The Good Shepherd and the Child CGSUSA

“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1  
Sr Mary Michael come on the podcast today to share about her new book Following God’s Pedagogy and how it shows that the work of The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd offers an approach to children's catechesis that forms the mind and the heart which is exactly what is being asked of catechesis in the newest 2020 Directory of Catechesis.  
Sr. Mary Michael Fox, OP, has been a member of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia (Nashville) for over 30 years. During that time, she has been blessed to teach all ages from 3 to 93. She received a Masters of Arts degree in Education from Northwestern State University and a Masters of Arts degree in Theology with a Specialization in Catechetics from Franciscan University. Sister Mary Michael conducted research in the field of catechetics at the Maryvale Institute of Birmingham, England and holds a PhD through Liverpool-Hope University in Liverpool, England. She has published articles in the Sower, The Catechetical Review, and Catechist Magazine. Sister Mary Michael serves as a catechetical consultant and is a popular speaker at evangelization and catechetical conferences. 
Purchase Following God’s Pedagogy at our CGS Store. Your purchase has a purpose! 
AUDIO VERSION of The Religious Potential of the Child by Sofia Cavalletti, read by Rebekah Rojcewicz.  CGSUSA has created a Premium Podcast Channel for this audiobook through Podbean.  The cost is $29.00 and does include the audio version of all chapters of The Religious Potential of the Child, 3rd Edition all read by Rebekah Rojcewicz.  We have provided both video overview instructions and written instructions on accessing this audiobook.  Please use these resources. Unlike the regular podcast, which will remain free and available on many podcast players/apps, this new resource is available only on the Podbean App, which you may download from the IOS App store or the Google Play App store. Learn more here!  Step by step instructions here! 
  
Learn more about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd at www.cgsusa.org 
  
Follow us on Social Media- 
Facebook at “The United States Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd” 
Instagram-  cgsusa 
Twitter- @cgsusa 
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“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20 
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Fr Boniface Hicks speaks about the power and gift of accompaniment and how it parallels to the work of The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.  
Fr. Boniface Hicks, O.S.B. became a Benedictine monk of Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania in 1998. Since his ordination to the priesthood in 2004 he has provided spiritual direction for many men and women, including married couples, seminarians, consecrated religious and priests, even as he completed his Ph.D. in computer science at Penn State University.  He became the programming manager and an on-air contributor for We Are One Body® Catholic radio in 2010 and has recorded thousands of radio programs on theology and the spiritual life. He has extensive experience as a retreat master for laity, consecrated religious and priests.  He became the Director for Spiritual Formation for Saint Vincent Seminary in 2016 and Director of the Institute for Ministry Formation at Saint Vincent Seminary in 2019 and has offered many courses on spiritual direction and the spiritual life. Through the Institute for Ministry Formation he is actively supporting and promoting Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. He is scheduled to graduate from the STL program at Sacred Heart Major Seminary on the New Evangelization in April 2023. He is author of Through the Heart of St. Joseph and together with Fr. Thomas Acklin, OSB he is author of the books Spiritual Direction: A Guide for Sharing the Father’s Love and Personal Prayer: A Guide for Receiving the Father’s Love, all published by Emmaus Road Publishing. 
 
If you are interested in learning more and attending the Virtual Triduum retreat from Saint Vincent Seminary go to their website. This year they will be pondering the mysteries of the Triduum through Lectio recorded by different CGS catechists from around the country. For more information go HERE.  
 CGS Connection (weekly blog posts): https://imf.saintvincentseminary.edu/category/cgs-connection/ Information on the IMF’s current work with CGS: https://imf.saintvincentseminary.edu/parish/accompanying-children/  Father Boniface Hicks’ website: http://fatherboniface.org 
Past Episodes- 
Episode 37- CGS and Spiritual Direction with Autumn Domingue 
A list of episodes we suggest for CGS Parents
 
AUDIO VERSION of The Religious Potential of the Child by Sofia Cavalletti, read by Rebekah Rojcewicz.  CGSUSA has created a Premium Podcast Channel for this audiobook through Podbean.  The cost is $29.00 and does include the audio version of all chapters of The Religious Potential of the Child, 3rd Edition all read by Rebekah Rojcewicz.  We have provided both video overview instructions and written instructions on accessing this audiobook.  Please use these resources. Unlike the regular podcast, which will remain free and available on many podcast players/apps, this new resource is available only on the Podbean App, which you may download from the IOS App store or the Google Play App store. Learn more here!  Step by step instructions here! 
  
