CGS at St. Michael School. Photo courtesy of Carly Osterloo.
By Katie Eskro
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) has a way of changing children’s lives, but it also changes the lives of everyone involved with it.
I was first introduced to CGS in 2016 in Fargo, North Dakota. In 2018, we moved to Aberdeen, which had the first atrium in our diocese. In the next six years, I attended all three levels of formation (around 400 hours of training) and became a recognized CGS formation leader in Level 1.
This wasn’t my plan for my life, but you could say that from the first moment of experiencing formation, God called me deeper and deeper into relationship with him, and I fell in love with this work. Now, I work with more than 50 children each week in the atrium and travel the Midwest to train adults in CGS.
CGS has been available in the United States for 40 years. It started in Italy 20 years before that. It has been in the Diocese of Sioux Falls for over 10 years. In the history of the Church, it’s a new method and many are new to knowing what it is or haven’t even heard of it.
This program is not a curriculum. It is a method that does the two things all catechesis needs to do to be healthy and to make a difference: be rich in content and utilize a means of teaching that meets the religious needs of the people it serves. In CGS, we serve the youngest among us, which typically begins at age 3 and can go to age 12.
Children fall in love with God and the Church through presentations that honor their intelligence and spiritual life. CGSUSA says CGS is a method that “fosters the religious values of childhood.”
I could try to explain more in-depth what CGS is, but instead, I have two stories to share with you from preschool teachers at St. Michael School in Sioux Falls. St. Michael implemented CGS in their classrooms about three years ago, and the teachers serve as assistants. The teachers have been profoundly impacted by CGS. Here are two of those teachers’ experiences.
An experience, not a classroom
Stephanie Genschorck is a cradle Catholic. When she found out her preschool class would be going to the atrium each week and she would be assisting, she was nervous.
“I really had no idea what to expect and was honestly a little intimidated by it because, even though I grew up Catholic, not attending a Catholic school, I didn’t feel as though I knew as much as I could or should know,” Stephanie said.
Her intimidation quickly melted away. When she walked into the atrium (the prepared CGS environment) for the first time, she was struck by the peace and simplicity of the room.
“The atriums are a very calm, quiet space that feels more like a prayer room than a classroom,” Stephanie said. “In CGS, the student engages directly with materials. The materials are smaller figures, maps or hands-on works, and they encounter the story more personally.”
She was quickly impressed by the response her preschool class had to the atrium. “There is a noticeable sense of reverence, even with our young preschoolers,” Stephanie said.
Stephanie has noticed a big difference between CGS and curriculum-based religious education programs. She said it’s “less about instruction and more about discovery” for her students.
“There is a focus on slowing down and trusting in the child to engage in the works to learn at their own pace. I was struck by how deeply the preschoolers became engaged,” Stephanie said. “A single parable or Scripture passage might be explored for days or even weeks by a student. This gives them space to wonder, ask questions and form a deeper connection.”
It isn’t just the children who have fallen more deeply in love with Jesus and his Church. Stephanie has had a profound deepening of faith as well.
“I feel as though CGS almost shifted my relationship with God from something taught to something personally experienced,” she said. “The image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd is someone who knows, calls and cares for each sheep and makes my relationship feel more secure. It has moved from ‘I should follow God’ to ‘I am known and loved by God.’”
A child-like faith
Carly Osterloo is also a preschool teacher at St. Michael. Her background is a little different than Stephanie’s. Carly really didn’t know what she was getting herself into with assisting in the atrium each week. She, too, has been surprised by CGS and the children’s responses, and has found herself drawn closer to God through her experiences.
“I have learned so much about the Catholic faith that I wasn’t aware of; I am learning right along with the students!” she said. “As I go to CGS with my students, I have learned so much, my faith has grown so much and I am closer to God. Reflecting in a calm and quiet environment is what CGS is, and everytime I go to CGS with my students, I find myself reflecting on my own relationship with God.”
She has enjoyed seeing her class more fully participate in the liturgy and have a deeper understanding of Scripture and the traditions of the Catholic faith, like knowing the colors of the liturgical year and what they mean.
Carly has also noticed an attentiveness even outside the atrium in the classroom when they pray and read the Bible together. She says she loves CGS and looks forward to her students continuing to grow in their faith through their time in the atrium.
Simplicity and trust
These stories and experiences of Stephanie and Carly truly point to the reality that CGS is a method that marries a beautiful and rich catechesis with the spiritual needs of children. And not only is it feeding the children, but it is also inviting adults to deepen their faith.
“[The children’s] openness invites you to approach your faith with that same simplicity and trust,” Stephanie said. “It becomes less about knowing all the answers and more about being present. It’s a reminder that my relationship with God doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be simple, personal and full of quiet joy.”
Katie Eskro is a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Aberdeen, where she works as coordinator of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. She has a degree in journalism and is pursuing a master’s degree in philosophy.
learn more
If you have questions about Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, reach out to katie@blessedsacramentparishes.org.
