Ponderings on Misunderstandings - an unfinished post on the Liturgical Calendar

I found this post in my draft folder today when I opened the blog to post the Chart of Christmas Sundays (included below). I had forgotten I had started this! While I still have more images to load and some additional information, I'll just post what I have for now.

Quotes are from the CGS Materials Manual FAQ regarding the wooden Liturgical Calendar. 

This is a major work, and there is a great level of nuance to it (including the Metonic Cycle, ecclesial date of the equinox, time zones and so much more!). I have found ways to keep it essential but accurate enough that a child's understanding can build into the nuances if they choose to explore deeper. I am deeply saddened when inaccurate information is put forth for the sake of the essential. This only sows confusion and discord within a child's heart to have to re-learn (or choose not to because now it is too tedious!). 

 

"The Liturgical Calendar moves counterclockwise. This is in keeping with Maria Montessori’s version of the Liturgical Calendar as a reminder that “God’s time is not our time.”"

It is true that Dr. Montessori suggested having the Liturgical Calendar material counterclockwise for this reason, but it was not her "version" - it is simply her explanation for why something was set up already and had been so for centuries. It is only in the United States of America (and areas influenced by USA) that anyone even thinks to have the liturgical calendar clockwise. 

Some images of liturgical calendars throughout Europe: 

http://www.lemeestudies.com/jean/article-Labyrinth.html
Chartres

"This Liturgical Calendar from Rome does not show Sundays of Christmas.  However, the Liturgical Calendar in the USA shows 3 white prisms for the Sundays of Christmas.   The three white prisms include: (1) one prism for Christmas Day itself (that may or may not fall on a Sunday) (2 ) a second prism for the Feast of the Holy Family (3) a third prism for the Epiphany of the Lord "

"While the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is actually the first Sunday of Ordinary Time, the color worn by the priest that Sunday is white because the Roman Catholic Ordo calls for wearing white vestments."

There is no "first Sunday of Ordinary Time." The actual term would be "Sunday in the First Week of Ordinary Time" but that day does not exist. It is *always* Baptism of the Lord or Epiphany. Both sets of these readings and related Liturgical prayers are found in the Christmas section of the Roman Missal.  There is a "Monday in the First Week of Ordinary Time." To say this another way, some "liturgical weeks" do not have 7 days or they never use all of their 7 days in the same year; and several are partial some years vs others. That is another topic of discussion (think the first days of Lent, Holy Week, the weekdays after Pentecost and the first two Sundays after Pentecost (these three weeks all are "Ordinary Time" weeks but their Sunday is something else), etc.). 

Conclusion for this topic of discussion: there should be a prism for the Baptism of the Lord. See chart below. 

 

"Note: The Feast of Christmas falls on a Sunday every seven years. When Christmas does not fall on Sunday, an extra white prism is not added for the Feast of Christmas. But if your completed material has 53 instead of 52 prisms, that is fine, you do not need to change it."

That's not how it works. We have a leap year that messes with the system. Christmas falls on Sunday on a pattern of 6, 5, 6, 11. We just had Christmas Sunday in 2022. The next time Christmas will be on Sunday is in 11 years: in 2033.  2039, 2044, 2050, 2061.

 

"Note: When Christmas and New Year’s Day both fall on Sundays, the Feast of the Holy Family is celebrated on December 30. But then you would still have the second white prism for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God and the third white prism for the Feast of Epiphany."

Accurate. Ish. Here is a chart showing what happens for each possibility. Note that there is a 28-year cycle where we repeat the same solar calendar: 

Chart of the Sundays after Christmas based on the weekday of Christmas. 
By far, 3 Sundays are needed after the Christmas prism. 

From the Roman Missal, with my added bold and italics for emphasis.

VI. Ordinary Time

44. Ordinary Time begins on the Monday which follows the Sunday occurring after January 6 and extends up to and including the Tuesday before the beginning of Lent; it begins again on the Monday after Pentecost Sunday and ends before first vespers (evening prayer i) of the first Sunday of advent.

During these times of the year there is used the series of formularies given for the Sundays and weekdays of this time both in the Missal and in the Liturgy of the hours (vol. iii-iv).

I have another draft post about Finding the Date of Easter and how to build the Liturgical Calendar accurately but simply! 

Blue Unity - Dr. Who style!

I found this video I had sent to a level 2 catechist creating new materials for her atrium.

At the end my son mentions something about it being metal. LOL! He is of course referencing the experiences of the original Doctor's first companions.

