“The purpose of The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is to assist the involvement of children and adults in a common religious experience in which the religious values of childhood, primarily those values of contemplation and enjoyment of God, are predominant.”
Students in preschool through first grade supplement their classroom religion instruction with visits to the Atrium. While in this special classroom, they participate in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program. The Atrium is a place of quiet work where students learn in a deep and profound way about the life of Jesus, scripture, liturgy, and the teaching and traditions of the Roman Catholic Church. It a place where children develop their relationship with God.
The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program was designed by Maria Montessori in 1910 and further developed by Sophia Cavaletti and Gianna Gobi in the 1950s. It is based on principles of the Montessori method, and utilizes manipulatives such as infancy narrative figures, wooden sheep and shepherd, a model altar and a model baptismal font.