Ministry to and with Children and Youth

Church School
Grades Pre-K through 5th
Meets Sunday Mornings 9:35–10:25,
September through first week of June

Starting in Fall 2009

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

A Journey to the Good Shepherd

14I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,

15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. John 10:14-15

I am on a journey. It is not the kind of journey where you pack your bags, buy miniature toiletries, and make sure your credit card is in good standing. It is the kind of journey that takes time and patience—it’s like driving across country as opposed to flying. It is a journey with no final destination because it is all about the journey itself. However, like the kind of journey where you pack your bags and head off to the airport; it is much more fun and rewarding if you take some friends along.

My journey started when I was a child. I went looking for something greater than I, something that was more than just what I could see or hear. It took some traveling to discover that I was searching for a relationship with God—I wanted to have a close and loving relationship with God as I did with my parents and friends. After discovering what I was searching for, I began the journey of “How do I have this relationship with God?” And so my journey continued as I explored the various paths and roads that lead to God, and along the way, other people joined me in this journey. Some have taken other paths and some are still journeying with me. Through this, I have learned a very important thing about this journey—sharing the journey brings you that much closer to the destination.

How do I share the journey with others? How can I encourage others to join in this amazing joyful journey? One method I found was a spiritual formation philosophy called Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. It was developed by Maria Montessori and a biblical scholar, Sofia Cavalletti. While the focus of this philosophy is the spiritual formation of the child, the spiritual formation of the adult catechist is equally important. Through a series of presentations, both biblical and sacramental, and in response to a  very structured environment, the child is nurtured and encouraged to develop a personal relationship with Jesus the Good Shepherd.

This fall, St. Anne’s will start Catechesis of the Good Shepherd as another part of our journey to find the holy. We will begin by opening a level one atrium (the structured environment of what was the Sunday school room) for our youngest travelers. Currently, I am trained as a Level 1 catechist, and Kim George and Helen Wolf will be assisting me as well as participating in training to be catechists. But we will need help in making materials and constructing the environment. Has God blessed you with the gift of woodworking or sewing? Perhaps interior design and problem solving are your gifts. Or maybe it is just observing and facilitating children on their journey to the Good Shepherd. All these gifts will be needed for this journey.

This will be a hard journey but I believe together we will find great joy in it. It requires patience, perseverance, and a commitment to the spiritual formation of children and adults. Will you join us on this joyful journey?

Kathy Hanna

Journey to Adulthood

Rite 13, J2A, YAC
Sundays 9:35–10:25,
as well as scheduled retreats, fellowship events, service programs

The journey for young people to adulthood is admittedly difficult and challenging. With the story of Jesus as a boy “escaping his parents” to enter the temple to hear and teach the word at the center of this program, The Journey to Adulthood program is a fine and comprehensive approach for young people to join with adults other than their parents to take on the serious work of becoming adults of faith. This journey includes a structured curriculum in a group dynamic as well as retreats, opportunities for service, fellowship, and the culmination of a pilgrimage for spiritual growth and development.

Journey to Adulthood

The Journey to Adulthood (J2A) is a complete youth ministry program of spiritual formation for 6th – 12th grades. It uses Bible study, prayer, rites of passage, outreach ministries and both serious and playful activities to underscore its core messages:

1. Manhood and womanhood are free gifts from God.
2. Adulthood must be earned.

There are three two-year segments of the program:

Rite 13

The first two years (6th & 7th or 7th & 8th graders) that focus on celebrating the individuality of each young person and their creative potential. The Rite-13 liturgy (A celebration of Manhood and Womanhood) is the community expression of this.

J2A

The middle portion of the program (8th & 9th or 9th and 10th graders), engages youth with the skills and critical thinking involved in adulthood. The youth plan and embark on a pilgrimage together at the end of this segment.

YAC

A mentor-based program helping older teens (11th and 12th grade) to discern and carry out a ministry within their church or in the larger community. Vocation and development of a personal credo are also emphasized.

The 2005 Journey to Adulthood group went on pilgrimage in New England. The young people raised all of the funds and planned the 9-day pilgrimage which included learning about faith practices of the pilgrims who settled in Massachusetts. In addition were visits to two monasteries, a service project with Food for the Poor, and visits to synagogues, mosques, a Friends Meeting House, and many other places of worship. Each day the young people reflected as a group on where they saw God, where they encountered the Holy.

Many in the 2005 Rite 13 group are currently in the J2A group this year. This group is busy planning their pilgrimage for the summer of 2007 to England!