activities · 11
what they do
direct service · 2
- Religious Formation Programs for Children Children's Faith-Based Educational ProgrammingOffers a Montessori-based religious formation program for children aged 3 and older, utilizing three-dimensional wood materials representing scripture, Baptism, and Eucharist, and operating over 1,250 atria in various Christian churches across the United States.
- Religious Formation Programs for Children Children's Faith-Based Educational ProgrammingOffers Montessori-based religious formation programs for children aged 3 and older, utilizing three-dimensional wood materials representing scripture, Baptism, and Eucharist for exploration. These programs are implemented in over 1,250 atria within Catholic, Episcopal, Orthodox, and other Christian churches across the United States, and have spread to over 65 countries globally.
advocacy · 1
- Advocacy for Children's JoyAdvocates for children's joy, a mission that has been pursued for over 30 years.
research · 3
- Research and PublicationConducts research based on observations of children in atria to develop scriptural and liturgical themes that resonate with children's religious needs. This includes developing "32 Points of Reflection" and publishing an annual journal, with an e-book edition available for international members.
- Research and PublicationConducts research based on observations of children in atria to develop scriptural and liturgical themes that resonate with children's religious needs at different age levels. The organization also publishes an annual journal, including an e-book edition, featuring articles on the history of CGSUSA and contributions from members.
- Research and PublicationDevelops scriptural and liturgical themes based on observations of children in atria, publishes an annual journal featuring articles on the history and contributions to catechesis, and has developed "32 Points of Reflection" from extensive work with children.
capacity building · 5
- Catechist Formation and Support Children's Faith-Based Educational ProgrammingProvides catechist formation courses for adults, including Level I (ages 3-6) and Level II (ages 6-9) courses, to deepen their relationship with God through religious education. The organization also offers partial scholarships for these courses, provides access to materials manuals for creating educational resources, and hosts plenary and workshop sessions on various CGS topics.
- Catechist Formation and Support Children's Faith-Based Educational ProgrammingProvides catechist formation courses for adults, including Level I (ages 3-6) and Level II (ages 6-9) courses, offers partial scholarships for formation, and supplies catechists with materials manuals and educational resources.
- Catechist Formation and Support Children's Faith-Based Educational ProgrammingProvides adult formation courses for catechists to deepen their relationship with God through religious education, including Level I courses for children aged 3-6 and Level II courses for children aged 6-9. The organization supports over 2,500 members, offers 200 adult formation courses, and recognizes over 170 formation leaders, providing resources like materials manuals and partial scholarships.
- Conferences and Workshops Christian Prayer & Discipleship IntensivesHosts plenary and workshop sessions covering topics such as the origins and history of CGS, the status of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, material making tips, preaching with children, understanding children of many languages, and implementing CGS in schools. This includes reporting on the International Council's Consiglio Meeting, covering sacramental preparation, formation courses, and global work.
- Conferences and Workshops Christian Prayer & Discipleship IntensivesHosts plenary and workshop sessions covering topics such as the origins and history of CGS, material making tips, preaching with children, and reports from the International Council's meetings on sacramental preparation and global work.
strategies · 12
how they think
Theories of action extracted from this org's own source material. Click any to see the full field of orgs running the same approach.
- Child-Centered Spiritual Formation through a Prepared Environment child_centered_spiritual_formationThe organization fosters a child's unique relationship with God, believing that spiritual growth is directed by the Holy Spirit within the child. Adults serve as assistants, preparing a special environment (atrium) with hands-on materials and presentations from Scripture and liturgy, which allows children to engage in self-directed activities, contemplation, and inner dialogue with God. This approach is based on observations of children's universal responses to Christian messages across developmental stages and cultural backgrounds.
- Child-Centered Spiritual Formation through a Prepared Environment child-centered_spiritual_formationThe organization fosters a child's unique relationship with God, believing that spiritual growth is directed by the Holy Spirit within the child. Adults serve as assistants, preparing a special environment (atrium) with hands-on materials and presentations from scripture and liturgy, which allows children to engage in self-directed activities, contemplation, and inner dialogue with God. This approach is based on observing children's joyful responses and developmental stages, recognizing their inherent religious potential.
- Child-Centered, Spirit-Led Spiritual Formation child-centered_spiritual_formationThe organization believes that children have a unique and direct relationship with God, and their spiritual development is primarily guided by the Holy Spirit within them. Adults serve as humble assistants, observing and nurturing this innate spiritual growth rather than directing it, respecting the child's personality and inner spiritual guidance.
- Community-Based Support and Network Building community_based_supportThe organization fosters a network of individuals, churches, schools, and other organizations to support Christian spiritual formation for children. It emphasizes mutual support and unity among catechists for material preparation, atrium work, and child observation, and provides resources to these communities to strengthen their efforts.
- Community-Based Support and Network Building community_buildingThe organization builds a network of individuals, churches, schools, and other organizations to support Christian spiritual formation for children. It provides resources and emphasizes mutual support and unity among catechists for material preparation, atrium work, and child observation, fostering a shared experience and strengthening the community.
- Community-Based Support and Resource Provision network_buildingThe organization builds a network of individuals, churches, schools, and other organizations to support Christian spiritual formation for children. It provides resources and fosters mutual support and unity among catechists for material preparation, atrium work, and child observation.
- Developmentally Appropriate and Experiential Religious Education developmentally_appropriate_religious_educationThe organization provides religious education that is tailored to the developmental stages of children, recognizing that children of similar ages respond universally to Christian messages regardless of cultural background. This approach emphasizes joyful encounters with God and uses observation of children's responses as an indicator of effectiveness, facilitating dialogue and reflection rather than direct instruction.
