Cosmic Education in the Christian Profession of Faith

We believe in God, the Father Almighty,
    Creator of Heaven and of Earth:
         of all things visible and invisible.

~First lines of the Nicene-Constantinopoitan Creed (Nicene Creed for short)


Some people, when first approaching Montessori and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, are uncomfortable with the notions of "cosmic education" - doesn't this all sound rather New Age? No! To the contrary, our very foundation is the Creator Himself! God as the Holy Trinity. Maria Montessori was a Catholic; even her final letter/address out to the world was addressed to catechists passing on the Truths of the Faith. Her foundation was Christ, and Christ is the center of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.


From the Catechism of the Catholic Church on "The Visible World"
See this link for the entire section on "Heaven and Earth": http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P1A.HTM

II. THE VISIBLE WORLD

337 God himself created the visible world in all its richness, diversity and order. Scripture presents the work of the Creator symbolically as a succession of six days of divine "work", concluded by the "rest" of the seventh day.²⁰⁴ On the subject of creation, the sacred text teaches the truths revealed by God for our salvation,²⁰⁵ permitting us to "recognize the inner nature, the value and the ordering of the whole of creation to the praise of God."²⁰⁶

338 Nothing exists that does not owe its existence to God the Creator. the world began when God's word drew it out of nothingness; all existent beings, all of nature, and all human history are rooted in this primordial event, the very genesis by which the world was constituted and time begun.²⁰⁷

339 Each creature possesses its own particular goodness and perfection. For each one of the works of the "six days" it is said: "and God saw that it was good." "By the very nature of creation, material being is endowed with its own stability, truth and excellence, its own order and laws."²⁰⁸ Each of the various creatures, willed in its own being, reflects in its own way a ray of God's infinite wisdom and goodness. Man must therefore respect the particular goodness of every creature, to avoid any disordered use of things which would be in contempt of the Creator and would bring disastrous consequences for human beings and their environment.

340 God wills the interdependence of creatures. the sun and the moon, the cedar and the little flower, the eagle and the sparrow: the spectacle of their countless diversities and inequalities tells us that no creature is self-sufficient. Creatures exist only in dependence on each other, to complete each other, in the service of each other.

341 The beauty of the universe: the order and harmony of the created world results from the diversity of beings and from the relationships which exist among them. Man discovers them progressively as the laws of nature. They call forth the admiration of scholars. the beauty of creation reflects the infinite beauty of the Creator and ought to inspire the respect and submission of man's intellect and will.

342 The hierarchy of creatures is expressed by the order of the "six days", from the less perfect to the more perfect. God loves all his creatures²⁰⁹ and takes care of each one, even the sparrow. Nevertheless, Jesus said: "You are of more value than many sparrows", or again: "of how much more value is a man than a sheep!"²¹⁰

343 Man is the summit of the Creator's work, as the inspired account expresses by clearly distinguishing the creation of man from that of the other creatures.²¹¹

344 There is a solidarity among all creatures arising from the fact that all have the same Creator and are all ordered to his glory: May you be praised, O Lord, in all your creatures, especially brother sun, by whom you give us light for the day; he is beautiful, radiating great splendour, and offering us a symbol of you, the Most High. . .

May you be praised, my Lord, for sister water, who is very useful and humble, precious and chaste.
May you be praised, my Lord, for sister earth, our mother, who bears and feeds us, and produces the variety of fruits and dappled flowers and grasses. . .
Praise and bless my Lord, give thanks and serve him in all humility.²¹²

345 The sabbath - the end of the work of the six days. the sacred text says that "on the seventh day God finished his work which he had done", that the "heavens and the earth were finished", and that God "rested" on this day and sanctified and blessed it.²¹³ These inspired words are rich in profitable instruction:

346 In creation God laid a foundation and established laws that remain firm, on which the believer can rely with confidence, for they are the sign and pledge of the unshakeable faithfulness of God's covenant.²¹⁴ For his part man must remain faithful to this foundation, and respect the laws which the Creator has written into it.

347 Creation was fashioned with a view to the sabbath and therefore for the worship and adoration of God. Worship is inscribed in the order of creation.²¹⁵ As the rule of St. Benedict says, nothing should take precedence over "the work of God", that is, solemn worship.²¹⁶ This indicates the right order of human concerns.

348 The sabbath is at the heart of Israel's law. To keep the commandments is to correspond to the wisdom and the will of God as expressed in his work of creation.

