The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) is a religious formation approach based on scripture and liturgy that uses the educational and pedagogical principles of Dr. Maria Montessori. The CGS roots are in the Roman Catholic tradition and have been adapted for the Episcopal Church. Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is framed to where children are encouraged to ask the questions and to discover the answers through work with specially crafted presentations and materials. The content corresponds to the liturgical seasons and the life of the church.
Traditionally, children begin the CGS at or around age three in Level I where they stay through kindergarten. Level II is for children in grades 1-3.
“Deep formation is that getting down into the soul and that’s what you are talking about… guiding a soul to a place of depth, of deep wisdom, of deep trust. That’s where God gets discovered.”
— Presiding Bishop Michael Curry