Pentecost

Among all the liturgical celebrations, Pentecost is yet another that holds rich meaning for us. My son and I celebrated aspects of Pentecost throughout the entire year.


Please see the other Holy Spirit tagged posts on this blog:
Posts tagged Holy Spirit on Seeking the Plan of God
Posts tagged Pentecost on Seeking the Plan of God

Gifts of the Holy Spirit Free Files: 

Years ago, a group of us sat down with the local diocesan requirements, our priest's requirements, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Bible. We had some issues with confusion among sources, and consistency for the children. Biblical lists versus what was provided in CGS training, versus other source all varied. But were they really that different? NO! They just used different terms.

We laid the following terms and definitions for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit at level 3, utilizing each previous term they experienced in level 2 and level 1:

Wisdom	This gift helps us to understand the purpose and plan of God and to live  in a way that helps to bring about this plan.  It begins in awe and wonder at God’s greatness.
Understanding	This gift helps us make the right choices in life and in our relationships with God and with others.
Knowledge	This gift helps us to know what God asks of us and how we should respond.
Counsel (Right Judgment)	This gift helps us to make correct choices in life through reflection, discernment, consultation, and advisement.
Fortitude (Strength) (Courage)	This gift helps us to have the strength to choose to do the right thing even when that is difficult.
Delight in the Fear of the Lord (Piety) (Reverence)	This gift calls us to be faithful in our relationships both with God and with others. It helps us to love God and to behave responsibly and with generosity and affection toward others.
Fear of the Lord (Awe & Wonder)	This gift leads us to a sense of wonder and awe in the presence of God because we recognize his greatness.

Which levels we do what:
Level 1: Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Right Judgment, Courage, Reverence, Awe & Wonder

Level 2: Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Counsel, Strength, Piety, Fear of the Lord

Level 3: Change Piety/Reverence to Delight in the Fear of the Lord and Strength to Fortitude

Each level includes the terms used in previous levels so they see what connects and flows.


The documents at this link are free and includes the 3-part and 4-part cards (with definitions) as well as name labels for each level.

Gifts of the Holy Spirit Downloadable Files





The Shepherd and the Vine is offering these sets pre-printed and ready to use!

All the Vestments!

+Joshua+'s Godfather demonstrates the order of the vestments on our doll-size stand.

This wonderful priest whom we have known since long before he was ordained (we met in college while I was pregnant with Joshua), is wearing the cassock given to me at Joshua's funeral. He commented, "I forgot Joshua was taller than me in the end," because Joshua's cassock is a wee bit too large for him.

Outside the door of heaven

Joshua Alexander Gideon Welsh

"He was taught and he was raised to live his life right outside the door of heaven, 

which is what atrium is."

~Fr. Jonathan Meyer, All Saints Parish, November 20, 2019

Pertinent clip from a 20-minute homily

Cenacle: The Last Supper

From the first Cenacle I ever made for my son through to all the Cenacles I have made for others, I have utilized my own design. It is not modeled after anything except the images from the two locations considered to be the possible locations of the original Cenacle.

See the Holy Land - website
     Please note the curved ceilings.

My basic Cenacle has a solid wall back. The Cenacle with the reversible back is to allow for a change through time. The Cenacle where the Last Supper took place (at either possible location) became the first church. An image of the Holy Spirit descending as tongues of fire seems appropriate, but any church background painting would do.

Description from the original Garden of Francis site:
Basic Cenacle - this is a basic cenacle of my own design
with a base, three walls, movable table and a reversible rear image. 

My love

28 days since I held you in my arms and told you help was on the way. 90 minutes you suffered pain I can't even imagine.

You are my heart. My soul. My strength. My everything.

As I type this, 28 days 10 minutes ago I ran outside, hoping I was wrong. That you were just at the gym. I saw the box at the mailbox and the car with the trailer in front of it - and I knew. I just knew.

Just two more seconds. That's all the difference it would have been.

I love you. I miss you so much. You ARE love. The truest love.


Funeral Homily: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nV5ZPEsQej8
(this link will be updated in the near future)

Be encouraged homily: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDZgQsCuCsA
13:40 is the key section
Pronouns are not Fr. Meyer's strength. ;)

Jesse Tree ornaments by Joshua

My son, Joshua, helped design these ornaments. He hand-burned our first set. I have not been selling them the last few years, but recently pulled them out, touched them up and prepped a set for showcasing.

The day he left this earth, Joshua had pulled out our Christmas boxes to get out the green ornament hooks - and the day before he had pulled out our small tree on which to hang them.

