Children’s Ministry 

On Sunday, September 11, 2011, the mission of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd commenced at St. James Church.  As our Sunday School children walked into the atrium for the first time, the focal point was, and always will be, the Good Shepherd.  The Good Shepherd is the image that teaches the children that we are all in relationship with God.   The atrium is set up to be simple and essential to the child’s spiritual needs.  All aspects of the room have been designed to invite the children to grow in their relationship with God through prayer, geography, parables, practical life and much more.  The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd process asks, “What face of God does this child need to see?”  

The Atrium slowly transformed into a Holy space for the children. The Atrium is the first dedicated space our children have had in decades.  Creating this space took time, patience and tremendous support from the St. James Family.  Many hands went into the preparation of this Holy Space.   Beautiful chasubles and fair linens were made for the children to work with to help teach them about the Liturgical Year.  Countless hours were spent making shelves, a model altar and painting specific materials that are imperative for the work in the Atrium. Woodworkers took on the task of building the model chasuble stands, the cenacle, and small diorama/house like models for the infancy narratives and parables.  Volunteers spent time coloring maps and booklets for the children’s work. The altar guild donated many valuable materials for the Atrium.  Thank you to everyone who donated their time, materials from home, and to those who prepped and painted the Atrium walls. 

The Catechesis program has an age demographic of three to twelve year olds.  The children are separated into three groups.  The three to six year olds are the Lambs, the seven to nine year olds are the Sheep, and the ten to twelve year olds are the Shepherds and the leaders in the Atrium.  All the children gather and sit together as material is presented.  After each presentation the children are invited to choose a work for that morning.  The work can be chosen from any section of the Atrium, as long as the material has been presented.  One of two things can happen with the Shepherds; some weeks they stay in the Atrium and help the younger children with their work, while other weeks they break off into another room where the lessons are more in depth.  While the Shepherds are in their own group they work on material for the Atrium.  The Atrium is an ongoing process and is ever changing.  The St. James Catechesis program has an average attendance of twenty children a week, up to twelve children participating in each group. 

In the fall semester of Catechesis, the children were presented with material from six stations of the Atrium.  We started off the year with community building around the prayer table.  The group gathers around the prayer table each week to end our session in the Atrium.  The practical life section is utilized by the younger children to fine tune motor skills with sorting, pouring, and polishing.  We have spent many weeks studying the Liturgical year while using the chasubles (the priests vestments) to demonstrate the four Liturgical colors.  The Altar area has been presented to display how the clergy set the altar and what material is used to celebrate the Holy Eucharist.  Before the Advent season, we studied the land of Israel to discuss the three principal cities in Jesus' life, that Jesus wa a real person who walked on this Earth, and that God chose a small land to receive His greatest gift.  The geography section transitions right into the Infancy Narratives.

During the second semester of Catechesis, we are exploring new material.  We began by studying parables.  The Kingdom parables highlight the contrast between the tiny and the great, and the great that comes forth from the tiny.  The Cenacle and the City of Jerusalem will be covered before Holy Week so the children will understand the events that took place during Jesus' last days on this Earth.  We will end the year studying the sacrament of Baptism. 

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is based on the belief that children have the natural desire to be in relationship with God and to prepare the child for full participation in the church.  It has been a blessing to watch the children of St. James enter the Atrium each week full of anticipation and wonderment.  I would like to thank Danna Tate and Alicia Caputo for their continued dedication each week in the Atrium.  I look forward to the continuation of the presence of God working within the children of the St. James Community.