Inside the atrium, a sacred space created for young children at the Chapel of the Cross, the 4-year olds are gathered in a circle. They become focused and quiet as a candle is lit and a few words are read from the Bible. Accompanying the reading today, a wooden shepherd is tending his flock of sheep. As we listen to the words of John 10:3-16,  the shepherd carefully leads the sheep from their fold and “they follow because they know his voice.” When the reading is done, there is a time of meditation lead by the catechist consisting of a few open-ended questions. “

I wonder how the sheep feel when they are with the shepherd?” and so on.  The responses are at times numerous and at other times there is only silence, which is honored for what it is-- profound. It is in this silence that the Holy Spirit (the only real teacher ) is working. A simple song is sung in closing. Following the lesson, each child is free to choose his or her work for the remainder of the hour. This work may be: arranging flowers to place on the prayer table, pouring water and wine and watching them mingle,  polishing the tiny silver chalice and paten for the altar, marking cities on a topographical map of Israel, painting a picture, or  many other activities designed to nourish the spirituality of these children.

What is it about Catechesis of the Good Shepherd that appeals to the young child? The appeal is best described by Sofia Cavelletti, a Hebrew scholar and Montessorian who founded the program nearly 50 years ago and who continues to observe children in an atrium located in her home in Rome, Italy. According to Cavelletti, there are several distinct features that characterize a young child's spirituality.  Catechesis has been designed to meet the child's religious needs by recognizing these unique features.

The first is “essentiality” in regard to their religious needs. “As soon as we are not essential with them, they immediately stop following us. They are satisfied with only essential things. Young children do not need sweet and cute religious stories (like “The Little Drummer Boy) but truths that are most essential to our faith: God is love, Christ is risen, the reign of God, etc. These themes serve as a bud; they unfold as the children grow.” The lessons are without the embellishment or 'jazzing up' that adults often think that children require. The simpler and more essential the lesson, the more it resonates with the children. One can see it in in their shining eyes, in their rapt attention to a few very weighty words.

The young child's enjoyment of God is another feature. This joy is not excitement nor over-stimulation, but a “joy that makes them peaceful, relaxed, as if something very deep had been struck in their heart, very deep in their soul.” These peaceful responses have been the criteria for choosing the lessons that are offered to the children, for  it is an indication that some deep religious need of the child has been met. Parents might ask a child, “Did you have fun in church school today?” Is the ultimate goal of the church school hour to have fun?  Or is it something more? We can look for evidence of this peaceful joy, but it is a subtle thing easily lost in the bustle of a busy Sunday morning.

Children also have an amazing capacity for prayer. This prayer takes several forms in the atrium: words, song, art, and work with the materials. We offer the children simple, handmade materials to continue the meditative process begun in our circle time. The hands-on material serves as an on-going reflection on the Word that is not dependent on an adult. These materials remain on the shelves in the atrium for the duration of the year, and the child is free to return to them as often as (s)he wishes.

Finally, Sofia notes that the young child is drawn to God not because of a need for love that seeks to be filled, but because of the child's wealth of love that seeks to be matched.  “The religious experience is fundamentally an expression of love, it corresponds in a special way to the child's nature. The child has need of love because the child is rich in love.” This is charmingly apparent in the way the 4-year olds tend to snuggle into the smallest possible circle when it is time for our lesson each week. It is truly a privilege to share this time with them.  The children have so much to teach us all.

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