KEYNOTE: Silvana Montanaro, MD
"John Leapt for Joy!--The Spirituality of Infants and Toddlers"

1.Children and the Language of Sacred Signs
Catherine Maresca
An exploration of children's ability to read sacred signs and the need to offer children a rich experience of these signs to develop a kind of "spiritual literacy" that can help them be nurtured by the signs of their own tradition and appreciate the signs of other traditions.

2. Sittin’ in the Lap of God: The Child at the Table of the Lord
Genelda Woggon
Through shared stories and informal discussion, focusing on the child 0-3, we will leap from the page of the Occasional Paper “Sittin’ in the Lap of God” to look at the unfolding history of the place of the child in the Eucharist - from the Early Church onward. This will include reflections regarding the Episcopal Church’s invitation in 1971 to welcome all baptized persons including the young child to the Table of the Lord as a full participant. Bring stories from your own parish and your own tradition  - of celebrations, concerns and challenges.  In an attitude of mutual support we will ponder on these experiences in light of new insights gained from Silvana Montanaro regarding the spiritual hunger and responses of the very young child.  

3. Spiritual Formation in the Third Plane of Development: Asking Important Questions
Cathy Johanni
Drawing inspiration from the example of Sofia and Gianna’s “experiment” which became CGS, we can ask questions which might lead us to insights in serving the 12-18-year-old child in his/her spiritual growth.  Questions explored will be Who is the adolescent, what truths and mysteries meet the child’s needs at this stage, and what method or pedagogy is appropriate to bring together the child and these mysteries?

4. The Mysteries of the Rosary for Children
Cy Speltz
The Mysteries of the Rosary for Children is a booklet written as to aid children in prayer.  Based on his experiences at St. Mary of the Lake Parish, Cy will present the book, as well as suggestions for using it as a meditation tool in the atrium.  There will be a packet of black/white work-sheets available for copying by participants who so choose.

1. Sacred Dance Workshop: “Kerygma”
Seraphima Sierra Butler
Dancer/Catechist Seraphima leads a workshop on her current work “Kerygma”, which speaks to the communal nature of listening to and sharing the Good News within the Catechesis and to the unfolding of beautiful relationships through that process. It has been choreographed with a variety of skill levels in mind, but a modest amount of dance experience would be helpful.

2. Still Waters: Beloved
Pam Mader
This Still Waters workshop offers creative and engaging ideas to bring a community together in prayer using a CGS approach. Using Still Waters and Catechesis materials, one can prepare an environment at an adult level in themed units. In this session, Beloved, we will explores images of our relationship with God. Bring a journal along and experience the joy of reflective community prayer.
Please consider a donation of $3 for materials used in the workshop.

3.“Appropriate” Art in the Atrium: Nurturing Reflective Art
Lynda Catalano
We will explore what to do when our goals for the child’s art and the child’s goals are in conflict.  Also, some suggestions for projects we can offer that relate to each level’s work.  We will discuss the development of the child can influence our expectations, and how we, as catechists, must continue to be humble servants to the child in this area.

4. Introducing the Adolescent--Moving from CGS to J2A
Wendie Roberts
We will be looking at the needs and gifts of the adolescent and discussing some simple tools and resources for working with adolescents, especially those who have been doing CGS.

1. Harmony: Singing in Parts
Beverly Sanders
You don’t have to be a strong singer to lead children in part singing! This participatory workshop conveys easy techniques to add harmony by part singing in the atrium.

2. The Power of Our Words: How to Speak So That Children Will Respond
Anna Hurdle
This presentation will examine adult language in the atrium.  We will compare the language of the catechist with that of the Montessori guide and contrast how our word choices changes to meet the developmental needs of the older child. Emphasis will be on positive language that nurtures  and inspires a love of work, grace & courtesy, and respect. 

3. The Behavioral Side of the Atrium
Patti Andrews
Behavioral issues in the atrium can be some of the greatest challenge for catechists and their helpers.  Our discussion will help build a toolbox of approaches to foster more desirable behaviors and resolve the less desirables ones.  We'll look at specific issues (please let us know if you have an issue you'd like addressed) and specific ways to address behaviors in the present moments of the atrium time -- especially the environment, the persons, and the activities offered. Some behaviors can be resolved quickly, almost magically, while others require a larger, longer view with progressive small steps to something better.   If you have particular concerns in this area that you'd like the forum to cover, please email us at cct@cctheo.org.

7:30

Creation, Sin, and Flood:  Typology Studies Materials Update for the Level III Atrium
Karen Maxwell and Donna Turner
Donna and Karen will present an update on the typology  materials as given by Sofia Cavalletti and Francesca Cocchini during the 2007 Consiglio meeting held in Rome. Using the example of one of the typology studies, they will demonstrate how the material has changed and discuss the rationale for such changes. Details will be provided for three of the five typology studies: Creation, Sin, and Flood. They will also share their experience presenting this material with children.  Typology Materials Update packets will be available for a small fee.  This session is designed for those who have already had a Level III formation course and knowledge of the work of the 9-12 year old child.  Karen Maxwell is one of the US representatives to the International Council (Consiglio) and Director of Formation for the National Association of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Donna Turner is on the formation team leading the National Level III Formation Course in Chicago and a member of the Formation Committee. Together they have been part of a team working on these materials update.

