« To Our Gallery

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Mass

January 2023

In the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atriums, January brought the end of the Christmas Season and the beginning of Ordinary Time. This was observed in Level 1 by the changing of the prayer table cloth from white to green. The children pondered one last infancy narrative, The Adoration of the Magi. The atrium environment was beautified with the addition of Flower Arranging to practical life work. And The Parable of the Hidden Treasure was also presented.

The Level 2 children reflected on The Adoration of the Shepherds, and how these humble people responded to the angel’s proclamation of the Good News of the birth of Jesus. The responses of Simeon and Anna when they saw the baby Jesus after a lifetime of waiting were pondered in The Presentation in the Temple. The month ended with the parable of The Precious Pearl, which Jesus compared to the Kingdom of Heaven.

In the first session of Level 3 the children were presented The Structure of the Mass, and discussed how it is one great prayer divided into two parts – with each part made up of many prayers. The second session looked at The Memorial, the moment in the Mass when we remember the Last Supper and Jesus saying, “Take and eat…, take and drink…, do this in memory of me,” and how that act of memory carries forward in time and place. These presentations culminated with the celebration of Mass with Fr. Carl in McDonough Hall. This special Mass lifted up the presentations that the children have seen in the atrium, and provided points of reference to tie the children’s experiences in the atrium to the celebration of the Mass. The children enjoyed taking key roles in the liturgy.