Bread for the Journey

Transcription

1 One Flock, One Shepherd Volume 10 Issue 3 October 2016 Newsletter of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Association of Canada Inside this Issue Winnipeg News... p. 3 Ottawa Level 1 National Course..p. 4 The Creation of Catechists of the Good Shepherd..p. 6 Booklet to keep...p. 9 Certification of Formation Facilitators...p. 11 Musings of a Formation Leader in Training..p. 12 Trip to Rome.p. 13 Organizing Our Time p. 14 Level 1, Lindsay Ontario..p. 15 Communications Update...p. 16 Bread for the Journey Whoever eats of this Bread will live forever National Gathering Calgary, Alberta November 11 & 12, 2016 Registration Deadline October 28

2 VOLUME 10 ISSUE 3 Page 2 National Gathering Update Most Reverend Frederick Henry, Bishop of Calgary will join us Friday evening for dinner and share a talk. Father Jerome Lavigne, St. Peter s Parish Calgary. Ordained to the priesthood in 2009 Father Jerome unpacks the mysteries of the spiritual life in a down to earth manner. Plenary Saturday Morning: Bread Throughout the Scriptures It is not by chance that bread is the element chosen by God to become food for our journey to the Kingdom the Eucharistic Banquet we partake of at Mass has a story to tell. An historical context captured and revealed by means of the Sacred Scriptures. Carol Scarratt is a 30+ years Montessori career-professional experienced in classroom teaching and teacher-training. She is an award winning Masters alumnus of Royal Roads University Victoria with Birth 12yrs Montessori teacher certification. Closing Plenary: Normalization is the Single Most Important Result of our Work ( Montessori, 1967) Learn how to recognize the characteristics of the normalized child and your role in fostering a normalized community of children. Plunged into the Trinity began as the talks for the 2010 CGSAC Gathering in Toronto, and reflects on the role of the Sacraments as means to integrate us into the very life of the Trinity. Ernest Skublics is a liturgical theologian who studied in Rome, Germany and Holland and worked with theologians who advised the Second Vatican Council;.His most recent academic work was at Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon, where he restructured the curriculum to be grounded in the concept of Eucharistic/Communion Ecclesiology. Copies of the book will be available for sale at the Gathering in November; if you cannot attend and would like a copy, Catechesis.Canada@gmail.com. Venue: Canadian Martyrs Parish, 835 Northmount Drive NW. Calgary Requiring help with accommodation contact Dorothy Burns: cgscalgary@gmail.com or

3 Page 3 Winnipeg News Atrium Assistant Training How many people can you pack into a 10 x 10 foot atrium? On Saturday Sept. 10, 19 people from a variety of parishes spent 8 hours together at Holy Cross Parish, Winnipeg. Though billed as Training for Assistants in the Atrium, it included some interested parents and catechists from a traditional program who just wanted to learn more about CGS. There were also five youth who have recently finished Level III and want to help now with Level I or II. The day began with the Good Shepherd presentation, and included orientation to the Montessori roots and history of the Catechesis. Assistants were trained to present practical life works, and had time to practice with each other. They also received an outline of the ways they can help prepare the atrium each week; be present to the children in the appropriate way; and help clean up at the end. Interspersed through the day were the videos: Where a Child Can Fall in Love with God, about 10 minutes of Edison s Day (reinforcing the concept of help me do it by myself ), and Part II of the Mustard Seed Video, Theology and Methodology. The latter gave participants a view of a typical atrium day and introduced them to Levels II and III so they could see the whole picture. So many new people ready to become involved what an immediate support and what a cliff-hanger for the future. Who knows what will grow from the seeds planted here? Heather Lampman & Nancy Wood Winnipeg s New Model for Formation We in Winnipeg have lots to be thankful for. Our three bishops two Roman Catholic and one Anglican are all solidly in support of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and show it through their financial contributions. We have trained CGS catechists as Directors of Catechetics now in both Roman Catholic Dioceses, and the Archdiocese of Winnipeg is really pushing to see this work spread, with a particular eye to aboriginal communities. We also have two resident formation leaders and four strong assistants a great team to keep formation running annually. This year we are taking advantage of our blessings and offering the whole training in a new format: one Saturday a month, covering each theme in its entire spiral as we go. If we can continue this every year in this way, those who have to miss a Saturday will have an easy time filling in what they missed the following year. Many people evidently feel like this pace is manageable, because our registrations are high. This paradigm is a departure from the Part A-Part B format which circles the Church year twice, giving first year presentations in Part A and second and third year presentations in Part B. Winnipeg won t be a good place for people to come who started the course somewhere else but that is exceedingly rare here anyway. We ll let you know how this experiment works! Heather Lampman