Learn more about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd at www.cgsusa.org 
  
Follow us on Social Media- 
Facebook at “The United States Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd” 
Instagram-  cgsusa 
Twitter- @cgsusa 
Pinterest- Natl Assoc of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd USA 
YouTube- oneofhisheep 
 

“You fixed all the limits of the earth; summer and winter you made.” Psalm 74:17 
Submit a Podcast Listener Question HERE! 
Today’s episode is part 2 of my conversation with Gertrud Mueller Nelson, who speaks about how can live into the season of Easter in your homes, your domestic churches.  Many of her ideas can be found in her book To Dance with God.  
Born in Germany in a German family and raised in Minnesota, Gertrud is an artist and writer whose work springs up here and there in clip art and essays. She also designs silver jewelry, makes stained glass windows, paper and wood sculptures and teaches, giving workshops and lectures internationally. The Jungian understanding and interpretation of Fairy Tales is another of her passions and a subject of one of her books: Here All Dwell Free.  
She helped build up the first Montessori school in the US and saw the beginnings of The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd coming to us in 1959. She is Montessori trained and studied at the Jung Institute in Zurich, and is known for her multiple books, especially "To Dance with God." She cares passionately about the importance of living the liturgical cycle of the year with its richness of ceremony and ritual which bonds families in the mysteries of our faith and builds community in parish life. 
 
BOOKS TO READ-  
To Dance With God by Gertrud Mueller Nelson 
 
 Good Shepherd and the Child: A Joyful Journey 
  
Life in the Vine: The Joyful Journey Continues 
 
PODCAST EPISODES-  
Episode 33 – Moral Formation with Rebekah Rojcewicz  
 
Episode 15 – Chapter 1: God and the Child Together– The Good Shepherd and the Child: A Joyful Journey with Marty O’Bryan 
 
Episode 16 – Chapter 2: Helping the Child with Maggie Radzik 
 
Episode 17 – Chapter 3: Practical Suggestions with Lynne Worthington 
 
Episode 18 – Chapter 4: Sources of Nourishment with Claudia Margarita Schmitt 
 
Episode 20 – Living the Domestic Church with Jaclyn Ruli 
 
AUDIO VERSION of The Religious Potential of the Child by Sofia Cavalletti, read by Rebekah Rojcewicz.  CGSUSA has created a Premium Podcast Channel for this audiobook through Podbean.  The cost is $29.00 and does include the audio version of all chapters of The Religious Potential of the Child, 3rd Edition all read by Rebekah Rojcewicz.  We have provided both video overview instructions and written instructions on accessing this audiobook.  Please use these resources. Unlike the regular podcast, which will remain free and available on many podcast players/apps, this new resource is available only on the Podbean App, which you may download from the IOS App store or the Google Play App store. Learn more here!  Step by step instructions here! 
  
