Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Registration Now Open

The Holy Spirit prepares us for what lies ahead on our faith journey.

HI! I’m Geralyn. I have been the Director of Religious Education at St. Patrick Parish in Cedar Rapids, Iowa since 2010.  The CGS seed was planted in my heart over Christmas break in 2016 when my niece shared that she had helped in a level I atrium in South Bend, Indiana.  She was so touched by the good, the true and the beautiful she witnessed in the atrium that she couldn’t stop talking about her experience!  My niece had no idea at that time, I was searching for a new religious education program to help the children and their parents encounter a personal relationship with Jesus. 

After researching CGS and talking to many experienced CGS Catechists and Formation Leaders, ten ladies and I were trained in level I CGS during the summer of 2017. 90 hours of CGS training is required to teach 3–6-year-old children.  When we began our CGS faith formation journey we really didn’t know what we were getting into.  We thought the training would equip us to learn the program and pass our knowledge onto the children and their families.  Little did we know that the CGS training, which was more like a retreat, was for us to learn that we were just, “useless servants.”  We were surprised to discover that children are already in a relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit is the teacher.  There exists a mysterious bond between God and the child. The CGS catechist simply presents the Word of God and observes the child’s use of the materials, artwork, and responses.

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd was founded in Rome in 1954 by two women: Sofia Cavalletti, a Hebrew Scripture scholar, and Gianna Gobbi, a disciple of Maria Montessori. Sofia Cavalletti’s, only “concern was continued attention to the Word and the child.”  

She constantly reiterated, “The Word is the most important thing. That is why the atrium where the catechesis is held is more like a church than a traditional classroom: less a place of instruction than a holy ground where Christ is encountered in word and action.” 

One of the first parables our Formation Leader presented to each of us during our CGS training was “The Good Shepherd” (John 10:3-5, 11-16). Children, ages 3-6, receive this parable every year in the atrium.  “The Good Shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out…..When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice…I am the Good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.”  The Word was proclaimed and then seeing it in the light of the materials was captivating.  We had heard the parable many times before, but our hearts were profoundly moved by the Good Shepherd’s love for us.  We felt a strong calling that this was just the beginning of a spiritual journey for ourselves, the children, and their families at St. Patrick’s.

Never did we imagine that the rich scripture reflections for children were for adults as well. Only a few lines from the Word of God or the liturgy are presented at a time in the atrium, but the mysteries can be pondered for a lifetime. 

Our CGS program has been an immense gift to St. Patrick’s, and our local community. Six years of building, promoting, and teaching CGS at our parish has given everyone involved an invaluable blueprint for understanding the infinite, merciful love of the Good Shepherd through the eyes of the child.

Registration for the 2023-2024 school year for classes is now open! Click here to learn more and begin registration.

If you are interested in becoming a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd catechist or would like your children in our CGS program, please contact Geralyn Ward, Director of Faith Formation, at the parish office, 319-362-7966 or [email protected]. 

St. Patrick’s currently offers Toddler (ages 14 months-under 3), Level 1 (ages 3-6), Level 2 (1-3 grades) & Level 3 (4-7 grades).