4 VOLUME 10 ISSUE 3 Page 4 Ottawa Level 1 National Course Ottawa Level 1 attendees Ottawa Level 1 participants HOSTING CREED Don't let your formation leaders down; they are working hard to build CGS up. Be humble enough to obey; you may be a formation leader some day. Choose your host team with care; together your teamwork reflects who you are. Choose only a site that will provide all this is right. Be master of your hosting package, or the details will master you. Don't be shy when you provide; open your heart and enjoy the ride. Don't let the small stuff ruin your day. Dale Balkovec & Ruth Ann McClure Co-host partners in Christ CGS Level 1 Formation: Ottawa

5 Page 5 Level I Ottawa Joyce and Lisa album page dialogue Katherine at work Katherine LeLievre, who has a nursing background, shared her discovery during Part A of Level 1 that the CGS album pages followed a familiar process to developing Nursing Care Plans. Other professions use similar templates to list and identify standards of practice, goals/outcomes, resources or materials, execution, and evaluation of their work. I realized that the album page is, in fact, a teaching plan that allows you to follow the same processes described above. They are never truly finished. Our observations are for evaluation and future revisions of our evolving work. As we continued to work through 2016 on our personal album pages and Part B, I got into a rhythm. For me, putting down essential details about simple open ended phrases, like I wonder extended moment of silence, or materials that stimulate the senses, reminds me that we are not teachers in the Atrium, we are facilitators of the Holy Spirit.

6 Page 6 The Creation of Catechists of the Good Shepherd- A creation narrative over seven days Created and presented by Ellen Roderick at the closing of Ottawa Level 1 Part B, July 11-16, 2016 (With apologies for the "inside jokes", which nevertheless will seem familiar to anyone who has experienced a week long formation course!) Do you remember the story of the creation of the world? How God created the world in seven days, how he created the earth the stars, the moon, animals and then us? Well, I have a new story to share with you about how God created level 1 catechists of the Good Shepherd in seven days. Would you like to hear it? (Light candle, open Bible). This will involve some interaction on your part. Everyone put one hand on his or her hip and with the other hand, pump your fist in the air, and say Good job! Can you do this with me? I ll let you know when you need to do this new gesture in the story (although of course we would never, ever do this in the atrium, would we?). Lent and Advent, when all her supplies take on the liturgical color! The third is a paper full of question marks. Can anyone interpret this?...it is the 125 questions that Tobi asked this week to help us all enter into the mystery of the Catechesis! And finally, there is an image of a woman looking very sad and alone standing before the cross. Can anyone guess what this means?.it is lonely Mary from the Magnificat song we sang together, Holy is His Name (In the typed lyrics we had for this song, the author misquoted He has had mercy on my loneliness.not lowliness!) God called this wonderful and creative knack for interpretation observation. So he said to them (all do the gesture!): Good job! And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. [ Interlude: Can anyone tell me what time it is? What time is it? (a reference to the fact that Susan didn t have a watch and frequently would ask us for the time). In answer, a student comes forward and offers thyme in response to the utter confusion!)] And God said, Let them experiment with new catechetical materials, material that is at once simple and elegant but also organic, sensorial and most importantly, incarnational In the beginning God created Ottawa and Holy Redeemer Catholic Church. Ottawa was very hot that summer and the Spirit of God was moving all over the face of the land, in far off places such as Stittsville, Embrun, Kanata, Nepean, Limoges, Morewood, Russell, Munster, North Bay, Ottawa, Toronto, Courtland, Gloucester, and even Montreal. Desiring to create good catechists of the Good Shepherd who would share his love with the children, he set to work over seven days. And God said, Let there be an interpretation of children s art for these future catechists. And there was a session for art interpretation: Here we see a picture of a Heinz ketchup bottle. Can anyone offer an interpretation of this first piece of art?.the right answer is: The Kingdom of God is like a ketchup seed. The second is a monochromatic purple sheet of paper with purple things glued all over it. Can anyone properly interpret this?..it is Dale s atrium during So these young and keen catechists developed new atrium materials. Would you like to see them? They are all available at Josephs in Toronto. (Invite course mates to make with their bodies and gestures the new materials) The first is a 100% incarnational music stand [Reference to a human music stand we used during the week]. One satisfied customer commented: It was the best looking music stand he ever saw! Next, we have new low level tables for level 1. Oh, ah.folks, look at these: what nice ends! What nice lips! They are very sturdy, they can withstand water and oil and they are 100% washable! The third are human candle holders. What is unique about these is that the light outside reflects the light inside. And lastly, a new sheepfold! Yes, it comes in many sizes. However, it is only available at the end of a long formation session in a hot and stuffy atrium- under these circumstances, the sheepfold will truly carry the smell of the sheep, as Pope Francis has been encouraging.

