2016-2017 Sessions for children

Level One: Mondays or Tuesdays from 10:00 to 11:30  am or Mondays from 1:30 to 3:00 pm
Level Two: Mondays from 4:30 to 6:00 pm
Level Three: Mondays from 4:30 to 6:00 pm
Album One: Mondays from 4:30 to 6:00 pm

There are still openings for Level One Mondays from 1:30 to 3:00 pm and Album One.

What is Album One?
The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is available for literate children who were not able to experience the catechesis when they were ages 3 to 6 years old in an atrium environment.
For them we are happy to say that they can still enjoy the topics in this catechesis, working with books. This year we have two catechists trained to work with children ages 7 to 11.
This album progresses every year until it reaches album 5.

For more information please contact: liliagarcia@sympatico.ca

A LETTER FROM OUR PASTOR TO FAMILIES WITH YOUNG CHILDREN IN OUR PARISH:

Dear Parents

I want to invite you and your children to an open house of our “ATRIUM” here in the church, Sunday,  October 14^th.

As parents of children who have been baptized within the past six years, the parish community of Annunciation of the Lord would like to introduce you to a wonderful program of faith for children ages 3-12. During your time of preparation for your child's baptism, you were introduced to the idea of helping your child grow in the Catholic faith. Baptism is just the beginning of a wonderful life of faith for you and your family. The parish would like to once again offer  you some help and encouragement with your child's faith journey.

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd was designed following the developmental stages of the child according to Maria Montessori principles. The children enjoy this program because they learn to love God and learn about His love for them, but also because it is a hands-on learning style, where the children are allowed to use the figurines and other materials to explore their own experience of the Bible stories. Each level of the child’s work explores the fundamental theme of covenant, God’s call and our response as reflected in the Bible and as lived in liturgy. Beginning as young as age 3, the children begin to explore the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, God’s love given to us in the person of Jesus - the Good Shepherd. The Sessions for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd will run this year from October 15, 2012, until April 29th, 2013 with breaks for the holidays.

 The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd serves as a wonderfully comprehensive preparatory program for both First Communion and First Reconciliation (Confession) for grade two children. However, because the program progresses throughout the various levels your child must complete at least one foundational year of Level One (3-6 years old) before entering into Level Two (grades 1-3) as they begin their formal preparation for the sacraments in Grade Two.

 

WHEN: Level 1, Wednesday or Saturday 1:30 to 3:30pm  (3 to 6 years old)

  Level 2, Mondays, 4:30 to 5.50 p.m. (grades 1-3)

WHERE: Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Atrium located in the Church Annex

CONTACT: For more information Lilia Villasenor-Garcia at 613-745-4883

OPEN HOUSE: TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CATECHESIS OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD FOR YOUR CHILDREN

Sunday,  October 14^th, after each Mass, in the Annex where a special place is set up, called the “ATRIUM” – where there is set up an environment for children to come and learn about Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

I hope to see you there, or please contact Lilia.

Peace and Blessings

 Rev. Yves Marchildon Pastor

Sofia Cavalletti, rest in peace!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

Luke 1:46-47

Dearest Friends,

With tears and with peace, we want to share with you that our beloved Sofia Cavalletti, at 94, a founding mother of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, has entered the celestial pasture of the Good Shepherd. There is great rejoicing in heaven for her with Gianna, Tilde, Fr. Mongillo, Maria Christleib and Tina, along with members of her family who have gone before her.

Francesca Cocchini sent the following announcement from Rome, Italy: “Dearest, this is only to say that during this night – at ten after midnight (Tuesday, August 23) Sofia encountered the Good Shepherd face to face.” The funeral mass will be on Wednesday, August 24.

Francesca also shared the announcement for the Italian newspaper, Repubblica:

“The Maria Montessori Association for the Religious Formation of the Child sings the Magnificat for the life of Sofia Cavalletti who gave the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd to the Church. Eucharist is at 11 am, Wednesday, 24 August, at S. Giovanni dei Florentini Church, Rome.”

Sofia goes ahead of a large family of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd catechists and children in thirty-seven countries around the world. A Hebrew and scripture scholar, Sofia began to work with children in 1954, collaborating with Gianna Gobbi, a Montessori educator. Together they were called and inspired by the children they served to listen, watch, and deepen an understanding of children’s spirituality in relationship with God.

Sofia leaves to the world an approach to the Christian formation of children from the ages of three to twelve that is theologically sound, systematic, and rich in Bible, liturgy, and sacred history. Sofia’s reverence for the Bible and liturgy, her fresh and compelling style of writing and speaking, her wise and intelligent way of discussing complicated theological themes simply, her sense of humor, and personal warmth will be greatly missed by many.

Information shared by the National Association of the Good Shepher in USA

The children in the Atrium

The children in the Atrium, a set on Flickr.

Formation Course for Catechist, a joyful experience.

Formation Course Level II, part 1 in Ottawa.