349 The eighth day. But for us a new day has dawned: the day of Christ's Resurrection. the seventh day completes the first creation. the eighth day begins the new creation. Thus, the work of creation culminates in the greater work of redemption. the first creation finds its meaning and its summit in the new creation in Christ, the splendour of which surpasses that of the first creation.²¹⁷

IN BRIEF

350 Angels are spiritual creatures who glorify God without ceasing and who serve his saving plans for other creatures: "The angels work together for the benefit of us all" (St. Thomas Aquinas, STh I, 114, 3, ad 3).

351 The angels surround Christ their Lord. They serve him especially in the accomplishment of his saving mission to men.

352 The Church venerates the angels who help her on her earthly pilgrimage and protect every human being.

353 God willed the diversity of his creatures and their own particular goodness, their interdependence and their order. He destined all material creatures for the good of the human race. Man, and through him all creation, is destined for the glory of God.

354 Respect for laws inscribed in creation and the relations which derive from the nature of things is a principle of wisdom and a foundation for morality.

Footnotes:
204 ⇒ Gen 1:l - ⇒ 2:4.205 Cf. DV 11.206 LG 36 # 2.207 Cf. St. Augustine, De Genesi adv. Man 1, 2, 4: PL 34, 175.208 GS 36 # 1.209 Cf. ⇒ Ps 145:9.210 ⇒ Lk 12:6-7; ⇒ Mt 12:12.211 Cf. ⇒ Gen 1-26.212 St. Francis of Assisi, Canticle of the Creatures.213 ⇒ Gen 2:1-3.214 Cf. ⇒ Heb 4:3-4; ⇒ Jer 31:35-37; ⇒ 33:19-26.215 Cf. ⇒ Gen 1:14.216 St. Benedict, Regula 43, 3: PL 66, 675-676.217 Cf. Roman Missal, Easter Vigil 24, prayer after the first reading.

Pentecost 2013 - 3 Weeks of Depth

This past school year, Easter/Pentecost 2013, we received a fantastic blessing in two of the atriums I had: TIME. We ended both the third full week of May, following Pentecost. Most parish atriums end the year in April or the 1st or 2nd week of May - almost always before Pentecost and some years (like 2014) more than a month before Pentecost.

SO - we used that time! THREE WEEKS OF IT!


WEEK 1: Old Testament
First we introduced the Scripture for the gifts of the Holy Spirit - in prophet-fashion.

We set out a candle for each gift - did not light them this time. We labeled and discussed each gift - by definition and example. We then spent some time discussing these gifts, what they mean on different levels for a level 2 (ages 6-9) and a level 3 (ages 9-12) child (I also had some level 1 children in this group!). I sent them home for the week to contemplate these gifts and look at situations they are in, to ascertain which gifts are needed in particular situations.

For this group of children, we used the names of the Gifts as outlined by Isaiah in chapter 11 verses 2 and 3:

• Wisdom
• Understanding
• Counsel
• Strength
• Knowledge
• Fear of the Lord
• Delight in the Fear of the Lord (Awe and Wonder)

WEEK 2: New Testament

The following week, we read and meditated upon the New Testament Scripture passages from the Acts of the Apostles (the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles). During our discussion, we brought in other mentionings of the Holy Spirit throughout the Gospels - the ones the children honed in on:

• descent of the Holy Spirit upon Our Blessed Mother at the Annunciation/Incarnation
• the Holy Spirit appearing as a dove at the Baptism of Our Lord
• the Holy Spirit filling John the Baptist in his mother's womb - and Elizabeth's resulting Canticle

We considered each gift again - in light of our contemplation from the previous week at home and in light of the fact that we are each a child of God, called to live as Children of the Light. How shall we spread this light throughout the world? What gift do we need the most right now? 

And we each selected a gift to pray for in the coming week. 

After our group presentation, some of the children (a mix of level 2 and level 3) chose for their personal work to copy and illustrate the names of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit - 1 child wrote out the definitions as well - all of them illustrated their work.  

WEEK 3: The Celebration
Finally in our third week, we had a true Celebration - atrium-style. The children proclaimed the Scripture, proclaimed the Gifts, proclaimed the Church teacher. We set a beautiful prayer table designed by the children and we sang songs selected by the children.

The children selected their Gifts - some different than the previous week, some the same.

always tip the unlit candle into the lit one

Prayerfully considering

Selecting

Calling the children by name to place their candles onto the table
Liturgy of Light style

All of the candles returned according to the gift prayed for

Our beautiful Spirit-filled children! 

