I volunteered as an observer at the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atrium at the Basillica of St. Mary this morning. I learned more than I did in all my years of CCD. The catechists have to go through a training program that teaches montessori methods and gives them the knowledge they need to make presentations to the kids about the altar, candles, Lent, Israel, Jerusalem, etc. The atrium lasts 1 1/2 hours and the kids are expected to walk slowly, work quietly and respect the space. The kids do an amazingly good job meeting these expectations, but by the end of the time, they are fairly bursting with energy.
I watched while a catechist gave a presentation about the layout of ancient Jerusalem to a group of 3-6 year olds. It was very effective because, Montessori style, the kids had in front of them a large model of the city to put together while the presenter talked to them. At the beginning, since this was the first sunday of Lent, the kids, with supervision from a catechist, changed the color of the cloth covering the altar from green (for ordinary time) to purple (to signify preparing for a feast). I sat in church for 36 years without being aware of this.
4:01:25 PM 
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