Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

What is Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS)?

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a Montessori-based religious formation program for children. It seeks to create and facilitate a sacred, hands-on space called an atrium, in which both the children and their catechists can hear, ponder, and celebrate the most essential mysteries of the Christian faith as revealed in the Scriptures and the Liturgy. The atrium is a space where the child develops his/her relationship with God, a relationship which already exists.

Children are deeply spiritual and their relationship with God comes easily to them. In the atrium, they learn the vocabulary of the Church, ponder the question “Who are you Jesus?” and learn to pray and listen to God. They work at their own pace with hands-on materials and presentations that include the Holy Bible, the liturgy, and the sacraments. They celebrate the great love God has for them and build a strong faith foundation. That foundation calls forth a response from the child to serve God and others.

Early in Dr. Maria Montessori’s work, a child said to her, “help me to help myself”, rather than doing it for me. In the atrium, the cry of the child is seen as “help me to come to God by myself.”

To learn more about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, which was developed in 1954 by two Roman Catholic laywomen, Sophia Cavalletti and Gionna Gobbi in Rome, visit the CGS website.

Program Offerings: Level I & Level II

Level I classes (3-6 years old, preschool and kindergarten) will be offered once a week on Tuesdays from 4-5:40 p.m. or Thursdays from 4:15-6:00 p.m. Children must be fully potty trained to attend these classes.

All children at St. Clement of Rome preschool attend CGS once a week during the school day.

A young student learns about the Last Supper

A student learns about Jesus as the Good Shepherd

A young girl learns about the Liturgical calendar during CGS class

A young student learns about the geography of Israel

A Level II class (1st and 2nd grade) will be offered after school as well as a new Level II/III class (3rd-6th grade) Tuesdays from 4-5:40 p.m. We request that children have a year of prior CGS experience to attend these classes. Space is limited. "

See "Documents" for Calendar

Program Offerings: Toddler Class

A Parent/Child Toddler class (ages 15-36 months) is offered once a week on Tuesday or Thursday mornings from 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM. Start immersing your toddler into the life of the Church and meet other families with children the same age. This class is offered in 2 sessions. You may choose to sign up for one or more sessions. If you also have an infant under 1 year old, you may bring them to the class at no additional charge.

See "Documents" for Calendar

A toddler holds a small crucifix at CGS class

A young boy learns about baby Jesus and the manger

Program Costs:

Toddler Session 1: $195
Toddler Session 2: $240
Levels I-III: $300/child
2nd grade sacrament retreat fee: $35

There is an option on the registration form to pay the full amount by Aug 1 or select a payment plan. Toddler session 2 payment is due Nov 1.

Registration:

Parishioners have priority CGS registration for the 2024-25 school year during the week of April 20-26. Open enrollment begins at 9 a.m. on Monday, April 29 (we ask non-parishioners to please wait until this time to submit registration). Submit one registration per family. Class calendars are posted under Documents on this page. Program costs are listed above. We will start letting families know about placement at the end of April.

Documents

Contact Us

Michelle Muck

(314) 601-2984

[email protected]