Christian Education (Preschool - Adult)
At St. Paul’s, we believe that Christian education should be made available to everyone who calls St. Paul’s their church “home,” with materials and activities that are appropriate to various ages and levels of knowledge. All are welcome to register their children to participate in our Sunday morning church school programming. We ask that children not attend class until we have them registered and assigned to a particular classroom. If you have questions about the curriculum or registration process, please contact our Christian Education coordinator Anne Young, at 617-763-8319, 508-429-1550 or by e-mail.
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (Preschool to Second Grade)
We introduce younger children to the spiritual life using an approach that draws heavily on the Montessori method of education. The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) program focuses on guiding children to an awareness of their relationship with God and then helps them give expression to that experience.
A key element of this work is that adults prepare an environment called an “atrium,” which includes a wide variety materials for the children to use in their learning process. We consider the Holy Spirit to be the true teacher, and the catechist assists in the child’s discovery process. Catechists listen to God with the children, observe their responses, and incorporate what they learn into shared questions and meditations with the children.
The Good Shepherd is, of course, Jesus. The primary goal of the program is to have the children discover Jesus in this role, and to understand that He loves us and takes care of us as a good shepherd would his sheep. The children also begin to learn about the Kingdom of God as Jesus explained it through parables, and are introduced to the sacraments of the Eucharist and baptism. The CGS approach links a deep personal grounding in Christ to an ecumenical hope for the future of our planet. Typically, the adults learn and grow as rapidly as the kids do. Speaking of the Bible stories that are shared each week, one volunteer said, “I find myself discovering the stories again as if for the first time.” CGS is used by Anglican, Roman Catholic, and other Christian churches around the world.
(Source: Guild of the Good Shepherd)