They were each invited to snuff a candle
(I forget now who snuffed the remaining ones, since we had 7 extra than the number of children)

Re-visiting Level 2

Towards the end of the school year, we had our First Communion weekend across the 4 parishes (yes, our local priest covers 4 parishes; alone).

Each parish has one Mass and the families chose the Mass they wanted to attend. Each parish has ONE Mass each weekend - two on Saturday; two on Sunday.

And it all meant that our religious ed attendance plummeted. Not to mention the presence of catechists ;)

Our level 2 catechist is what I call "the main music lady" - she covers it all at the one parish (arranges for rotating musicians so she doesn't have to do music every weekend; she does the music every other weekend at one of the other parishes; and she is the sacramental preparation catechist (and my life-saver, right-hand, God-send, blessing - you name it!).

WELL. Our religious ed class is after one parish's early morning Mass; and before the next parish's. With after-Mass photos, the level 2 catechist knew she wouldn't be in class more than 5 minutes (and then she went to the other parish); the DRE would be late; my assistant was out of town; the level 1 catechists all had subs; the level 2 assistant would be late.....

As the only "regular atrium catechist" present, I gathered all the level 3 and level 2 children in the level 2 atrium; monitored the level 1 children until their catechists arrived... and otherwise just observed what would happen.

With fewer numbers, it was really interesting:

My level 3 children were, at first, the only children there. Then one came in with her level 2 age brother. Then the others trickled in.

About half-way in, I called the L2 children for a presentation on the Maxims cabinet and Summary of the Law - I only had 1st an 3rd graders. The L3 children all came as well even though they knew they didn't have to. They did a remarkable job staying with the level 2 meditation and helping the level 2 children "understand".

Level 3 got right to work with items of interest from level 2
(none of these girls had been in level 2 before)

They don't even fit under the tables! 

These 4th graders miss the model altar! 

She thinks she's getting into trouble and trying to pull the innocent face ;)
She IS innocent! 

They don't believe me they are ALLOWED to get out this work! 

L2 boy who LOVES to decorate the atrium -
brought this HUGE bouquet of flowers for the prayer table.
Mystery of Life and Death in the foreground there. 

Close-up of those flowers - they shifted when we walked with them,
so he had to adjust them more beautifully. 

Happy to come back for a visit to their childhood atrium ;)
L3 boy in the back with the wooden Holy Bible
(note to self - the children still want this wooden work in L3 -
the paper version isn't cutting it)

Planning Communal Prayer - of their own accord

Busy working - mix of L2 and L3

Still working 

Still planning prayer :) 

One of the girls who planned prayer, needed to leave;
so her brother filled in. 

preparing for Communal Prayer
The boy holding the Paschal Candle - we were waiting for a couple of
children to come back with a solution for the wrong year.
The children noticed this and really wanted it fixed.
So they all shared ideas; some went to find a solution;
everyone else waited patiently....
because we MUST have an accurate Light!

I just LOVE how we can transfer atrium spaces and the children entirely respect one another, respect the space and truly desire to beautify the space. This shows me that they find something of value in this place - and they cherish it.

Thank you children!

Epiphany!

Yes, this post was from last January ;)

We reconvened our Wednesday/Sunday classes rather late in the month of January, but we had to celebrate Epiphany regardless - so level 3 planned and presented for the level 2 atrium.

We have two classes - different children in each class - these images are a mix of both.

Advent wreath is placed as a sign of our waiting -
for what are we waiting?
For promises to be fulfilled.

 I helped write the narration, which one child read; the other children took turns placing the Books of the Bible, the Advent wreath, lighting candles, reading the prophecies, the infancy narratives (just one particular verse from each one, along with a summary of the narrative), the light of Christ (the Paschal Candle), the baptism garment to show the light spreading throughout the world and the Parousia symbol.

TALK ABOUT A SYNTHESIS!

Level 2 children were each given a candle to place in front of a Scripture card as it was placed by the level 3 child doing the reading. These Scripture passages are a light - "Thy Word is a Lamp Unto My Feet and a Light Unto My Path."

We also sang songs at intermittent points: "light one candle"; "the light of Christ has come into the world" (with corresponding verses to match the "light one candle" song - love, joy, peace, hope); and another I don't recall right now (I'll update the post if I remember to check my notes and do so ;) ).

We have eternal hope.