7 Page 7 And God saw that this new material truly embodied the self-giving of the catechists and he said, (everyone doing the gesture together) Good job! And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. And God said, Let us create atrium police to help keep these budding catechists on their toes. He chose a wise and mature catechist to lead the atrium police force, Constable Carolyn. The first task of the atrium police was to make available two nearly identical liturgical calendars for the new catechists to pick up at the entrance on their first day of the course. They were almost identical, however one was missing one small word. God thought to test the observation skills of these new catechists, seeing if they would notice the difference or if they would only pick up one of the calendars. On the first day, the budding catechists arrived, and seeing these nearly identical calendars, most were mistaken and picked up only one! Constable Carolyn and the atrium police quickly corrected these young catechists, drawing their attention to the minute detail. Constable Carolyn even displayed the new penitential time out cards to be used in the atrium (of course, these were purple), letting everyone know of their major infraction. From this moment on, the catechists were on their best behavior, measuring even the specific angles of any and all liturgical gestures and the placement of any tape on the floor (Another inside joke from a story we were told about the origin of the St. Benedict s atrium in Toronto!). However, another major infraction was detected by the police during the presentation of the Presentation of the Infant Jesus in the Temple. Jesus was stuck to Simeon and the doves were stuck to Joseph s arm, which led to the grave misinterpretation of the story; whereby Simeon ran off with baby Jesus, and Joseph, being so frustrated, kept the offering of the pigeons in protest. Many thanks to Constable Carolyn and the atrium police for being so vigilant! God saw how well the catechists responded to the corrections and he said, Good job! And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. And God said, Let us expand our formation program to target married couples, let us focus on building strong marriages and families by husbands and wives uniting together in the work of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Let us call this special couples formation the catechesis in the nuptial mystery or CMN Association. So two married couples joined in the formation in Ottawa, sharing the mystery of their own love and gift of self. God worried that this might be motivated by selfish desire to merely boost numbers in the association or by a need to have husbands and fathers involved in the building of material or doing the muscle work in the atrium or by the benefit of having a husky man to play the guitar to warm the women s heart, but he saw that it was good. He even granted them a special indulgence for giving up their free time as a couple. And God said, Good job!, blessing them and saying, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the world with new children and grandchildren for the CGS! And there was evening and morning, a fourth day. And God said, Let us bring forth a chronicle of our association. Let our new catechists create a newsletter to communicate to all the members of the CGSAC some of the highlights of their week together in formation. So the catechists worked diligently to put together a newsletter. I wonder what some of the stories would be?... The first is about how a country music star named Ray showed up unexpectedly at formation causing a great commotion! He rewrote and recorded the Cavalletti classic, The Kingdom of God while he was with us. The song has been #1 on the charts of catechists this summer not only in Canada but all over the world! The second story is an exposé on the suspiciously large number of catechists in formation from the small rural community of Russell, ON. Although they opened their first atrium just this year, already half the town has signed up for level 2 training. Very suspicious, indeed! An anonymous tip to CGSAC led to an investigation. It was discovered that there is link in Russell to the CGS mafia in Rome and Naples. While we do not think any members of the Russell community are dangerous, the association urges caution - the community may be laundering counterfeit catechetical materials and liturgical garments. The third story is about how to get a priest into your atrium, and even more importantly, how to get a picture of a priest or bishop in your atrium! Suggestions in this story include luring with sandwiches and sweets, guilt, using babies and children; but the best is blood relatives such as nieces and nephews. These always guarantee a bishop or priest will visit.

