Online Registration: HERE

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Payment: HERE 

 

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Schedule (Long Weekend Format)
All sessions run from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (unless otherwise noted).

 

• Part 1:  January 15-18, 2027 and February 12-15, 2027

• Part 2: March 12-15, 2027 and April 23-26, 2027 ​​​

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Scholarships & Auditing
 

Scholarships:

• Scholarships may be available through the Tina Lillig Memorial Fund at the CGSUSA website. Participants must be a member of CGSUSA to request a scholarship. The maximum award is 1/3 of the total course tuition.

• Application Deadlines: April 30th (for June 30th disbursement) or October 30th (for December 30th disbursement).

Auditing:

• Auditing is available for catechists who already hold the CSGUSA Certificate for Level 1.

• Auditing Fee: $75 per participant, due at time of registration (non-refundable).

 

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​Formation Leader
Lynda Catalano
Lynda has been a dedicated catechist at Trinity Church in Fillmore, California for 35 years, working weekly in the atrium with various age groups (3-6, 6-9, and 9-12 yr olds). She is bilingual in Spanish and has led Levels I, II, and III catechist formations both throughout the United States and internationally, serving on national formation teams. Lynda is a member of the Formation Leader Discernment Team for the United States Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. She is retired from teaching kindergarten and 1st grade in public school and enjoys her family of four adult children and five grandchildren.

 

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Course Description & Objectives
Formation at Level I lays the foundation for all subsequent levels of CGS formation. Course content includes 90+ hours of workshop and album development supervision.
Objectives:
•    Explore the religious nature and vital religious needs of the 3-6 year old child.
•    Present the guiding principles of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
•    Meditate on the biblical and liturgical themes presented to the child.
•    Broaden the ability to observe children's spirituality and listen with children to scripture.
•    Offer guidance in preparing the atrium, making the catechists album, and materials.
 

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Vision for Children: The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd offers Christian formation for children ages 3 through 12, helping them form an authentic, faithful relationship with God. This method is grounded in scriptural and liturgical study framed by Montessori principles of education, allowing children to hear the gospel through rich sensorial materials and hands-on work.
Developed in Rome in 1954 by Sofia Cavalletti (Scripture scholar) and Gianna Gobbi (Montessori educator), this method seeks to discover which face of God most deeply strikes the child’s developmental needs. The adult prepares a sacred space called the atrium, a place of prayer, meditation, contemplation, and joy where children live a religious experience with catechists and respond to God's invitation to relationship through Jesus, the Good Shepherd.
 

 

Required Texts & Course Extras
Please purchase the following books prior to the beginning of the course:

• The Religious Potential of the Child by Sofia Cavalletti

• Nurturing the Whole Child by Gianna Gobbi

• The Good Shepherd & the Child: A Joyful Journey by Sofia Cavalletti, Patricia Coulter, Gianna Gobbi, Dr. Silvana

 

Material Making:  Material making opportunities will be available during the formation course sessions.

 

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Meals & Lodging
Continental Breakfast and Lunch will be provided during course sessions.
Lodging is available at nearby hotels, Airbnb options, and potentially through parishioners by special arrangement.

 

 

For more information contact:
Traci Yazembiak
chapel@saintmatthiasoakdale.com
(209)380-3484

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