Festival Weekend is
always a wonderful thing to behold. We
are glad it is here, and then, we are happy to have it completed. When we have done the Festival, we find that
we are already at the half-way point of summer.
Before we know it, we will be gearing up again for Fall and the bustle
of activity that engages us. While the “lull”
still continues, we need to be sure to take time to keep the long view in our sights.
“Life comes at you fast”
is a famous expression. We use it to
describe everything from the challenging experiences we have to face as
individuals to the reality of watching our children grow up and move on with
their own life’s journeys. As we admit
this, the Church invites us at the same time to acknowledge that it is in our
power to plan and make choices that can assist not only our own generation but
the generations to come.
It is in this spirit
that I continue my own journey of learning this week with the second half of training
in the first level of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. As you may recall, I did the first half of
the training last summer. There are
three levels for the Catechesis, covering children from age 3 to age 12, with
age-appropriate methods and materials.
The training for the first level is a kind of “initiation” into the
world and ways of this approach to opening up the “Mysteries of the Kingdom” to
our children.
In my 33 years of priestly
ministry, I have always been involved in the task of educating children. From my earliest years as Associate Pastor at
St. Mary’s Parish in Lancaster to the present, I have always spent time in the
classroom as well as in church and other venues speaking to children about our
Faith. That has given me a unique opportunity
to observe methods of education at all levels. Over the past several years and now with more
intentional study, I have seen the approach of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
up close. There is no doubt in my mind
that this approach, which is used all over the world and by people of varied
Christian denominations, has the potential to revitalize our families in their
understanding of the Catholic Faith.
Locally, even though at
the present time we have only one Atrium and have materials for levels one and
two available (level three is in process), we have seen many fruits. Several families have made the decision to
become Catholic because their children learned about the Sacraments through the
Atrium. The children have shared
wonderful insights with their parents and their catechists that deepen the
adults’ own understanding of the Faith.
Many of our high school students – who did not have the opportunity to be
in an Atrium during their elementary years – have served as aides and are more
excited than ever about the Faith due to what they have learned by working with
the children in the Atrium.
If any of you are
interested in learning about the approach of the Catechesis of the Good
Shepherd, the Diocese of Columbus will be offering training through the next
academic year on Saturdays. I invite you
to give it a try. Aides are always
needed and that would give you an opportunity to see it up close. Parents and Grandparents of the children who
attend Atrium sessions have many good things to say and stories to tell. Just ask them!
May we all learn to
hear the voice of the Shepherd and be open to the new and greener pastures He
is preparing for us.
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