Catechesis of the Good Shepherd bears fruit at St. Angela Merici

Pictured above: Laurie Songy, St. Angela Merici’s Catechesis of the Good Shepherd instructor, demonstrates for kindergartners how the priest prepares the chalice at Mass. (Photo by Beth Donze)

By Beth Donze
Clarion Herald

St. Angela Merici’s pre-schoolers have been known to wake up on a Saturday morning to make their own altars out of cardboard boxes and Legos, form chalices out of clay and place dolls in the “pews” to play Mass.

Recently, one 4-year-old student asked Father Beau Charbonnet, St. Angela’s pastor, for a close-up look at the church’s real tabernacle, having handled a replica of one in religion class and learned of its precious contents.

“Parents will tell me, ‘My 4-year-old will be at Mass explaining the liturgical colors to me, explaining why the priest is wearing a purple chasuble. They’ll say, ‘Wow! My child is teaching me!‘” said St. Angela teacher Laurie Songy of the fruits of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a hands-on approach to religious instruction developed by a protégée of Maria Montessori that immerses children in Catholic Scripture and the beauty of the Mass.

Materials used by the students include handmade figurines with which they can dramatize “infancy narratives,” such as the Annunciation, the Visitation and the Nativity; a model of Jesus’ empty tomb; and a circular, color-coded puzzle that tracks the liturgical year.

The children also learn how, when and why the priest does what he does during Mass. For example, Songy recently demonstrated to kindergartners how the priest adds a little water to the chalice of wine during the Preparation of Gifts. Songy told them that this ritual should remind Catholics of how humanity (symbolized by water) is inseparable from God (wine). The lesson ended with a song – “Great Things Happen When God Mixes With Us” – and a challenge to each youngster to draw a picture depicting what this awesome “mingling with God” means to him or her.

“We’re just planting the seeds, and it just takes off from there,” Songy said. “To watch them grow closer to Jesus and long for him is so humbling! It’s truly amazing when you see how much they’re soaking in!”  

The program’s main classroom, located inside St. Angela’s former baptistry, is called “The Atrium.” The Atrium mirrors the real church that adjoins it, thanks to pint-size replicas of a high altar, main altar, ambo and tabernacle built by Father Daniel Darmanin, St. Angela’s former parochial vicar and an expert woodworker.

“Father Dan spent over a year building (them), and it’s just out of this world the love, detail and passion he put into them!”Songy said.

The priest also made a hinged cabinet that opens up like a book to reveal 73 separate wooden books inside – a reminder that the Bible is not one book, but many. The Atrium’s “sacristy” holds replicas of sacred vessels, a crucifix and battery-operated candles.

”All of our little ones know how to set up the altar,” Songy said.

A small mirror at the Atrium’s entrance is labeled with numbered steps that remind children how to correctly make the Sign of the Cross.

“We have an area where they can get materials to make prayer cards and arrange flowers as an offering to Jesus,” Songy said. ”They start with pouring solids, then we’ll move on to liquids, as they become more familiar with the vessels.”

Songy, one of 10 St. Angela teachers who have completed the 90-hour certification process for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, launched the program at the Metairie school in 2016 at the request of principal Paige Bennett, who had seen its benefits during her previous tenure at St. Margaret Mary School in Slidell. St. Angela students in grades pre-K through 3 are the main recipients, although older students also occasionally use its kid-friendly materials.

“I once asked a third grader why he liked (Catechesis of the Good Shepherd), and he told me, ‘In religion class we learn about our faith in God out of our religion textbook, but when we walk in (the Atrium), we connect with the face of God,’” Bennett said. “What we want for every child at our school is an encounter with Christ, and (Catechesis of the Good Shepherd) helps facilitate that better than anything I’ve ever seen!”

Songy said the hands-on learning has led one student to be baptized Catholic and many others to ask their parents to take them to Mass.

“They are the future of our church, right?” she said.

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