I finally got them together and they are available for sale. They can be in your mailbox in 2-3 business days if it's the only thing you order. Or in your hands within 3 hours if you are local.

Our Christmas season, as well as Lent and Easter sets will be available soon. Then I will work on adding the variations.

Jesse Tree Ornaments at Garden of Francis

Legoboy - My Soul - My everything

Small group presentations

Reading through older posts on here, this paragraph stands out:

An interesting side benefit: experience proving that calling small groups is MUCH better than working with large groups - meet the children where they are at, worry less about grade level or age, focus on capability and NEED, and allow such children who are in different experiential places to be just where they need to be. We have mixed age classes to focus on the individuals after all!

It can be SO HARD for catechists to present to small groups. In formation courses, leaders are encouraged to present to small groups as well, but dynamics force the use of whole-group presentations. As a previous formation leader, I experimented with the small groups in a full atrium session setting, and it worked wonderfully!

Catechists are going to present to the children as they received in their formation courses. It's just how it is. Add in very large groups of children, limited time and limited number of sessions, along with local parish or diocesan requirements to "get it all in" and you have a recipe for weak presentations, shallow meditations and children who don't readily connect with the Holy Spirit through the materials and experiences in the atrium.

Let's get back to the small group presentations and allowing the Holy Spirit to be the the One True Teacher!

Holy Bible Assembly

Paint the side with no names written on
Apply binding (gold duct tape in this pic)
to opposite side from where the name is penciled in
Paint/write the names on appropriately
Paint the backside (where the name was penciled in)

Paint/write the names on appropriately
Paint the backside (where the name was penciled in)

Placement of the pieces for the box itself

How the lid fits onto the box

Lid on the box; decorate as you like

Notes in the History of Israel

Notes on the History of Israel:

Tracing frame:
The Land of Israel at the Time of Christ

The first People of God were Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their households.

Jacob’s name was changed to Israel – then all of his descendants are called Israelites. Hebrew is their language and they can be called Hebrews as well. This is applicable during their 400 years in Egypt and the Exodus.

The Israelites settled in Israel, divided into their 12 tribes, and time passed; the Kingdom is divided and conquered at various times.

Those who return to the southern Kingdom and spread from there are called Jews – after the main remaining region of the original country of Israel: Judah or Judea.

From the Jewish people, God raises up a Son: Jesus. From His time forward, we have two branches of the People of God: Jews and Christians.

400 years after the time of Christ’s life on earth, the Islamic faith is formed. We call these people Muslims. They claim right to the legacy of the One God through their descent from the illegitimate eldest son of Abraham: Ishmael. Thus bypassing all the covenants after Abraham.

Fabric Timelines

Taking orders now for *fabric* CGS timelines!

Movable pieces can be handmade or a printable is available as well!

These were designed by The Sheep Gate and sold through various venues.

CGS Atrium Fabric and Ribbon

Article on Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

I found the following article on my jumpdrive, dated in 2014. The file has my name on it, but did I write this? The file name also has the name of our local diocesan newspaper. Was this published?

I don't even know! I don't remember writing this, but it IS my style! I am happy to have someone else say "nope, that's mine!" ;)

I think I would like to add more about the long-term experience of the child who has been in the atrium.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have been part of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for more than 10 years, in a variety of roles. My participation began before I became a mother and has only become more intense through experiencing the depths of our faith through my son’s deepening relationship with the Good Shepherd.

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is typically a once-a-week 90-120 minute gift for the children and the catechists to delve into the depths of the most essential elements of our Faith. Level 1 is for ages 3-6; Level 2 is for ages 6-9; and Level 3 is for ages 9-12+. A child who attends all three levels of the atrium (the designated space for the CGS materials) will move through the stages of recognizing their relationship with the Good Shepherd (level 1), recognizing and desiring a response to this relationship – to remain with Him and follow His teachings, His voice (Level 2), and finally actively seeking to serve Him through the initial discernment of vocation, the child’s personal place in the Plan of God (level 3). Ideally, these experiences can be followed up into adolescence to further develop the history of the Kingdom of God through the Church, through vocation studies, ever-preparing for the Parousia, when God will be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:28).

Indeed level 3, a space set aside for 9-12 year old children has so much for the adolescent and the adult; a growing number of adults request to spend time in the level 3 atrium to expand and deepen their own faith.

