Reflections on the Celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd:

Seminal Moments on the Journey

Every once in a while I have the realization that all of the many journeys of life have been leading to this moment! There are the obvious moments, our wedding day, the birth of Gracie Day...

World Youth Day in Denver was one of those moments for me. I was 15 years old - I loved Jesus. I was Catholic, had been since birth; but, World Youth Day turned my world upside down. The world was full of us, people of faith, called Catholics. And they all loved Jesus just as much as I did. This was one of those moments, seminal in my life, all roads converging there. 

Celebration

Back at the beginning of October, I had another similar experience. My dear friend, Kathy Fech,  and I woke in the dead of night to catch a very early flight (5:15am) to venture to Phoenix, AZ, for the Celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Much like that first World Youth Day, I had no idea what to expect or how my life would be changed. 

This was an intensive gathering of joy, love, peace, wonder and awe. Over 600 friends from 24 different countries (not to mention the presence of bishops, priests and many seminarians.) Each one steeped in the work and message of the Good Shepherd. I was surrounded by the most dynamic, fun-loving, friends that I wasn't even aware that I had. 

There is no way that I can include all the ways that I was touched during these 5 formative days in the dessert in one blog post. My joke toward the end of the Celebration was that I needed three months of mystagogy.  So what I have here is a few points that I have been pondering since my time there. I am sure that as time passes, more gifts will unfold from the Celebration.

The New Adult

After a day and a half of sitting through keynotes and plenary sessions, I had a full brain and fanny fatigue. I needed a session where I got up, explored, and worked. Luckily, the elders who planned our time there anticipated this need. During one afternoon session, I went to a level II atrium and was immersed in the beautiful silence of the sacred space of the atrium. I was drawn to the parable of the Hidden Treasure.

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."

I had just presented it in the atrium the week before and wanted to sit with it.  I chose the tracing card. The words that came after drawing & coloring:

Look at the joy with which he buries the treasure. Is it in hope that some one else may have the joy of discovering the hidden treasure? By purchasing the field he is creating a safe place for others to make the discovery.

All of a sudden, this parable made sense to me -  in a new way. We as Catechists have purchased the field of faith. In it we have hidden the treasure. We bring the child to the field, inviting them to explore with hopes that they too will find the treasure. 

It was later in the week that The New Adult was explained more in depth. This is the transformation of the adult that comes about through pondering the Good News with children. I have witnessed this in all of the catechists that I met. We are called to take the time to ponder with our children.

Essentiality

Back in my training our formation leaders kept talking about this word. I didn't get it. I didn't even pay it enough attention to ponder it. During this time in the dessert essentiality hit me over the head like a ton of bricks - in a very gentle, loving way (as only the Good Shepherd would.)

I was first struck by this in the toddler atrium. Being immersed in the Montessori world for the last 10 years, I was not surprised at all by the notion of a Toddler Atrium. Gracie was in a toddler Montessori environment during that stage of life, this was something I was familiar with. I was not anticipating the way that it struck me. I was overcome by the simplicity of the space -  Practical life and a the essential Catechesis of the Good Shepherd works. It was beautiful, inviting, essential.

Then we had a talk about ecumenism. I am not going to lie. I wasn't super excited and even thought about skipping out on this talk. But remember, the work of the Catechesis involves The New Adult.

During the session a story was told.  During the Consiglio Meeting of 2007 Sofia had a tremendous explosion of great joy. She was overcome: "We have applied the rule of the hierarchy of truth in the Catechesis and now can see the fruit of the work" With the focus on liturgy and scripture - the essentials - God's plan for our World can be realized - God's plan of Communion. It was in the hearing of this story, somehow (I guess through the power of the Holy Spirit) Sofia's joy at this discovery was transferred to me - I could feel it.

What is essential to our understanding of the love and care of the Good Shepherd is that we ponder the mysteries present in scripture and liturgy.  With this as our focus how can we not grow deeper in communion with one another? Not only deeper in communion with our Catholic brothers and sisters; but, too with those in other Christian traditions.

The Mystery of Time

The Good Shepherd works in his time and his time is always what is right.  There was a time 10 years ago when all I wanted was to be trained in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. A formation leader wisely said to me, "This is not the time for you. Let the seed of the Good Shepherd grow in you. Be patient. He will present the right time." I thought she was crazy.  I wanted it right then. But she was right, the Good Shepherd knew when the right time was. 

This experience in the dessert has brought to light depth of mystery and a yearning to ponder. There is no doubt that I will continue to unpack all the gifts from this fruitful dessert experience.  In the meantime, I continue the work in the atria of St. Dennis in Lockport, IL, along with 12 other catechists that also call this their work.