Learn more about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd at www.cgsusa.org 
  
Follow us on Social Media- 
Facebook at “The United States Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd” 
Instagram-  cgsusa 
Twitter- @cgsusa 
Pinterest- Natl Assoc of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd USA 
YouTube- oneofhisheep 

“You fixed all the limits of the earth; summer and winter you made.” Psalm 74:17 
Submit a Podcast Listener Question HERE! 
Gertrud Mueller Nelson joins us on the podcast to lift up many possibilities for families on how to live into the season of Lent in your homes, your domestic churches. Many of her ideas can be found in her book To Dance with God.  
Born in Germany in a German family and raised in Minnesota, Gertrud is an artist and writer whose work springs up here and there in clip art and essays. She also designs silver jewelry, makes stained glass windows, paper and wood sculptures and teaches, giving workshops and lectures internationally. The Jungian understanding and interpretation of Fairy Tales is another of her passions and a subject of one of her books: Here All Dwell Free.  
She helped build up the first Montessori school in the US and saw the beginnings of The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd coming to us in 1959. She is Montessori trained and studied at the Jung Institute in Zurich, and is known for her multiple books, especially "To Dance with God." She cares passionately about the importance of living the liturgical cycle of the year with its richness of ceremony and ritual which bonds families in the mysteries of our faith and builds community in parish life. 
 
BOOKS TO READ-  
To Dance With God by Gertrud Mueller Nelson 
 
 Good Shepherd and the Child: A Joyful Journey 
  
Life in the Vine: The Joyful Journey Continues 
 
PODCAST EPISODES-  
Episode 33 – Moral Formation with Rebekah Rojcewicz  
 
Episode 15 – Chapter 1: God and the Child Together– The Good Shepherd and the Child: A Joyful Journey with Marty O’Bryan 
 
Episode 16 – Chapter 2: Helping the Child with Maggie Radzik 
 
Episode 17 – Chapter 3: Practical Suggestions with Lynne Worthington 
 
Episode 18 – Chapter 4: Sources of Nourishment with Claudia Margarita Schmitt 
 
Episode 20 – Living the Domestic Church with Jaclyn Ruli 
 
AUDIO VERSION of The Religious Potential of the Child by Sofia Cavalletti, read by Rebekah Rojcewicz.  CGSUSA has created a Premium Podcast Channel for this audiobook through Podbean.  The cost is $29.00 and does include the audio version of all chapters of The Religious Potential of the Child, 3rd Edition all read by Rebekah Rojcewicz.  We have provided both video overview instructions and written instructions on accessing this audiobook.  Please use these resources. Unlike the regular podcast, which will remain free and available on many podcast players/apps, this new resource is available only on the Podbean App, which you may download from the IOS App store or the Google Play App store. Learn more here!  Step by step instructions here! 
  
Learn more about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd at www.cgsusa.org 
  
Follow us on Social Media- 
Facebook at “The United States Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd” 
Instagram-  cgsusa 
Twitter- @cgsusa 
Pinterest- Natl Assoc of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd USA 
YouTube- oneofhisheep 
 

“While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.” Luke 15:20 
Submit a Podcast Listener Question HERE! 
Megan and Erin join the podcast to discuss merciful parenting, how to live out the mercy sacraments in our homes with ourselves and our families.  
Megan Wallenfang is a Secular Discalced Carmelite and a CGS Catechist and Formation Leader. She has worked in the field of music therapy and is a trained classical pianist, which first exposed her to the art of accompaniment. Her atrium experience has been diverse, having served in both rural and urban environments throughout Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Megan and her husband Donny live and serve with their six children in the Archdiocese of Detroit.  Together they host The Shoeless Podcast and are co-authors of Shoeless: Carmelite Spirituality in a Disquieted World. 
Erin Miller, MPA, OCDS is a fully professed Secular Discalced Carmelite and a Level I, II, and III CGS catechist. She has a BA in international studies and Spanish, and an MPA with a focus on nonprofit leadership. Erin currently serves as a Level I formation leader and as a catechist at Regina Coeli Catholic Church in Ohio. She has served on the CGSUSA Board of Trustees since 2020. Erin and her husband Matt have 6 children and a farm full of animal life. 
BOOKS TO READ-  
 Good Shepherd and the Child: A Joyful Journey 
  
Life in the Vine: The Joyful Journey Continues 
  
The Face of Mercy by Pope Francis 
PODCAST EPISODES-  
Episode 33 – Moral Formation with Rebekah Rojcewicz  
 