The level 1 child focuses on Jesus – the visible, tangible reality of the presence of God. We look to His life, His parables, His True Presence in the Mass, the geography of Israel during His life on earth, always focusing on the Church’s balance of Scripture and Liturgy, our primary sources for doctrine in all the atrium levels; establishing the reality of a current relationship with the Good Shepherd who knows me by name, loves me and will do anything for me that is for my benefit of remaining with Him. This is both enough and far more than enough.

God gave us His life, His Light, His joy in abundance.

The level 2 children expand this focus on the Good Shepherd into the reality that the Good Shepherd came for all peoples of all times – those around the world, those who came before us and those who will, God-willing, come after us. We explore all the level 1 topics again, adding a few more parables, life events, moments of the Mass, more geography, and now adding two key areas pertinent to this age: Moral Formation (moral parables and Maxims – Jesus’ instructions for how to live within the Kingdom of God) and finally, The History of the Kingdom of God – several long timelines that show the expanse of this history, with the particular moments of Creation, Redemption and Parousia, noting the Blank Page of history being written right now, by people together with God, just as the Bible came to us, work of human hands inspired by God.

We also prepare for the sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist, through special times and retreats set aside for meditation on the True Vine parable, the Loving Father (Prodigal Son), juxtaposing the Found Sheep and Found Coin (Lost Sheep/Coin), and exploring the reality of the Healing of the Centurion’s Servant. These are moments cherished by the children who have the opportunity to delve into their faith with the responsibility of the choice they are making to come to these sacred sacraments. Through these special sessions, tied together with the atrium experience, the child’s sacramental preparation is beyond all other programs I have experienced before I came to CGS or since.

In Level 3, the children continue the same topics, but with fewer didactic materials and a greater number of abstract materials. Now the child is being called, not just to remain on the Vine, but to bear fruit – what is YOUR place in the Kingdom of God? We explore all 7 sacraments in depth, deepen moral formation, study the virtues, introduce the Liturgy of the Hours, explore each and every prayer of the Mass, and begin a study of Typology – the Church’s practice of seeking Jesus in the Old Testament and Jesus’ fulfillment of the Old Testament in the New – and the as yet unfulfilled prophecies that will come at the end of time: Parousia. Now we deepen our exploration of this "response". It is more than a passive remaining now. It is an active seeking. An active response in thanksgiving for the great gifts that God has bestowed upon us, for the reasons He created us and loves us. What will fill my blank page? How will I respond to the gifts of God? God has a Plan - how do I fit in and how can I help it move along towards the final moment of the Parousia? We explore the History even further: the Jewish People, Typology of Creation, Sin, Flood, Abraham and Moses/Exodus; Parousia when "God will be all in all" (1 Corinthians 15:28).

At each level, the child returns to the same themes, going ever deeper and truly experiencing his identity in the Kingdom of God.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Montessori blogs

Some of this blog's readers are interested in learning more about the Montessori approach to life. There are many wonderful Montessori blogs! The ones I have are as follows:


Montessori Station
Various resources that relate to Montessori


Montessori Trails
Our homeschool blog


Montessori Nuggets
Nuggets of Montessori knowledge

Family Tragedy

A tragedy has struck our family.

I struggle to see God's hand in this situation and there is so much within me that wants to turn away from Him; but my deepest core continues to know there is some plan here. All I see is pain, loneliness, orphaned children; but God sees so much more.

I recall my first level 2 formation leader saying that children of the atrium (who have had all 9 years in the atrium) have a "particular kind of hope." That when bad things happen in life and even when they choose some downright awful things, they have a hope within them that allows them to come back to the Good Shepherd.

Please pray for my family; that the next 18 months will not only go by quickly but may be drastically shortened.

May purgatory be emptied.

Facebook Group for Trained CGS Atrium Catechists

Are you a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd catechist? Looking for camaraderie?

CGS Atrium Catechists Facebook group is for you!

From the group description:

CGS Atrium Catechists FB Group is for all Catechesis of the Good Shepherd catechists at any level of atrium - working in schools, parishes or at home.

This is a safe place to ask questions, share experiences, support one another; share in one another's joys and tough moments as we all seek to let the Holy Spirit be the True Teacher.

This is not the place to learn about CGS. Right now the greater need is to support those who are already on this journey.

For the time being, anyone can add new members. Each new member should be a catechist with formation at any level, is in formation or will soon be in formation. 

History of the Kingdom of God is Present NOW

Since the beginning of time, a plan has been present in the mind of God to give mankind His life in His kingdom. 