- Experiential and Instructive Adult Catechist Formation experiential_adult_religious_educationThe organization offers a comprehensive formation program for adults that is both instructive and experiential. This training aims to deepen the catechists' personal relationship with God by engaging their intellect and emotions, and includes practical elements like creating materials, preparing the atrium, and experiencing presentations as children do, fostering a deeper understanding of the content and methodology.
- Experiential and Instructive Adult Formation experiential_adult_religious_educationThe organization provides catechist formation for adults that is both instructive and experiential, aiming to deepen their personal relationship with God by engaging both intellect and emotion. This training includes experiencing presentations as children do, discussing theological and pedagogical principles, and learning to create materials and prepare the atrium environment.
- Experiential and Instructive Adult Formation experiential_adult_religious_educationThe organization provides catechist formation for adults that is both instructive and experiential, aiming to deepen their personal relationship with God by engaging both intellect and emotion. This training includes experiencing presentations as children do, discussing theological and pedagogical principles, creating materials by hand, and learning to prepare the atrium, fostering a deeper understanding of the content and the child's rhythm.
- Montessori-Based Prepared Environment (Atrium) montessori-based_catechesisThe organization utilizes a Montessori-based approach, creating a specially prepared sacred environment called an "atrium." In this space, children engage in self-directed, hands-on activities and presentations from Scripture and liturgy, allowing the environment itself to be an active teacher that fosters inner dialogue with God and a personal relationship with the divine.
- Rabbinical Approach to Scripture rabbinical_scripture_readingThe organization utilizes a rabbinical approach to reading Scripture, where participants are considered co-listeners to the Word of God, fostering a deep understanding of biblical texts without embellishment.
named programs · 6
what they call their work
Atrium Development Support
Provides guidance and resources for parishes, schools, and homes to establish and maintain "atria" (prepared environments) for children's religious education, including material manuals and space planning.
Catechist Formation Courses
Offers instructional and experiential courses for adults to become catechists, covering presentations for children aged 3-6, 6-9, and 9-12, theological principles, and material creation.
Good Shepherd and the Child Podcast
A podcast offering insights and discussions related to the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
Membership Program
Connects catechists and supporters through individual, organizational, and unified memberships, offering benefits like access to resources, scholarships, and community support.
Scholarships & Grants
Provides partial scholarships for catechist formation, primarily through the Tina Lillig Memorial Fund, to CGSUSA members.
The Journal
A publication providing articles and reflections on the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
relationships · 26
who they work with
- All Saints Academy Partner — Hosts a Level I course in Parsippany, New Jersey.
- Ann M. Garrido, DMin Partner — Associate Professor of Homiletics, Director of the DMin and MAPS-CGS Programs Aquinas Institute of Theology, provided an endorsement for a book of meditations by Sofia Cavalletti.
- Aquinas Institute of Theology Partner — Ann Garrido, a catechist in the CGS movement, taught homiletics, pastoral theology and catechetics at this institution for 25 years.
- Ascension Catholic Church Partner — Hosts a Level I course in Melbourne, Florida.
- CGSUSA Partner — Supports catechists through community and resource sharing.
- Dr. Sofia Cavalletti Partner — Co-founder of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, who observed children's engagement with the Mystery.
- Gianna Partner — Worked with Sofia Cavalletti in the original atrium in Rome.
- Gianna Gobbi Partner — Co-founder of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, who worked with Dr. Sofia Cavalletti to observe children and provide biblical and liturgical materials.
- Gianna Gobbi Partner — Inspiration for Infant-Toddler Catechesis through discovery of child's nature and religious potential.
- Gianna Gobbi Partner — Montessori collaborator and co-founder who worked with Sofia Cavalletti on the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
- Holy Spirit Catholic Church Partner — Hosts a Level I course in Mitchell, South Dakota.
- Liturgy Training Publications Partner — Published an e-book edition of the 2025 Journal for CGSUSA.
- Liturgy Training Publications Partner — Published an eBook edition of the 2025 Journal for CGSUSA.
- Maria Montessori Partner — Inspiration for Infant-Toddler Catechesis through discovery of child's nature and religious potential.
- Saint Nicholas Catholic Church Partner — Hosts a Level I course in O'Fallon, Illinois.
- Silvana Montanaro Partner — Inspiration for Infant-Toddler Catechesis through discovery of child's nature and religious potential.
- Sofia Cavalletti Partner — Co-founder and theologian who initiated the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd through observation of children.
- Sofia Cavalletti Partner — Co-founder of the original atrium in Rome, with whom Augusta Poluzzi shared decades of friendship and service.
- Sofia Cavalletti Partner — Inspiration for Infant-Toddler Catechesis through discovery of child's nature and religious potential, and expressed hope for catechesis to go younger.
- St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church Partner — Hosts a Level I course in Houston, Texas.
- St. James in Lakewood, OH Partner — Hosts a Level II course in Lakewood, Ohio.
- St. Louis de Montfort Catholic Church Partner — Hosts a Level II course in Fishers, Indiana.
- St. Paul in Akron, OH Partner — Hosts a Level II course in Akron, Ohio.
- St. Philip Neri Catholic Church Partner — Hosts a Level I course in Napoleon, North Dakota.
- St. Thomas More Parish Partner — Ann Garrido offered a reflection for a planned Advent reconciliation service at this parish.
- The Good Shepherd Center Memphis/St. Peter Catholic Church Partner — Hosts a Level II course in Memphis, Tennessee.