8 Page 8 God read the newsletter and was moved by how interesting it was! He thought to himself how well these catechists communicate the beauty and life of the CGS to others. He said, Good job! Then God said, Let us make catechists in our image, after our likeness, and let them have the heart of a child to serve the children I have created. Let them know how beloved they are to me so they can communicate the mystery of my love to these children. Let them live and discover daily my presence in the Word and in the liturgy so that they know me and love me as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. So God created the catechists in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them. And God blessed and commissioned them, saying, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the land of Canada and subdue it. Lead all of my children to wonder over the fishes of the sea and Combining over the birds Level of One the air and and Level over Two every living thing that moved upon the earth. And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made during these days of catechetical formation and he saw each of the catechists, calling each one my name; and behold, it was very good. And God said, Good job! And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day. And thus the level 1 catechists were created. The formation leaders did an excellent job communicating God s plan, and the hosts also, in facilitating these wonderful days of creation. And on the seventh day, God finished his work, which he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had done. But, of course, he also made time to celebrate the birthday of one of his catechists, Marlene! Happy Birthday, Marlene Pages 9 and 10 Booklet to keep Help clergy and visitors to be comfortable when visiting your atrium! Cut out and photo copy this booklet onto card stock paper and hand it out to your guests before arrival. Encourage them to follow the instructions and enter into the community of adults and children. Let them know they are welcome to return again and again and again. We would appreciate your feed back and suggestions! So God blessed the seventh day and each of the newly formed catechist, and he hallowed them. And God said: (all together!) Great job! See the live recording of Ellen doing this in Ottawa on our Facebook page. Coming soon!

9 CATECHESIS OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD ASSOCIATION OF CANADA 2016 Visit us at c gsac.ca

10 Welcome to the atrium. Here are a few tips to help you observe the children`s time in contemplation with God as they work and pray. Although this experience is not exactly the same as visiting the adoration chapel, there are some commonalities. This is a sacred space and to help you discover the beauty of this experience we suggest: o You arrive at the atrium before the children and get settled in an observation area. o Please do not engage the children in any manner so you can actively watch and listen. o If approached by a child smile and listen to what they have to say, then thank them for sharing with you. o While sitting and observing, scan the atrium and focus on one child or group of children. - Notice the choice of material or activity; - the length of time attending to this choice, - the body language and posture, - the tone of voice and words spoken and - how they interact with materials and others. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On the right side of the booklet you will see a materials list. You are welcome to review the list and take from the shelf a material for your personal work. You may want to invite one of the older children to help you with your material choice. Thank you for taking the time to be with us today. Come back again and again and again. In the Atrium, the 3 to 6-year-old children use tangible, sensorial materials to explore and enrichen their faith experience. Children receive the richest doctrines of the church beginning with prayer, the heart of the atrium. As we follow the liturgical calendar they will receive presentations on the following themes: Prayer prayer table, Bible and candles. Nomenclature for Life in the Church - Altar table, altar cloth, chalice, paten, crucifix, candles, tabernacle, ciborium, sanctuary lamp and other articles associated with the Mass. The Liturgical colours, Liturgical Calendar, Priest`s vestments and the Sign of the cross Biblical Geography Globe, Raised Surface Map of Israel, Puzzle map of regions and waterways Messianic Prophecies Light, Names, Mother, Bethlehem, Star and Sceptre Infancy Narratives Annunciation to Mary, Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth, Birth of Jesus and the Adoration of the Shepherds, Presentation in The Temple and Adoration of the Magi Kingdom of God Parable - The Mustard Seed, The Pearl of Great Price, The Hidden Treasure, The Leaven and The Growing Seed The Good Shepherd The Good Shepherd, The Found Sheep, The Eucharistic Presence of the Good Shepherd and Psalm 23 vs 1-4 The Paschal Mystery The Last Supper, The City of Jerusalem, The Empty Tomb and The Mystery of Life and Death (grain of wheat) Baptism Light, White Garment, Gospel, Water, Oils and Gestures of Baptism Eucharist Preparation of The Cruets and Chalice, the gestures of Lavabo, Epiclesis, Offering, and Sign of Peace Celebrations - Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, The Liturgy of the Light and Pentecost And a little child shall lead them. Isaiah 11:6