From July 2nd to 8th, 2011 at Annunciation of the Lord Parish in Ottawa, a group of local catechists came together to continue our personal growth in this Journey. We began our Formation Course level II part 1, led by Rose Yagiela.   Rose very kindly agreed to come and share her talents and expertise with us, while accommodating our scheduling requirements.  She is a formation leader recognized by the National Association of the USA, and now also from our Canadian Association here in Canada.

As usual in God’s plan, things unfolded perfectly.  Initially, the participants were slightly hesitant because of many constraints (the fee, babysitting, distance, holidays with their families or other reasons).  But God was there to speak to us in the way He only knows; gentle and loving.

During that week, not only the training itself but the celebration of the Holy Mass and the Word of God were talking to us the catechists, and this is what I would like to share with you today.

After overcoming what seemed like insurmountable obstacles, both on the part of those preparing to host the course, as well as those preparing to attend the course, the welcome we received was this:   

“Come to me all you who labour and are burdened and I will give you rest”.

This welcome helped set the tone for our week together.  It was a week of fraternity among the participants, with a profound respect, where the Good Shepherd had the principal position and the sheep were ready to listen to His voice.

We started our course learning the differences between the 3 to 6-year-olds and the 6 to 9-year-olds. For the first two days, our course ran smoothly with lectures and presentations.  When we received the presentation of “The Fettuccia” under the category of the History of the Kingdom of God, everyone was amazed.  Rose gave an excellent presentation; the adults were enchanted in awe, but our Lord was there to remain us that this is not our merit but the Holy Spirit who works through the Formation Leader or catechist, and he spoke with a smooth voice to us   “You (Father) have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed it to the little ones.”

We continued our course.  The days were long; we had presentations, lectures, album pages to be completed, materials to be made, and so forth.  And here was our Good Shepherd speaking again to us:

“The harvest is abundant but the labourers are few, so ask the master of the harvest to send out labourers for his harvest”

In the middle of our training we received great news; Ottawa’s Archbishop Terrence Prendergast would come to visit us!  He came and celebrated Holy Mass; he began his homily saying:  “Everyone thinks that they have the best program ever, however this program certainly has a very good approach to the children.” On this day the Good Shepherd spoke to us in a special way, the gospel for the day was the Mission of the Apostles; we were 12 catechists in the training, we were experiencing this golden thread that Sofia talks about, in our own journey.

We continued our work with the Synthesis of the Infancy Narratives, the Synthesis of the Kingdom Parables and we also had the presentations of the Parable of the Good Samaritan and the Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector.  Our Good Shepherd was there watching closely over the syllabus that Rose had prepared for that week because He had something else to say to us, the gospel for that day was: As you go, make this proclamation: “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand”...

When I reflect and pause to consider exactly how much I have spent on this Journey over the years, I realize that it’s impossible to quantify.  If I try to account for the total cost for the time spent in Formation Courses, or making materials, or writing album pages, or the money required to pay the fees for training or to pay the expenses of traveling and lodging or even the time my husband has been available in order to watch our children while I’ve attended training, it is very difficult.   In my mind it is just “too much.”  But, if I see it in a different perspective; that everything comes from God because He loves me that He has been the one who has organized the time so that all of these things could happen in my life.  If I see Him as the giver of everything, the one who gives my husband the job to pay for the training, the time off to watch our children, the enthusiasm to help me in making certain materials that I cannot (wood working), then I can understand and embrace what He has told us in the gospel:  “Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”

One of the presentations that brought tears to the eyes of the catechists was the Wolf and the hired hand.  The meditations that came after the presentation, the way people used the materials and the way each one saw or understood the parable can’t be explained in just three lines because I would be losing the real meaning of this experience.  But I can say this was a real spiritual retreat for all of us, a time to grow, a time to be close to the Good Shepherd, it was our own personal experience with Him as an adult, as a catechist, the humble servant who is taking care of His sheep.

As the time was nearing the end of our first part, our Good Shepherd didn’t want to let us go without warning us, and He said: “Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves”

We will meet again next summer July 3rd to 9th, 2012 to complete our Formation Course.  If you have already completed your level II, but would like to refresh your level 2 part II  specially  the reconciliation and first communion retreat with children, feel free to contact me.

In the love of the Good Shepherd

Lilia Villasenor-Garcia

Formation Course for Catechists, level 2 for children 6 to 9 years old.

Holy Eucharist celebrated by Archbishop Prendergast.



Archbishop Prendergast and the catechists.




Msgr. Robert Latour, Paul Cuddihy PPC, and the catechists.

Jennifer Camfield bringing grettings from the Association of the Good Shepherd in Canada.

Dale Balkovec and the parable of the hired hand and the wolf.

The History of the Kingdom of God (The Fettuccia)

The Books of the Bible



Catechists at work.




Shyntesis of the Infancy Narratives




Katlheen, Heather, Dana and Tracey making materials (the books of the Bible)

Tracey and Dana working on her album pages.

Paschal Mystery (Last Supper, Origin of the Eucharist, The Empty Tomb)



Shyntesis of the Kingdom Parables.

 

Rose Yagiela, Formation leader



History of the Kingdom of God (Unity and Vastness)







Catechist during a lecture



Lunch hosted by the Cuddihy's.  Thank you!