The Atrium reinforces the deep bond between God and the child which produces in the child the desire to draw nearer to God. In the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd we provide a sacred space called an Atrium where children explore the wonder of God and develop a personal relationship with God.The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a process of Christian faith formation for children aged 3 to 12 years, where the children can form an authentic relationship with God that will last a lifetime.
The Catechesis is ground in scriptural, liturgical and prayerful study framed by Maria Montessori’s principles and philosophy of education. This process allows the children to hear the Gospel through the use of sensorial materials. The children are free to work with these materials that represent essential moments of the Christian message.

The Epiclesis (Invocation of the Holy Spirit) is a very important part of the Mass. In this photo Bernadette is showing the children the gestures of the priest when praying the Eucharistic Prayer. It is important that the children understand what they see and hear at Mass. When we celebrate the Mass, priestly gestures are just as important as the words spoken by the priest.

This image shows two of our children’s stations. The first station has a model of the sea of Galilea, which is of extreme importance in the New Testament. The second station has a candle, extinguisher and some other artifacts.