11 Page 11 International Certification Standards for Formation Facilitators In 2002 the CGS international council executive released the following*: A recognized formation facilitator acts as a conduit through which the precious work of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is passed on to others. In so doing, she or he always strives to maintain the integrity of the work as it has come to us from Sofia Cavalletti and Gianna Gobbi and as it is stated in the Characteristics of the Catechesis. In addition all successful candidates for certification as formation facilitators will have: 1. Received his/her training from recognized/certified formation facilitators. 2. Completed all three-course levels of CGS and have completed albums for each level and successfully completed a personal album for the specific level for which the applicant is applying. 3. Exhibited a clear understanding of the theological, pedagogical, and psychological underpinnings of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and be committed to ongoing formation through study, observation of children, and prayer as well as study of the Bible, liturgy and the traditions of one s church. 4. Extensive experience in observation and serving children in Montessori Children s Houses or Montessori Elementary Schools or Atria (all 3 levels) including at least three years experience in the atrium at the level in which she or he seeks to lead formation course. 5. Continue to work with children in an atrium, as a formation facilitator is first and always a catechist of children with an understanding that the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is an experimental catechesis. 6. A formal and ongoing relationship with their country s recognized national CGS association. 7. Exhibited that they have appropriate gifts for working with adults (both in groups and with individuals). 8. Exhibited a willingness and ability to collaborate with members of the association s formation team. 9. Exhibited faithfulness to the tradition of the CGS as handed to us by Sofia Cavalletti and Gianna Gobbi. 10. Exhibited a willingness to live life according to the Good News loving both scripture and liturgy. *Recently the CGS international executive council reviewed the above statements and decided that there will be no changes. It was announced at the Consiglio that these are minimal requirements. Francesca noted that she is much more demanding and like Sofia requires catechists who have applied for certification as formation facilitators to write out all adult reflections (previously known as lectures) and submit them to her for review.

12 Page 12 Good News CGSAC recovering Roman Model for Formation Facilitators When the Canadian formation facilitators met in 2005 we all likened our brand new association, CGSAC, to a brand new baby delightful, full of promise - and in need of much care and love. At the 5 th CGSAC Anniversary we entered into the 2 nd plane of development exploring, as the 6-12 year old child, how to be part of the larger CGS community around the world. We were fascinated with big projects, learning how to get along with others and exploring lots of new territory with great energy. Certain events catapulted us into growing up very fast. Rather than a long, delightful adolescence we ended up as young adults while still wet behind the ears. Though we found ourselves without our parents as Sofia, Tina Lillig, Tom McKillop and friends like Rosemary had passed on to a fuller life, we were blessed with others like Rebekah Rojcewicz, Karen Maxwell, Patricia Coulter and Brother Ignatius Feaver who continued to solicitously nurture the development of CGSAC and helped us define our identity, values and ethic. But as CGSAC spread across Canada we were thrust into the reality of needing to reproduce in order for the formation programs across Canada to thrive. Scary though it may seem at the age of eleven years old we find ourselves pregnant. Yup we are going to have babies brand new formation facilitators are in the oven. So, being ever so resourceful, we have with the help of our sister organization CGS-USA made up a birth plan. As a family doc who has delivered many hundreds of babies I know that while birth plans are great on paper, sometimes glitches occur and adjustments need to be made. So we know that the CGSAC birth plan called the Formation Facilitator Discernment Process will need tweaking and adjusting. However we also know that we are blessed to have the very best accoucheur the Holy Spirit and we have as the foundation of our Formation Facilitator Discernment Process the model used by Sofia and Gianna in Rome focusing on observation, reflection, practice and making mistakes. Submitted by Debbie Zeni Musings of a Formation Leader in Training Mr. Mistake is, indeed, my best friend! During a training a few weeks ago, at one point in my presentation of The Precious Pearl, I forgot to stay close to the Direct Aim and started down a rabbit trail. Thankfully, one of the Formation Leaders quickly corrected me and I got things back on track. When unpacking the presentation afterwards, one of the participants was delighted. She said she had learned much more about staying close to the Direct Aim by being part of my mistake than she had from simply hearing about it in an adult reflection. In turn, I was delighted! It was a great demonstration to all of us that we don't have to do everything perfectly and, in fact, there can be great value in not getting it just right. There are other delights in being a Formation Leader in Training that are more behind the scenes. Getting one-on-one time with experienced Formation Leaders to fine tune my presentations. The repetition that helps me finally get it. Finding a key phrase that makes the presentations simpler and more effective. The feeling of not being alone in this work, but part of a community that generously helps us find our wings. Does this new experience stretch me? Of course! The I received before the last training read, "What parts of this training would you like to do? I would suggest you pick things you are uncomfortable with." Whew! Okay! Does it require something intentional of me? Definitely! I'm taking my new skills and re-working my album pages. It requires deep thought to do it differently, but the pages are so much better. Does it challenge my status quo? Uh-huh. I know my inability to stay keen after several years of doing anything. Going into the 7th year of CGS in our parish carries the risk of settling into a comfortable routine that I know will eventually deteriorate into ho-hum. Being an FLT keeps me on the edge, keeps me moving forward.

