Children’s Catechesis

Nourish your child’s relationship with God

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

Gillis Centre

The vision for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) began in 1954 with a Dr Sofia Cavalletti, a Hebrew and Scripture scholar, and her colleague, Professor Gianni Gobbi, a Montessori trained educator. Sofia was asked by a mother to give her son religious instruction. At first Sophia refused, not having much experience with children, but eventually she consented. Exploring the Scriptures with the boy changed Sofia’s whole life, and it also inspired the development of what we now know as Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.

Dr Cavalletti saw in that child, and in a number of children since then, a way of being in the presence of God, utterly receptive, that is unique to the child and a gift to the adult who stops long enough to notice. Children naturally desire to draw near to God but need the sensitive assistance of an adult catechist as well as the inner guidance of the Holy Spirit to nurture this relationship. They benefit from a prepared place to spend time with God and from materials to assist them in their listening and response. They benefit from concerted cultivation of their own capacities for this exploration, prayer, and contemplation.

CGS, developed and improved over decades by Dr Cavalletti and Professor Gobbi, seeks to provide all this through a programme that integrates Maria Montessori’s principles of education and Dr Cavelletti’s particular observation on Revelation, Jesus, and the child. The programme helps children develop their ability to discover, and then introduces them to Jesus, the land of Israel, the life of Jesus and the stories He used to teach us. It introduces them to the liturgical year, Jesus present in Baptism, the Eucharist, and the Word of God. It orients them to union with Jesus through continual prayer and the sacraments.

In other words, CGS is a weekly catechesis programme, now used world-wide, for children 3-12 which enables them to experience an authentic relationship with God through learning to grasp God’s presence and revelation and to hear God and to respond, knowing God hears them. It focuses especially on Scripture, Liturgy, and the life of Jesus.

We in St Columba’s and St Peter’s were privileged to be the first in the Archdiocese to introduce the programme in 2022. Since then, CGS has also been introduced at The Most Holy Trinity Parish, Fife and St Philip’s, Livingston. We hope more parishes will become interested. The location for CGS, echoing the most ancient traditions of the Church, is called an ‘Atrium.’

The St Columba’s and St Peter’s atrium is called Iona, and is now housed at the Gillis Centre. Our programme can serve children 3-8 years old.

Programme Summary

a weekly opportunity for children to fall in love with Jesus, the Good Shepherd, in a child-friendly space called an atrium;
guided activity to aid prayer and worship at Mass in small groups, facilitated by trained catechists;
a place where each child’s unique spiritual needs and abilities are respected and nurtured.
the programme is free of charge
there is free-parking at the Gillis Centre