holding a wee baby. The children in all atria make a procession to adorn the prayer table. They carry the prayer cloth, the Bible, a candle, the nativity figures and sing Christmas carols - it is always quite festive. We proclaim the scripture passage - Luke 2:1-7 for the youngest children and Luke 2:1-20 for the rest - while setting up the nativity scene. This is such a familiar story, yet it always holds something new if we only take the time to listen. We wonder together at what it would have been like to be there - would we have recognized our Lord?

The older children spent some time in prayer and then gathered objects in the atrium that would symbolize their gift to the baby Jesus. There was a pencil because He helps us write our "blank page," a Sharpie, because He leaves a permanent mark on our lives, a candle, because He is the light, the globe, because we are to share His love with all. The children's sincerity and diligence in searching for the perfect item was a blessing for us as catechists. Again I am humbled by their theology.

In the peace of the Good Shepherd,

Beate

In Memory of Sofia Cavalletti