Guild of the Good Shepherd

May 2008	A Level II Material Making Day was held at the Church of our Redeemer in Lexington, MA. This allowed those opening a new Level 2 atrium and those parishes with established atria the chance to make materials together. The focus of the workshop was the making of "The Blue Strip', which helps children (and adults) ponder Salvation History, and 'The Bible Cabinet', which - as one would expect - learn about the Bible..
April 2008	The Guild held an introductory workshop entitled, What is the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd? Come and See, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Natick, MA. It allowed the 40 or so participants a chance to hear and see what the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) program is all about. Another one of these introductory events will be held again the the near future.
October 2007	A Figure Making Workshop was held early in the month. It was hosted by Level II Catechist Kate Cabot at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Newburyport, MA In this workshop, participants could focus on making the following, using these suggestions: ANGELS: Make sure to order one 2 oz white block for the body of each angel you intend to make. One 2 oz metallic gold block should make 3 sets of angels wings, if you prefer your angels to have wings CENACLE FIGURES: If you are doing your 13 figures all alike, I suggest choosing a neutral robe color (perhaps Sahara, which is tan or dolphin gray, neutral Gary) and contrasting skin tone (cognac or chocolate) with black hair. You could also put them all in white, though they might be hard to keep clean. Since I love color, mine are in a different color for each figure making for a rainbow-colored set! DONKEY: If you are making your Flight Into Egypt figures, you will need to find a walking donkey before you make your figures so you can scale the figures to fit. You cannot make a donkey out of Fimo which will survive use in the atrium. I suggest looking for the walking donkey made by Safari Farm in plastic, which can be purchased in a number of educational toy stores or online (They carry it at Our Father’s House among other sites). You will need to bring your donkey with you if you will be making your Flight Into Egypt figures. MAGI: If you are making Magi figures, you might want to select three different 2 oz metallic colors for their sparkling robes and one 2 oz. block of metallic gold for their gifts MANGER: If you want to make your manger out of Fimo Soft, you might want to try a color called granite for a stone look. Or find a small box-- I use the bottom of a matchbox for mine. To insure a proper fit, it is important to have a manger before you make your infant Jesus, though, so plan ahead. MARY:In the tradition of western art, Mary is most often presented in blue robes. If you want to honor that tradition, my suggestion for Mary’s clothing is brilliant blue. SHEPHERDS: Shepherds can be made with sheep attached to their bodies as if standing next to them. These hold up much better than sheep which have to stand on their own legs. All that is needed for this is about 1 oz white. The doves that Joseph brings with him to the Presentation At The Temple can be made with the same method and they don’t ever get lost!
April 2006	A Guild of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Retreat was led by the Rt. Rev. M. Thomas Shaw at the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center, Greenfield, NH. Catechists of all levels were invited to explore the mysteries of the Miracles (of Christ) and those of the Christian Virtues. (These are relatively new works for the Level III atrium.) There were over 20 individuals who attended the retreat from throughout the area.
Summer 2005	A Materials Making Day was held on two Saturdays during the summer months at St. John's Episcopal Church in Saugus MA. This year the most popular material was the making of the City of Jerusalem. Several Israel Puzzle maps were also made. St. John's was a great host by providing a delicious homemade lunch!
May 2005	The Guild cosponsored a seminar entitled "Offering the Gospel to Children". It featured children's missioner and educator, Gretchen Wolff Pritchard, and was held at Christ Church, South Hamilton, MA.
October 2004	A workshop entitled, "The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd in Urban Parishes", was held at Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston in the beginning of the month. It explored the joys and challenges of offering this internationally acclaimed Montesorri-based approach to the spiritual formation of children and the adults who work with them for - as the workshop's title would suggest -urban churches.
September 2004	A brief information session and meditation on the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program was part of the Merrimack Valley Deanery Workshop Parish Action meeting at All Saints' Church, Chelmsford. A Level II formation class started at Trinity Church in Topsfield, MA.
June 2004	The Guild for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) held a workshop that focused on the making of a topical relief map of Jerusalem.
January 2004	The Guild hosted a workshop on setting up and operating the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program. It was an opportunity for parishes that have contemplated setting up church school atriums in the past, but have, for whatever reason, not done so. The workshop was also focused on issues for churches that have recently begun atriums, but may be struggling with presentations and associated materials.
July 2003	The Guild held its first summer camp for Catechists! All right, so it was a materials workshop. Anyway, Catechists were able to get together and make needed materials at Church of Our Redeemer in Lexington during the first week in July. There was wood, paints, sculpey, paper and the like to make Level I and Level II materials
March 2003	A workshop, "Bringing Adults into the Shepherd's Fold". was held from 2-4 PM at the Church of Our Redeemer (6 Maria St., Lexington, MA). The workshop focused on parents and how they could grow and sustain Atrium communities.
Nov. 2002	A workshop, "Singing with Children in the Atrium" was held at Grace Episcopal in Newton. The workshop covered songs from the recently released songbook, 'Sing with Joy'. The workshop was led by two individuals from All Saints Episcopal Church in West Newbury. Both are experienced in leading children in singing, with joy and musicality.
April 2002	There was a materials workshop at the Church of our Redeemer, Lexington. The focus of the workshop was for Level I and Level II materials. For Level I, there were materials to make the Good Shepherd as well as the Relief Map. For Level II, the ribbon for the Fettuccia was assembled. There was also the opportunity to create the Blue Strip.