1. Exploring the Rosary
Laura Kintz
Laura Kintz explores the use of prayer beads and rosaries and their use in different faiths of the world, (Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Eastern Orthodox, Ba'Hai), as well as a brief background on the origins of the Catholic and Anglican rosaries.  The workshop will include a hands-on experience of praying the Anglican rosary by walking it on the floor laid out in tiles. This can be very effective for group prayer at retreats, or can be woven into a First Communion Retreat experience.

2. The Ecology of Natural Mothering
Donna Taylor
Based on her and her husband’s research in the United States and in Cameroon, Donna explores the importance of accommodating a mother and her infant in a society and allowing them to be together for the first three years.

3. Painting Our Prayer
Pam Moore
Just as children’s art reveals many hidden understandings, so too adults playing with art materials often exposes dimensions of our inner life with God we wouldn’t recognize otherwise. Using Scripture texts, liturgical prayers, and the names of those we love, we’ll ruminate on them with paint brush in hand. By pondering the words, images, and people in this free form way, we prepare ourselves to proclaim the Word given to us in a continually more thoughtful way. No art ability is necessary.

1. Professional Ministers Actually Do Get Paid! The Money Side of Ministry
Lisa Orchen, M. Div. and Donna Cote, CPA
This workshop is designed for those who serve as independent consultants in their ministry and describe themselves as partially or completely self-employed.  We will discuss setting fees/stipends for our services, keeping track of our income and expenses throughout the year and completeing our tax returns to reflect our self-employed income and expenses.  Bring your questions!  We will share what we know with one another and try to make sense out the business end of sharing our gifts through professional employment. If you have particular concerns in this area that you'd like Lisa and Donna to cover, please email us at cct@cctheo.org.

2. Book Covers for Tracing Packets
Jan Kelly
Come explore simple bookbinding for 5-8-year-old children who have completed a tracing packet or other work of several pages. Give the children a lovely finished work to create by adding this simple step. Also, sample tracing packet possibilities will be presented. If you have had success in your atria with tracing packets and have samples to bring along and share with the group, please do so!!  Please consider a donation of $5 for materials used in the workshop.

3. Nurturing Self-Control and Initiative for Work: Montessori Practices for the Elementary Atrium
Melinda Melone
Although the Catechesis is based on Montessori principles, most of our children are not attending Montessori schools.  How do we nurture the kind of independent work and self-control in the elementary atrium that we see in full-time Montessori environments?  Is this even a realistic goal? The workshop will present practical ways to prepare the elementary environment, and to structure work choices and time, in order to help the children move toward appropriate work and social interaction patterns.

4. Forum with the National Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
Bring your questions and concerns directly to the board of the National Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.

1. Building the Atrium: Thinking Long-term
Fr. Chris Aridas and Anne Lorenzen
Building an atrium and a community around your atrium is a slow work. Fr. Chris leads a large parish which had to work toward providing atrium space for 1000 children, training catechists for all three levels, and help parents see that faith formation can begin much earlier than First Communion. Beginning small, his parish began to integrate several elements of CGS into their current faith formation program while incorporating parent participation into the program so that parents can get a taste of  the CGS. Anne, at her small parish, had difficulty funding the training for more than one or two catechists, finding catechists able to invest the time for training, and maintaining attendance beyond three Sundays per month in her atrium. In spite of these problems, her parish was able to attract a significant percentage of their children into the Program and increase parent participation in the parish. This workshop will address their approaches, as well as the training of assistant and associate catechists to help move the entire parish toward a fully integrated CGS experience.

2. CGS in the Third World
Elizabeth Piper, Cy Speltz, and Myra Arnold
Based on their work in Jamaica, Uganda, and Haiti respectively, the presenters talk about their experiences training new catechists in these developing nations.  They will share picture, video, and materials created during these courses, along with a few stories about what it's like working with such beautiful people.  They will cover practical elements of starting a course abroad, such as fund raising and budgeting, as well as material making and approaching cultural differences.

3. Calligraphy and Illumination in the Level III Atrium
Karen Waters
A hands-on workshop incorporating the St. John’s bible as an example of calligraphy and illumination and how that work can be used in support of various Level III presentations.

4. Atrium Management Forum: Helping Children Engage in Work
Joanna Williams, Linda Allen, Anna Hurdle, Chris Hansen and Lynda Catalano
This discussion session will focus on “classroom” management and handling behavioral issues in the atrium.  Participants will bring hypothetical situations or experiences to a forum to discuss potential solutions with other participants and a panel of experienced catechist and trained Montessorians. If you have particular concerns in this area that you'd like the forum to cover, please email us at cct@cctheo.org.