Meet St. Martin's, Charlotte

How Catechesis of the Good Shepherd teaches children to know God

By Lillian Richards

Children are innately spiritual. They are thinkers, wonderers, and see things with a fresh, joyful perspective. Recognizing the importance of keeping these gifts alive and “being with” one another on this lifelong exploration with God, St. Martin’s, Charlotte, established Catechesis of the Good Shepherd in 2003 as our primary formation for children ages three through fifth grade.

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd has been around for more than 60 years. In 1954 a Hebrew and scripture scholar in Rome, Sofia Cavalletti, was approached by a mother to give her 7-year-old child religious instruction. Sofia initially declined, citing she knew nothing about children. Thankfully, the mother was determined and eventually Sofia agreed to help. Her life was changed by what was to be a short-lived tutoring experience:

She saw in that child and in numerous other children since, a way of being in the presence of God that is both unique to the child and a gift to the adult who stops long enough to notice. Perhaps it is because Sofia went before the child with no preconceived ideas of what should happen that the child responded with such joy. Certainly her background in Scripture made it possible for her to talk about God in a way that opened and enthused the child. From that day to the present time Sofia and Gianna remind us constantly to look to the child for that sign of a deeply religious life, joy, and to always ask the question: “What face of God is the child telling us he or she needs to see?” (From cgsusa.org)

Sofia and cohort, Gianna Gobbi, observed children carefully and for a long period of time. They established meaningful and developmentally appropriate ways to be with children and God based on the teaching principles and philosophy of Maria Montessori. This was the beginning of what is now known as Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.

There are three atria at St. Martin’s: Atrium of the Good Shepherd (three year olds through kindergarten), Atrium of the True Vine (first through third grades), and the Atrium of the Parousia (fourth and fifth grades with sixth grade to be added in 2019). The topics are basically the same for all three atria and build on the previous year’s work. Think of it as a layered cake. There is always that first layer which provides the foundation, i.e. Atrium 1. It is best to have it in order to add the rest of the icing and layers. Each Atrium adds another level of complexity as the children change from one developmental plane to another and, subsequently, they view things differently. We give them just what they need until they let us know that they can handle more! 

We have found that Catechesis of the Good Shepherd provides the necessary foundation for our youngest parishioners to experience a lifelong exploration and journey with God. We look forward to continuing this formation as we immerse ourselves and the children in “wondering” and joy!