13 Page 13 All of the above comes with its own level of satisfaction. However, the greatest satisfaction came last night. I had reviewed an album page for one of our catechists in preparation for the upcoming parent orientation. I hoped she would receive my suggestions positively and I opened her to read, "Thank you, thank you, a thousand times thank you. God has bestowed great wisdom on you. Thank you for sharing these corrections." It was with joy that I wrote back, "I learned it from the Formation Leaders and am in the process of rewriting my own album pages. The perks of being a Formation Leader in Training!" At this point and at my age, my vision is small. I'm not looking to be a Formation Leader who travels to far-flung places but, instead, to be a better resource for the other catechists in our parish and, most importantly, a better catechist for the children in our atria. The techniques used in presentations are an art and a skill which can be taught. Because of this, I am eagerly waiting for a Canadian Formation Leaders' Course that will give me the opportunity to learn more from the women who have already started to nurture me in this work. - Linda Funk, Saskatoon SK Trip to Rome Sister Bibiana and Regina Ramos-Urbano travelled to Rome this summer. They enjoyed their time with Francesca Cocchini in the Rome atrium. They presented her with a gift from the CGS Association of Canada.

14 Page 14 Jubilee of Catechists Toronto God calls us to proclaim the Good News and we have answered and know ourselves to be at a banquet every time we listen together to the Word with children in the atrium. Our host is none other than the Good Shepherd who serves us great heaping helpings of the best of wheat, the finest of wines love and joy in abundance. On Sunday September 25 many of us gathered to respond with thanksgiving and praise to this marvellous gift the gift of being called to be catechists. We celebrated, together with the children of many of the atriums in Toronto, the Jubilee for Catechists, with a wonderful Mass and blessing of the atrium at Corpus Christi Church by Cardinal Collins, a delightful luncheon provided by the Corpus Christi catechists and inspiring, and hope filled conversations with Anna Boyagoda, the Director of the Office of the Good Shepherd Catechesis for the Archdiocese of Toronto and Rev. Kevin Belgrave, a moral theologian at St. Augustine s Seminary. The very best part of this grace-filled celebration was being together in community. For me it was particularly wonderful to catch up with old friends, greet many of the catechists whose formation courses I facilitated, and strike up new friendships all while sharing stories of our lives as catechists. Though many of us had seen each other at CGSAC Gatherings or the Pentecost CGSAC celebration at St. Justin Martyrs there were lots of new catechists who are just starting out with their children on The Way of Holy Joy. My heart is full of thanksgiving to Anna, whose generosity is wonderful to behold, to the catechists of Corpus Christi for hosting us and especially to all my catechist friends, their husbands and children who came to celebrate the gift of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Submitted by Debbie Zeni Organizing Our Time Some folks have an excellent understanding of time. They are the ones who talk of making time, having enough time, saving time and, the most amazing feat of all, organizing our time. We all know what time is, and at the same time many of us agree with St. Augustine that when a child asks us to explain time, to help them understand time, we do not know how to respond. However we do know, as CGS catechists, that it is crucial for the children to be oriented in time as this is a fundamental element in the construction of the whole person. (RPC 2, 13) We understand that time, like space, is a cosmic dimension and all time belongs to God. Thus, even before the child has the capacity to move in time, we assist the child s orientation in time by immersing all that we do in time time as experienced and lived by the people of God, the Church liturgical time. The simplest method of orienting the children to liturgical time is using cloths in the colours of the seasons of the liturgical year. The more complicated method, the more essential way, is to organize the liturgical year of the atrium in concert with the life of the Church. To do this we need to understand a bit more about liturgical time and the liturgical calendar. The quintessential understanding that catechists need when organizing the calendar for the atrium is that there are two overarching divisions in the church year: the period where we, the People of God, focus on living events in the life of Jesus in liturgy (Advent through to the Ascension), and the second time period from Pentecost to feast of Christ the King when we live in liturgy what it means to be the People of God the Church in Christ, through Christ and with Christ. Everything we do as Church, all liturgical time, has Christ at the centre. Thus everything we do in the atrium has Christ at the centre, it is just the way that we approach the centre that changes through the liturgical year. In autumn, we offer presentations that speak about how we live the reality of being the Body of Christ. In Level I in the first year we offer the liturgical colours, the altar, the gesture of epiclesis and practical life; in the second and third years of Level I we go deeper. In the autumn in Level II and Level III we situate our living as the Body of Christ in the expansive sweep of the history of the plan of God. Then, at advent we move into living, as the people of God, the events in the life of Jesus. In all three levels, we enter, with the children, into the mystery of the incarnation. Then in the time marked by numerals, Ordinary Time and through Lent we relate the words and actions of Jesus to our own lives, through contemplation of the scriptures parables, psalms, prophecies and in Level III typologies. Easter comes and we celebrate in the Liturgy of Light and through the Easter Season the central truth Christ is Risen, culminating our experience in the atrium of being Church with a celebration of the birth of the Church as the Body of Christ at Pentecost. From this perspective it is easy to understand why our presentations on the sacrament of Baptism must be after Easter and at no other time. Similarly, it becomes obvious that the way we set up our schedule of presentations AND the way we physically set up our atriums reflects the way, we, as the People of God, the Body of Christ live in liturgical time. Submitted by Debbie Zeni

