Using the Connect Group model, the children learn not only individual personal prayers, but spontaneous praying for and with others.
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
While adults might sit for hours reading about philosophy or theology, young children learn best by actively engaging their whole bodies and all their senses.
The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a distinct approach to catechesis, through which the youngest children build deep, lifelong relationships with Christ and His Church. Originating in Rome in the 1950s, the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd uses a rich Montessori approach to engage children as young as 2 1/2 in age-appropriate, hands-on materials, based on Sacred Scripture and the Liturgy.
In the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, typically 10-20 children gather with two or three catechists in a room called the “atrium,” which is reserved exclusively for this purpose.
Catechesis normally begins with songs and hymns related to current catechetical themes. Then, usually some children will receive a presentation from a catechist, while the other children select materials to work with that they have previously been presented. Children will typically work with several materials during each visit to the atrium, and work with each material many times over the years.
