Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Spreading in the Diocese
August 22, 2025
The Good News – and the Good Shepherd – are on the move around the Diocese through Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
CGS is a form of catechesis based upon the principles of Maria Montessori, using interactive, tactile materials to help children cultivate a relationship with God. The method has levels for children ages 3-12 plus a level for toddlers.
“CGS is the meeting of two mysteries: the mystery of God and the mystery of the child,” said Mary Heinrich, Membership Coordinator of the United States Association of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGSUSA).
The materials, referred to as works, are set up in a prepared environment called an atrium. The atrium is designed as a retreat house instead of a classroom, says Heinrich.
In the atrium, children hear the Word of God proclaimed and watch catechists introduce different works. The works, whether they are a chalice or a map of Israel, connect to Scripture and liturgy. Children individually work with these materials, pondering and connecting with God in their own unique way.
Watching children ponder truth through these works has been rewarding for the volunteers and parents of CGS.
Jessica Gerhart of St. Pius X Parish in Urbandale is a CGS parent and volunteer since 2018. She loves watching children come to understand God’s love for them.
One memory includes watching the children interacting with the work of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. The wooden shepherd has a flock of wooden sheep. Throughout the year in the atrium, children come to realize that Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and they are the sheep he cares for.
“Eventually… the revelation that they are the Good Shepherd’s sheep comes to them,” Gerhart said. “They hear the Good Shepherd call them by name.”
Heinrich, as a catechist and as a parent, has seen the impact of the atrium. When she and her daughter first visited an atrium, Heinrich’s daughter was so delighted by the space and the materials that she didn’t want to leave. Seeing that, Heinrich knew there were graces in the method.
The impact from the atrium stayed with Heinrich’s daughter, who as an adult is a trained catechist and coordinates CGS at her parish in Ames.
The witness to CGS has fueled its growth in the Diocese since coming in 2001. Heinrich was in the first CGS formation class in Iowa, with only 13 enrolled across the state.
Now, there are over 600 members of CGSUSA in Iowa and five formation leaders in the state offer multiple formation classes.
Heinrich encourages those interested in CGS to visit a local atrium and witness firsthand the place their child could encounter the Lord.
“[A child’s] greatest joy is coming to know the Good Shepherd and fall in love with him,” said Heinrich. CGS could be the place where a child can do that.
Heinrich will be hosting a Level I CGS formation course starting on Oct. 4 at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Indianola. For more information, contact Michelle Helm at mhelm@stthomasindianola.com.