One of my goals this year was to prepare Junior and the boys in our Down Syndrome co-op to receive their First Holy Communion. To help with that, we were blessed to find a catechist who was trained to teach Catechesis of the Good Shepherd classes. Maria, our catechist, had never worked with children with T21, but it quickly became evident to all of us that she had a loving heart for them. And the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd was so appropriate for the four boys in our co-op. The highly visual and hands on approach, the one-on-one presentations, the boys’ freedom to choose which materials to work with, and the (mostly) peaceful environment allowed the boys to ponder and learn about our faith. It was a beautiful thing to behold.

“The Atrium” is the term used to describe where Catechesis of the Good Shepherd takes place. Setting up the proper environment is one of the key aspects to this Montessori way of teaching the faith. Per Maria’s recommendations, we converted our sunroom into an atrium:

 

Each week, the boys received one-on-one instruction with Maria. For every lesson she brought beautiful hands-on materials for the boys to work with and ponder. Here are some of the materials she brought:

The Parable of the Good Shepherd

 

Topography map of the Holy Land and wooden map with removable pieces

 

Wooden figures for the Parable of the Good Samaritan

 

Mini Chausibles and Pasting Box

Parable of the Lost Coin set with figures

 

The Last Supper wooden figures and set

 

Wooden tabernacle

 

After each presentation, Maria allowed the boys to explore and ponder the materials for as long as they wanted. She was incredibly patient and observant. It was a pleasure to watch how wonderfully they responded to her.

 

While one boy was receiving a presentation, the other boys were free to choose practical life materials to work with. Working with these materials was so good for their fine motor skills and their executive functioning. Simple activities such as pouring water or scooping beans required slow, careful work — so good for children who tend to be impulsive. In addition, the boys were encouraged to work quietly so as not to distract the others, and they had to restore the materials (put them back in their original place) once they were done with them.

Here is the Montessori shelf where most of the practical life activities were held:

 

Here are some of the practical life activities they could choose:

Spooning beans

 

Painting with water on a chalkboard

 

Folding napkins

 

Pouring water

 

Transferring water

 

“Writing” with a string pen

 

Beading

 

Apple Pie sensory bin

 

Hanging laundry

 

Tracing simple pictures on a light board:

and a Nuts and Bolts tray:

 

 

As the year progressed, the boys could also choose activities related to presentations that Maria had given them. Here are some examples:

Pouring wine into a chalice

 

Cleaning and bandaging a doll (after the Good Samaritan)

 

The Our Father board:

 

and the all-time favorite: setting up the mini altar and “celebrating mass”.

 

We also added a few extra activities:

Sorting good and bad behavior cards (in preparation for examination of conscience)

 

Articles of the Mass Three part cards:

 

Mysteries of the Rosary matching cards:

 

and Magnetic Saints matching activity

 

After each presentation, we also offered adapted written work which reinforced the lesson taught in the presentation. These were activities Maria helped me adapt from the original Catechesis of the Good Shepherd booklets and copy work so as to make them more accessible for our boys. For example:

 

As you can see, there were plenty of activities to keep the boys busy when they were not receiving a presentation. The moms stayed in the atrium to help the boys as needed.

After each boy received a presentation, we would all sit together in a circle. Maria would give a brief recap of the day’s lesson and teach the boys a song, often incorporating sign language. Then she would call each boy’s name softly, encourage them to bless themselves with holy water, and say goodbye.

This past weekend, after much preparation and practice, the boys finally did receive their First Holy Communion. The next day, while running to the church playground, one of our boys abruptly stopped in front of a large crucifix. He stood there for a few moments, looking up at the crucifix. His mom came up to him and softly asked, “What are you doing?”

“Praying,” he answered.

There was a moment of silence, and then he said, “I love Jesus.”

Another pause, and then he softly said, “Jesus loves me.”

Simple and profound truths! Thanks to sacramental grace and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.