Genesis Chapter 25

This is not specifically atrium - I am adding it here because my son has been in atrium with me for 8 years. This past year being is first in level 3 (a year early) - and he reads the Bible a bit different from your average child. I'm not bragging there ;) He reads the Bible like a child has been in level 1 atrium almost continuously for 8 years (at least once a week; sometimes 4-6 times); in level 2 almost continuously for 7 years (at least once a week; sometimes 3-5); and level 3 for a year. Not to mention all the formation courses he has attended! and even assisted!

We have started a sequence of reading through the Bible in a year. At the time of writing this, we are still in Genesis.

Chapter 25 to be specific.

How many times I've read this passage and only THIS time did I really read it. And he picked up on it too.

We all know that Abraham had two sons: as Abram, he bore a son by his wife's maid (Ishmael); then the covenant was completed, his name changed to Abraham and Sarah bore him a son in her old age: Isaac.

DID YOU KNOW?

After the death of Sarah, Isaac took solace in his wife Rebekkah (Genesis 24:67b).

After the death of Sarah, Abraham took solace in a new wife: Keturah.

This one seems accurate - 9 brothers;
but what about their ages? 

DID YOU KNOW? 

Ishmael had 12 sons to rule over 12 tribes.

Isaac grandfathered 11 boys; one boy had two sons to replace him; making what we know as the 12 tribes of Israel.
Side note: Joseph had two sons from whom 2 tribes received their names; Joseph did not have a tribe named after him. Benjamin being the younger brother, this means that only 9 brothers (at most because perhaps some were toddlers!) participated in any way in the selling of Joseph to the Egyptians.
I wish those people who write children's Bibles would at least get the stories ACCURATE.

Keturah bore 6 sons to Abraham; their ultimate descendants as listed come to 13, so it doesn't fit above; all 6 original sons were given grants and sent away from Isaac (probably because of what happened between Isaac and Ishmael).

DID YOU KNOW? 

Abraham, therefore, bore 8 sons. Not 1, not 2. EIGHT.

8. That's an interesting number. 8th day of creation (Easter); 8 people on the Ark.....

Isaac and Ishmael were together at their father's burial. Ishmael was a legitimate son, if not the "first-born" according to the birthright, because his mother was given in place of Sarah - not as a concubine, but as a replacement for Sarah's own womb. When Sarah was then able to bear a child, Ishmael maintained his legitimacy as a child of the Abraham, but lost his birthright as first-born. The other boys were considered to be conceived by "concubinage" despite Sarah being deceased at the time.

Wow.


Just one chapter. And that's not the whole thing!



That same chapter contains the birth of the twins: Esau and Jacob. Interesting that we usually consider Rebekkah to be something of a brat in her preference for the younger son. But indeed -while pregnant with the twins, she felt them wrestling and went to the Lord - the Lord told her that the older would serve the younger; indeed that he would "surpass" his older brother. Hence, she was simply favoring the one the Lord told her would rule.

Hm.


And there's still so much more said in just a few words - the age of the parents involved; how many years would that have been praying for children? the selling of the birthright....


Your turn!


;)

Time to take posts out of draft!

The following posts are mostly going to be ones started as far back as January; a few sooner than that even.

Time to get them out of draft-dom!


This past semester has been busy - wonderful in many regards - but very, very full. And it only got more full as time went on. "No" has become a routine word around here!

I am so happy to finally have the opportunity to clear up older projects; catch up on the back-log in everything and start to close up projects that are (or will soon be) complete.

We continue to pray for all families striving to live out their faiths and all atriums sharing the faith with the young children and the adults alike!


God bless you all!

My beautiful newborn niece! I can't wait to meet her in person!
(blanket courtesy Aunt Jessica)

Images for 2000 Years and The Memorial

I have always been dissatisfied with the people images suggested or provided for these two materials. They are fuzzy to print out; too much color background on some.... I made our 2000 Years timeline with the black and white printouts and have s-l-o-w-l-y been hand-coloring them over the course of the school year. s--l--o--w--l--y... it's so tedious.

We are ready for the Memorial - I got the rest of the materials ready to go, with one card copy/pasted wrong. Oops. I'll just hand-write the correction on orange paper and tape it on with packing tape for now. Let's wait to re-print the whole page of cards for that one little one (4 fit per page on this section), until I find any other typos ;)   But I didn't have the people ready - the ones provided don't even line up right!

And then I found this:

The images are JUST perfect! Most pages have nice little rows of people from a particular time period (labeled); not much text... I bought two - one to cut up for the timeline and Memorial... and one for the children to use in their personal research.

(and I have realized that I have many-many-many draft posts. Oops. That time thing ;) ).