15 Page 15 Gathering and Growing on Holy Ground Adults gathered from across the Diocese of Peterborough, London and the Archdiocese of Toronto and Montreal to begin Level 1 at St. Mary s Parish in Lindsay, Ontario. Bishop William McGrattan and Fr. Tom Lynch, pastor came to meet, greet and encourage all of us to serve the children of the church. Atrium space has already been designated and renovations have begun. Thanks to the parish CWL, Knights of Columbus, the Hosting team and Fr. Eric Mason for meeting the needs of the 24 participants. All of this work has been greatly helped by a generous donor who has moved this vision to reality. Carolyne-Marie and I became completely immersed in the joy of the work and we look forward to the next 3 day session in October. Susan Perna, Sundridge, Ontario! Barbara O`Rourke purchased this statue of the Good Shepherd many years ago in St. Martin s. Susan Perna admired this statue every time she visited Barbara`s home in South River. When Barbara move to North Bay she has graciously entrusted the care of the statue to Susan who will now be able to bring it with her when she does CGSAC work across Canada. Space permitting of course! First stop Lindsay, Ontario. Jordyn, North Bay The Good Shepherd

16 Page 16 CGS Gaining Support Noreen Plant, with her son, Father Gerard Plant of the Archdiocese of Ottawa It never ceases to amaze me how quickly the Lord reacts to the needs of His children. My husband and I were recently invited to a CGS presentation and when the presentation was over, I knew that I wanted to be a part of this movement to educate God's little ones. After attending different atria in the city I decided to attend a level 1 part A formation in Calgary. What an experience! In July I finally got a chance to take part B of formation in Ottawa, and my son (who is a priest) was able to join us for a short presentation in the atrium. He absolutely loved it, and was very impressed with not only the instruction but also with the leaders there. My son has been very supportive and sees the passion I have for this program. A quick story about evangelization and how it s never too early to start: a child (4 yrs old) at one of the atria I help out at is a friend of my granddaughter. She took it upon herself to tell my granddaughter all about her experience with the Good Shepherd and now my granddaughter is a new member of the group, evangelizing her older siblings about the Mass and Jesus as well. Noreen Plant, Ottawa Catechists Supporting One Another The Paschal candle in the baptismal area in the St. Francis Xavier Atrium in Saskatoon. It was given to Cynthia from the Good Shepherd Atrium in North Bay. Come join us in Calgary for the National Gathering. Brochures have been sent to your mailbox. There are also registration forms at our website Registration deadline is October 28. We hope to see you there!