Parousia is a hidden, not yet happened moment - that we have some clues for, but which we do not as yet fully comprehend. 

God will be all in all.

And His kingdom will have NO END. 

What will my child learn in the atrium?

These charts show the progression of themes experiences throughout the three levels of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atrium.

Sources: 

This image represents our three main sources. The two key sources highlighted the most often are the Bible and the Liturgy, remembering that the new universal Catechism of the Catholic Church is recent. 

Level 1 - ages 3-6

At this age, everything centers around the experience of Jesus Christ in the world. 

Level 2 - ages 6-9

Level 2 condenses and deepens level 1 while adding in some components, including history.
Creation - purple here represents the Old Testament (preparing for Jesus to come); gold for the time of Christ; "gray" (to off-set the white background) for the current time or the blank page, including the way that we see Jesus today - on the altar; and gold again for the time we are awaiting: Parousia, when God will be all in all. The colors used in the atrium have tan for the "Old Testament" time period, but we have already introduced the children to purple for preparation with the prophecies in level 1 and learning the colors of the liturgical season, thus I chose purple for my purposes on this chart. 

Level 3 - ages 9-12+ (appropriate for teens and adults too!)

And at this level we really highlight the "golden thread" that connects all of Salvation History. 

This post gives something of a quick overview of each level as well: 

Beginning of the Chronicles

Interested in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd formation courses ("training") - or interested in knowing what the catechists study in their 90-120 hours courses to be a catechist at any given level? 

UPDATED January 2020

3, 2, 1 - Atrium!!!

3 AWESOME ladies!

2 brand new level 2 atrium spaces!

1 fantastic week!


This is not even *all* the material making done by these 3 awesome ladies during our recent level 2 formation course. We covered all of the Kingdom of God presentations, all of Moral Formation, all of Incarnation which includes the level 2 prophecies, level 2 geography, and level 2 Infancy Narratives), and all of Paschal Mysteries.

Whew.

Given these ladies worked through the several evenings as well, this is still a phenomenal feat to have most of the new materials done for these presentations already!

They even did more after this - decoupaging their maxims tablets and Greatest Commandment tablets, drilling one last hole in a pin map, additional layers of polyurethane, probably some more nail filing too!



Want to join us for an upcoming Catechesis of the Good Shepherd formation course?


Level 1 Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Formation Course
Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception
Lafayette, Indiana
Part 1: June 6-10
Part 2: July 25-29

$300 includes all course fees, overnight accommodations, 2 meals a day, some small materials, lots of prayer time and learning by all!
Books purchased separately (the required book list will be e-mailed to you)

Overnight accommodations provided on-site (in the old convent above the parish offices) - 2 single beds (with all needed linens) per room, shared bathroom, multiple shower stalls; access to a kitchen; snacks, lunch and dinner provided; on-site wireless internet access.

No experience required to begin! Just an open heart!

Level 1 Catechesis of the Good Shepherd focuses on the child who is 2.5 years old through their 6th birthday or the school year they turn 6. Many of the principles involved are universal through all stages of life and all periods in time.

Part 1 will focus on the foundations of CGS and on the 3 year old child (first year in the atrium).

Part 2 will focus on the work and experiences of the 4 and 5 year old children.



Montessori Essentials Course for all Montessori adults! 
       Catechesis of the Good Shepherd *assistants*
       Montessori Homeschoolers
       Montessori Classroom Assistants
June 6 8a-5p
Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception
Lafayette, Indiana

Learn the basics of Montessori that apply to all environments, along with the following:

• History of Montessori
• Exercises of Practical Life - preliminary skills, care of the environment, care of self and more
• Grace and Courtesy lessons
• Walking on the Line
• Silence Game/Activity
• Basic art lessons

$50 for the day (evening-before lodging available only as space permits)

NB: While the focus of the whole course is on the religious potential of the child as seen through a Montessori whole-child perspective, this first day will primarily focus on the universal aspects of the Montessori approach to life; thus anyone of any faith background who wants to utilize or learn more about the Montessori approach will benefit.



Level 2 Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Formation Course
Dover, Indiana
Part 1: June 20-24 
Part 2: TBD
$200 for Part 1

The level 2 course focuses on the 6-9 year old - includes review and more intense depth of all level 1 concepts while initiating exploration of Salvation History, focusing on conscious moral formation, and formal preparation for the sacraments of First Holy Communion and First Reconciliation.

Limited on-site overnight accommodation may be available. Nearby lodging options available for an additional fee.

Contact: Jessica Welsh for more information