Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is an approach to the religious formation of children.  It is rooted in the Bible, the liturgy of the church, and the educational principles of Maria Montessori.  Children gather in an “atrium,” a room prepared for them, which contains simple yet beautiful materials that they use.  In an atrium the child can ponder a biblical passage or a prayer from the liturgy by taking the material for that text and working with it – placing wood figures of sheep in a sheepfold of the Good Shepherd, setting sculpted apostles around a Last Supper table, or preparing a small altar with the furnishings used for the Eucharist.

The 3-6 year old child is particularly capable of receiving and enjoying the most essential elements of our faith – the announcement of God’s love, in the person of the Good Shepherd, who died and is risen.