Episode 15 – Chapter 1: God and the Child Together– The Good Shepherd and the Child: A Joyful Journey with Marty O’Bryan 
 
Episode 16 – Chapter 2: Helping the Child with Maggie Radzik 
 
Episode 17 – Chapter 3: Practical Suggestions with Lynne Worthington 
 
Episode 18 – Chapter 4: Sources of Nourishment with Claudia Margarita Schmitt 
 
Episode 20 – Living the Domestic Church with Jaclyn Ruli 
   
AUDIO VERSION of The Religious Potential of the Child by Sofia Cavalletti, read by Rebekah Rojcewicz.  CGSUSA has created a Premium Podcast Channel for this audiobook through Podbean.  The cost is $29.00 and does include the audio version of all chapters of The Religious Potential of the Child, 3rd Edition all read by Rebekah Rojcewicz.  We have provided both video overview instructions and written instructions on accessing this audiobook.  Please use these resources. Unlike the regular podcast, which will remain free and available on many podcast players/apps, this new resource is available only on the Podbean App, which you may download from the IOS App store or the Google Play App store. Learn more here!  Step by step instructions here! 
  
Learn more about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd at www.cgsusa.org 
  
Follow us on Social Media- 
Facebook at “The United States Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd” 
Instagram-  cgsusa 
Twitter- @cgsusa 
Pinterest- Natl Assoc of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd USA 
YouTube- oneofhisheep 
 

“Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:4 
Submit a Podcast Listener Question HERE! 
  
Lynda Catalano returns to the podcast to help us understand what are the mysteries of God as well as the mysteries of the child and how they are compatible to each other. Also how we, the adults, can be better matchmakers for this relationship. 
Lynda Catalano has been a catechist at Trinity Church in Fillmore, California for 30 years. She works weekly in the atrium with groups of 3 to 6-year-olds, 6 to 9-year-olds, and 9 to 12-year-olds. She has led Levels I, II and III catechist formation throughout the United States and internationally including serving on national formation teams. Lynda is bi-lingual in Spanish and has also offered catechist formation in Spanish. She is a member of the Formation Leader Discernment Committee and served on teams for the Formation Leader Training Courses for the United States Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Lynda is retired from teaching kindergarten and first graders in a public school. She has four adult children and three beautiful grandchildren. 
 Good Shepherd and the Child: A Joyful Journey 
  
Life in the Vine: The Joyful Journey Continues 
  
Maria Montessori Speaks to Parents: A Selection of Articles 
 
Episode 15 – Chapter 1: God and the Child Together– The Good Shepherd and the Child: A Joyful Journey with Marty O’Bryan 
 
Episode 16 – Chapter 2: Helping the Child with Maggie Radzik 
 
Episode 17 – Chapter 3: Practical Suggestions with Lynne Worthington 
 
Episode 18 – Chapter 4: Sources of Nourishment with Claudia Margarita Schmitt 
 
Episode 20 – Living the Domestic Church with Jaclyn Ruli 
   
AUDIO VERSION of The Religious Potential of the Child by Sofia Cavalletti, read by Rebekah Rojcewicz.  CGSUSA has created a Premium Podcast Channel for this audiobook through Podbean.  The cost is $29.00 and does include the audio version of all chapters of The Religious Potential of the Child, 3rd Edition all read by Rebekah Rojcewicz.  We have provided both video overview instructions and written instructions on accessing this audiobook.  Please use these resources. Unlike the regular podcast, which will remain free and available on many podcast players/apps, this new resource is available only on the Podbean App, which you may download from the IOS App store or the Google Play App store. Learn more here!  Step by step instructions here! 
  
Learn more about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd at www.cgsusa.org 
  
Follow us on Social Media- 
Facebook at “The United States Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd” 
Instagram-  cgsusa 
Twitter- @cgsusa 
Pinterest- Natl Assoc of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd USA 
YouTube- oneofhisheep