17 Page 17 Communications A Must Read The CGSAC Board wishes to support catechists across the country in their work, and to assist you in encouraging and supporting one another who are members in our Association. Here are some ways we can do this together. Our CGSAC website Atrium Locations page needs updating, catechists new and seasoned refer to this page as a source when planning their own atrium. This past July I had the pleasure of sharing our North Bay Atrium with Cynthia and her family from Saskatoon. I was also able to pass along a much appreciated Paschal Candle which Cynthia shared she had been praying for. From North Bay to Ottawa they journeyed and met another catechist, Ruth Ann. From Ruth Ann s atrium I received a beautiful photo of Cynthia with her Paschal Candle wrapped and ready for her flight back to Saskatoon. As a seasoned catechist one joyfully welcomes the opportunity to share experiences of this work. As a new catechist one seeks opportunities to be with others who joyfully share in this work. May there always be a little of the seasoned and new catechist in each of us. Please state if your atrium is in a PARISH, SCHOOL or HOME. Add your ATRIUM NAME, LOCATION, HYPERLINK and CONTACT PERSON INFORMATION (phone number and ). Please contact Erin by phone at or your information to communications@cgsac.ca If you have not already done so please complete the brief (5 questions) survey at the following link to help us determine how we imight connect and inspire each other most efficiently through social media. Don t hesitate to share any thoughts or ideas or expertise you may have in this area! We appreciate your timely response. Facebook and Twitter HAVE ARRIVED! For this to be an interactive venture we need to know what inspires you. Send in your: INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES with authors name, and Children s artwork, that inspires you. Theme PHOTOS on CELEBRATION. Let us celebration ourselves and this wonderful work the Good Shepherd has called us to. Send to Claire at boardmember@cgsac.ca *Consent form available Help make the newsletter relevant for all members! As the editor of the newsletter it makes it much easier to have regular features which can be informative for all members. To that end I would love to hear from you the members about your atria. Contributions we need: Good clear pictures of atrium activities. Please get permission from parents for their children s photos to appear*. Identify the activity, atrium, Level and first name and age of the child. Pictures should be sent as JPEG files with name of atrium in the name. Children s artwork: Please send as a PDF file with atrium and child s name as title. In the body of the share what the child has said about their work. *Again parental permission is needed.* Examples of things that you do to connect with families and tricks of the trade that your experience has taught you to help make good use of materials and a smoother running of the atrium. These can all be forwarded to newsletter@cgsac.ca

18 One Flock, One Shepherd CGSAC 1032 Dorchester Avenue Winnipeg, MB R3M 0S2 Membership Update Memberships purchased by September 30 each year are considered current year memberships and memberships purchased October 1 or later will be registered as memberships for the next calendar year. To vote at the AGM on November 12 you must have a current 2016 membership. CGSAC Board Chair: Heather Skublics Lampman Vice -Chair Formation Director: Susan Perna Treasurer: Deborah Baker Secretary: Ruth Ann McClure Membership: Dale Balkovec Communication: Erin Tayler Newsletter: Dorothy Burns Member at Large: Claire Reis See Contact us on our website to communicate with board members ( Level I Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish,, Winnipeg, MB September 17, 2016 June 2017, one Saturday a month 8:30 am 5:00 pm Formation facilitators: Heather Lampman and Nancy Wood Guelph, ON: Starts November 11, 2016 and continues over 5 weekend dates through to June 2017 Formation facilitators: Debbie Zeni and Carolyne-Marie Petch Lindsay, ON: Level 1 Starts September 23, 2016 and continues over 4 weekends Fomation facilitators: Carolyne-Marie Petch and Susan Perna Saskatoon, SK: Level 1 ongoing 2017 dates TBD Formation facilitators: Carolyne-Marie Petch and Debbie Zeni Toronto, and Sudbury, ON dates to be determined Level 1 Part B Calgary, AB: November 10 14t, 2016 Formation facilitators: Susan Perna and Heather Lampman Level II Guelph, ON: Level 2 Starts October 28, 2016 and continues over 5 weekend dates through to June 2017 Formation facilitators: Debbie Zeni and Carolyne-Marie Petch Ottawa, ON: southeast in Russell, ON Tentatively in the Summer, 2017 Level III Current and Upcoming Courses Summer 2017 dates pending. For the most up to date information visit our website Donations to Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Association of Canada (CGSAC) may be made through Canada Helps.org