Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
Maria Montessori was a devout Catholic and integrated Catholicism throughout the original environment. She stated that religion must never be looked at as a “subject to be taught”; what we are aiming at, she said, is the development of a relationship which already exists- the relationship between God and the child.
The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd was developed in 1954 by two Roman Catholic laywomen, Sophia Cavalletti and Gionna Gobbi in Rome and it serves as the spiritual counterpart to the Montessori academic program.
Children are deeply spiritual and their relationship with God comes easily to them. To foster this relationship, the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd provides children with their own place in which to work with the key elements of the Catholic faith. In the Atrium, students receive their religious education with opportunities for ongoing spiritual discovery.
They work at their own pace with hands-on materials and presentations that include the Bible, the Roman Catholic liturgy and sacraments, traditions and Church teachings. Here they learn the vocabulary of the Church, ponder the question “Who are you Jesus?” and learn to pray and listen to God. They learn about the great love God has for us and are guided to build and strengthen their faith, while developing compassion for others.
Montessori said that the child must be permitted to enter into his own unique relationship with God in his own way. Early in her work a child said to her, “help me to help myself”, rather than doing it for me; in the Atrium the cry of the child is seen as “help me to come to God by myself.”
The ages for the Atrium are aligned with the ages for the Montessori classroom. Level 1 (age 3 – 6) and Level II (age 6 – 9), with trained catechists.