Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Led Me Home

If you would have told me 10 years ago that I would be a joyful Catholic by the middle of 2020 I probably would have just laughed. Being Catholic was not the plan. But plans can change for lots of reasons. Five of my reasons were born in the last 10 years.

“He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:2-3

When my oldest son was 3 years old, we were attending a small Protestant church and wondering what we could do to supplement his spiritual education. In a tiny church it is difficult to have enough hands for all the work required, and children’s catechesis was often, unfortunately, marginalized in favor of adult formation. I prayed often about what to do to help my little boys learn the Christian faith.

On a family vacation in 2015, my Catholic sister-in-law, Susan, told me of her recent involvement with a children’s religious education program called Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. She described it as a Montessori-inspired children’s catechetical program. The children are grouped according to developmental age (3-6yo, 6-9yo, and 9-12yo) and over the process of three years per level they begin to build a relationship with Christ, the Good Shepherd. On the foundation of that relationship with Christ, the child begins to dive deeply into the Catholic faith, exploring the big questions of life, and studying what it means to be a Christian. As a non-Catholic, I was intrigued, though skeptical. Susan’s words were compelling, but what truly convinced me was observation. I watched her sons have an intuitive connection to prayer and the Mass that, even as an Evangelical, was captivating. There was something different here.

I wanted to have my children in CGS, but “without the Catholic stuff.” I decided to enroll him in a local CGS program, just for Level 1 (ages 3-6) before Sacrament prep began in Level 2. The closest program was run by a CGS catechist who was a Catholic convert from Protestantism, and she welcomed my little son into the program. I volunteered in the atrium for years, with a sharp eye for anything “too Catholic” for my Protestant sensibilities. Gradually I developed a trust in CGS as I watched my son begin to know his faith, learn the scriptures, and fall in love with the Good Shepherd, Jesus.

If you’ve ever planted a garden, you know that much of the work is hidden. The seed lies nestled in the soil, slowly softening, opening, and sending out its roots. The gardener sees no transformation until the tender green shoot finally makes its way to the surface.

I enrolled my son in CGS hoping for his faith to grow. For three years as I watched him work in a Level 1 atrium, my own heart was nurturing hidden seeds of faith. I was so surprised when three of these seeds bloomed: I was hungry for the Eucharist, I loved our Blessed Mother, and I longed for absolution in Confession. There is a longer story behind each of those blooms. But suffice it to say that it was assuming the perspective of my little children that made me small enough to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, through the Sacraments of the Holy Catholic Church.

I am now a certified Catechist in Levels 1 and 2 of CGS at St. Timothy’s, and I am only just beginning to appreciate its transformative power. Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is not a quick way to teach Catholic facts to children. It is not a box to check before a child’s first sacraments. That is exactly what makes it so dynamic; It is as patient and powerful as learning to love. It is the soil that nurtures a childlike faith. CGS is an environment in which the human heart learns to trust our Good Shepherd, to hear His voice and follow Him. Even when He calls us to change our plans.