We are delighted to share with you the religious education program for our children ages 3-10, known as the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. We chose to implement this program for one main reason: The reality of the child as spiritual being is a view firmly upheld by the Orthodox Church. From conception the child is treated as a soul incarnating, as a person who, upon birth, is worthy to receive all the rites of our faith. Both the Old and New Testaments speak of the spiritual nature of children, and further evidence abounds in Scripture and in the lives of the saints, demonstrating the spiritual relationship that God has with His people, even from the womb. We feel that only a religious education experience that is simultaneously spiritual formation is the best we can give our children as they grow as Christian people.

This perception of the child was the motivation to develop the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a program that cherishes the religious potential of children. The program emerged through the collaboration of Biblical scholar Sofia Cavelletti and Montessori educator Gianna Gobbi, and has been in use for 50 years in diverse populations. With the blessing of Fr. Nicholas and His Grace Bishop JOSEPH, the Religious Education Department chose to implement the Catechesis in the fall of 2005. "Catechesis," a word that is probably new to many readers, means "sounding forth." The term is used to differentiate the program from "catechism," because the approach of catechesis is mainly experiential rather than strictly intellectual. In catechesis, the children and catechists spend their time listening together for the sounding forth of God's voice in their midst and in their hearts. The title "of the Good Shepherd" is significant, as the image of God found in Christ the Good Shepherd serves as the foundation of the child's relationship with God. Introducing a child to God as a Person Who provides safety, sustenance, and serenity is critical to his or her later development as a freely moral human being. Thus, in the Catechesis program, there is a profound synthesis of religious experience and sensorial education in a setting centered on Christ, based on the Bible, and oriented to the Liturgy. This setting is called the atrium.

Created to meet the spiritual and educational needs of children as young as three years old, the atrium is like a retreat house, a place set apart for the children, who receive a series of presentations (or lessons) there. The environment and the presentations are carefully designed to lead the child to contemplate and experience an aspect of God interiorly. Built on the belief that God is indeed already in conversation with the soul of the child, the atrium and its materials are provided to further the child's relationship with God in a way that respects the uniqueness of each one and his or her growing awareness of that relationship. The space is structured with child-sized shelves and tables on which rest beautiful, generally hand-crafted materials used first by the catechist in demonstration, then by the children as they freely choose which aspect of God they wish to pursue and experience further. Everything placed in the atrium is for the child's use, and is adapted to his or her developmental needs. This enables the children to develop their physical, intellectual and spiritual capacities in a safe environment under the direction of trained catechists and their assistants. Those who instruct also listen and observe as the children come into contact with God at their own paces and rhythms, guided by the liturgical cycle of the year. Some of the blessings that children share in the atrium are words of excitement and understanding, beautiful artwork created through quiet contemplation, or even just the sigh of peace as one of them spends time at the prayer table.

St. Athanasius Church is a community blessed with many who desire to further the spiritual lives of its youngest members, who indeed are the future of the Church. We are especially blessed to have church leaders who ardently love the children and support all aspects of children's ministry. In a pioneering event, St. Athanasius began catechesis with children ages 3-6 years old in September of 2005, and expanded to serve those ages 7-10 the following year. In 2009, we will grow once again, to serve children up to age 12. We have five trained catechists, as well as numerous assistants who serve each Sunday from September through Pentecost. Please enjoy the back issues of our informative newsletter, "The Sheepfold," and send inquiries to Director of Religious Education, Joanne Gish (jgish@westmont.edu), or Catechesis Coordinator Seraphima Butler (sbutler@westmont.edu).

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