Speechless in wonder
The following article is reprinted from the Advent-Christmas-Epiphany 2017 edition of our quarterly publication, Seasons of the Spirit. It is a conversation between Michael Sweeney, then director of family ministries, and Sarah Moyar-Thacker, our lead catechist.
You know what a treasure St. Stephen’s gothic church is—its soaring stone walls, its stained glass windows, its beautiful baptismal font. But do you know about St. Stephen’s better-hidden treasure? Upstairs in the parish house are five wonderfully-appointed atria—sacred spaces where children and adults gather on Sunday mornings for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Even those of us who know and love these spaces don’t always realize what a gift they are. We get used to them. Each summer, dozens of people travel to St. Stephen’s from all over the state for our week-long catechist training course, and every year the reaction of our visitors reminds me how special the atria are. It’s like seeing Peter, John, and James on the mount of the transfiguration. So if you’ve never visited the atria, I encourage you to do so. Now is a good time. Come during Advent to hear the familiar prophecies retold, and experience them afresh through a child’s wonder. Hopefully this brief conversation with our lead catechist, Sarah Moyar-Thacker, will whet your appetite.
Sarah: In the atrium during Advent we listen to the prophecies that are connected to this time of waiting and expectation in our church year. A candle is lit and the children listen as a catechist reads from Isaiah, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” (Isaiah 9:2a) We invite the children to wonder about these words. What could they mean? What is the prophet telling us? How can these words that were spoken so many years ago speak to us now?
Michael: Those are great questions. Questions that might rightly leave a person—child or adult—speechless in wonder. One of the things I love about Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is the philosophy (from its Montessori roots) that “silence is a valid response.” There’s no anxiety on the part of the catechist to get an answer, to have his or her work validated by the child’s response; she knows that the fruit always belongs to God, and that much of it is not visible. Meanwhile, the anxious teacher asks more and more questions, leaving less and less silence in between, and resorts finally to either answering the questions himself or forcing a student to speak. As a teacher, I have felt this anxiety. Had I been at the manger, would I have interrupted Mary’s pondering, her treasuring of the shepherd’s words, to ask if maybe THIS is what Isaiah was talking about in chapter 9, verse 2?
Sarah: In the atrium, the materials are one way we avoid this temptation to ask too many questions or give too many answers. The materials are physical objects that allow the children to continue to think about what they have heard, to let their hands “work” with it, while heart, mind, and soul do their work of pondering and treasuring. In Advent, for example, we have a small wooden figure with head tilted up and arms open to the world. This statue represents the prophet. It does not have any colors or features. It is just a simple visual representation of a stance or gesture. It could be seen as open listening or proclamation, depending on your interpretation.
Michael: I love this. First, it makes sense that Catechesis of the Good Shepherd materials are simple, not overly detailed. This is another way of not saying too much, isn’t it? Like the catechist, the materials are restrained, that Christ might speak through them. Second, I love that the prophet figure’s posture is ambiguous. It reminds me that open listening and proclamation are inseparable—all right speech arises out of listening, whether to the Holy Spirit or another human being. This is what the incarnation is all about: we begin with open listening (Advent), we hear something that transforms us (Christmas), and we proclaim the good news we have heard (Epiphany).
Sarah: What you’ve just described is very similar to what we tell the children about prophets. Catechists say that a prophet is “someone who listens to God with their whole heart and tells others what they hear.” How beautiful is this idea? To listen to God with one’s whole heart. Often when the children are remembering this definition they will raise their hands to the sky or place a hand over their heart. We wonder about the words of these prophets who loved God so much that they listened with their whole heart and then went even further and shared with others what they heard—shared the words that we are still listening to today, words that help us ponder the great mystery of the incarnation.
Training for catechists (and potential catechists)
The approach of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is so different from traditional Sunday school that special training is offered for those who would like to serve in this ministry. At St. Stephen’s Church, we offer training every summer for catechists from this parish and other churches, of any denomination, led by Anna Hurdle, one of the foremost Catechesis trainers in the country. This training is worthwhile even if you are not certain that you want to serve as a catechist.
Information about upcoming training: Level One // Level Two
About Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (kat-eh-KEE-siss) // Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a unique approach to the spiritual nurture of young children. Based on the work of Sofia Cavalleti and Maria Montessori, this offering recognizes that children are already in touch with God in their deepest being.
Catechist (KAT-eh-kist) // A guide; not a “teacher” in the traditional sense, but an adult who wonders with the child
Atrium // The specially-prepared sacred space in which Catechesis of the Good Shepherd takes place
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