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Faith Formation
The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a Montessori-
based religious formation program for children, begin-
ning at the age of three. It seeks to create and facilitate a
sacred, “hands-on” space for children called an atrium, in
which both the children and the catechist/instructor can
hear, ponder, and celebrate the most essential mysteries
of the Christian faith as revealed in scripture and liturgy.
Last year, we had 57 children enrolled in the program.
Last summer, CC@S had four of our catechists attend
intensive certification training over a 2-3 week program.
Over and over again parents of the children in the pro-
gram tell the catechists, “I wish I had been in a program
like this when I was a child.” One catechist said, “I can
only agree with them. I have learned so much about my faith, about the Liturgy, and about the Bible over the last
year. This knowledge was further enriched by the training I received this summer where, in addition to learning
about the material we were presenting to the children, we learned and discussed the theology behind it. The
amount and depth of the training the catechists receive from trainers who are affiliated with the National As-
sociation of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is one of the core strengths of this program. I am so grateful I was
given the opportunity to go to the training and I’m very eager to share what I’ve learned with the children!”
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
the youngest cc@s members
Engaging Students to Enliven the Ecclesial Mis-
sion (ESTEEM) began two years ago as a nationwide
pilot program of students from six universities
(
Stanford, Yale, Ohio State, Michigan State, UCLA
and Sacred Heart) Stanford students partnered with
CC@S mentors in leadership training and faith
formation. The goal of ESTEEM is to help students
transition from campus ministry to becoming lead-
ers in their future parish and diocesan life. Eight
Stanford students participated in the initial year. As
a result of the extraordinary experiences of those
eight students, 26 students joined ESTEEM last year,
culminating in a conference hosted by the National
Leadership Roundtable on Church Management
and St. Thomas More, The Catholic Chapel and
Center at Yale University.
CATH 101
On Mondays, 20-50
graduate students and
young adults meet for
Catholicism 101, a forum
that fosters community
and open discussion of
relevant issues impacting
Catholics. After dinner,
the group is led in a topic
by one of the graduate
students or young adults
followed by group discus-
sion. By popular demand,
this group convenes year
round.
