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We are now accepting registrations for Fall 2010. Download the registration form to the right.
Fall Classes will be starting September 21, 2010
We are proud to announce that Holy Trinity will be another parish in our Archdiocese offering the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program beginning in October. The program is for children 3 to 6 years old to learn about their faith and have an opportunity to encounter Christ. Atrium is the word we use for the room where children experience the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. We use "atrium" rather than "Classroom" because the catechesis is an extension of Christian Life, which focuses on the child's relationship with God. The atrium can be compared to a retreat house facilitating recollection and silence; not a classroom for instruction. The atrium is a place of work, which becomes a conversation with God and finally, the atrium is the word used in the early church for the room at the entrance of the church building where new catechumens were prepared. So for the child the atrium is a place of preparation for involvement in the larger worshipping community.
In the atrium, materials on the life of Christ and His teaching help make the mystery of God concrete for the child. The geography materials establish Jesus as a real person in time and space and Israel the land through which God realized salvation for all. Infancy narratives announce the Incarnation with the words of scripture, moving from the Annunciation, to the Birth of Christ, to the visit of the Magi. The model for Jerusalem and of the empty tomb are the starting point for the Paschal narratives which the child lives in a special way of celebrating the Liturgy of the Light. Selected parables serve as keys to unlock the mystery of the kingdom of God and to nurture the child's natural sense of wonder. How beautiful and precious is the kingdom of God! How small it begins! How slowly it grows! How magnificent it becomes!
Through the arranging of the chalice, paten, altar cloth, candles and crucifix, the child becomes familiar with the articles of the Mass. The child lives his relationship with God in a particular way in the liturgy. The 3-6 year old enters the mystery of the Mass through the most important gestures including the preparation of the chalice, the epiclesis and the offering. From these gestures the Mass emerges as a Sacrament of the Gift. The child becomes acquainted with the historical character of the liturgy through the events of the Last Supper, Christ's death, and His resurrection.
The liturgical colors help the children recognize the different seasons in the Church. A prayer corner reflects the liturgical cycle with appropriate colors, prayers, songs, and readings to enhance the rituals and celebrations of the seasons. The children are reminded that the voice is God is "a still, small voice" (I Kings 19:12)
In the atrium we use the Montessori method. The children are directed to keep the materials in order and assume responsibilities for the room. They are encouraged to work at their own pace and are free to choose their own activities. The children learn to move about the atrium in a quiet manner and use quiet voices, being respectful of others. We begin and end at the prayer table with a song and prayer.
One session of this program will be offered for our kindergarten class at Holy Trinity School. An additional session will be offered for pre-school age children. For those children who are enrolled in the Holy Trinity pre-school program, this class will be free this year. However, I will have a list of items that I will ask you to sign up to donate so that we can keep the costs of running this program down. For all other children the cost is $80.00 per child.
If you have any questions, or you would like to become involved as a volunteer, or to sign up your children or grandchildren, please contact Teri Jackson (651)777-4096 or sejtkj@msn.com.
The classes will be held on Tuesday afternoons from 12:50-2:20 PM.
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