St. Matthew's Offering Hands-on Program to Help Children Discover God's Love for Them

Have you ever stumbled across something really, really great and you want to climb to the mountaintop and shout it out to the entire diocese?

With the help of dedicated volunteers Debby Smethurst and Joanne McFarlane, St. Matthew’s has successfully run the Catechesis of Good Shepherd program for a number of seasons, most recently right before the COVID pandemic. 

The aim of the program co-developed by Sofia Carvelletti and Gianna Gobbi is to help children discover the Good Shepherd’s personal and unconditional love for each person through “an environment which is carefully prepared to foster the religious life of the child.” Materials and images “help the child to concentrate and reflect; thus, they nurture the child’s natural capacity for contemplation.” (Listening to God with Children, p. 9)

“It is a privilege to observe the moments when God speaks to the child and to see their individual responses to that,” says Smethurst 

At St. Matthew’s, this discovery is aided by a tangible set-up in the calming environment of the church's atrium.

“Observing a young and active child enter the atrium and start to move slowly, speak softly, and listen intently to the words read from the Bible; or to sit motionless in front of the of the prayer table, altar, or cenacle with the figures of Jesus and the disciples around the table at the Last Supper brings a sense of peace and awe and wonder and really speaks to me on the efficacy of the program,” says McFarlane.

In addition to providing a foundation for the youngest child, the program, which follows the life of Jesus and selected parables, gives the child something that grows with them. The curriculum corresponds to the liturgical year, and the trained catechists present the biblical accounts of Advent and Christmas, Lent, Easter and Pentecost. Presentations on "The Parable of the Good Shepherd";  Baptism; and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit bring the children the joy of knowing that God loves each one of them. Following each presentation, the children can choose to work with the two or three-dimensional figures and other objects, e.g. mustard seeds, that have aided in the presentation. This gives the child an opportunity to rekindle the wonder of each presentation. Practical life activities provide the children with opportunities to apply and reflect upon their learnings. 

Debby and Joanne are excited to offer Level 1 of the program, for children ages 3 to 5, at St. Matthew’s Anglican, St. Albert, starting on Tuesday, October 17, 2023. The program runs weekly from 9:30 to 11:00 am.

For more information, or to register, please email the parish: stmattscommunication@gmail.com, or check our website: stmatt.ca . Please note that registration closes September 8, 2023. Submitted by Angela, Bokenfohr, St. Matthew's, St. Albert