Love Everybody: Prayers for Pentecost
We join the children in praying for God's kingdom of love.
Read MoreWANT TO DIVE DEEPER?
Academic Articles
CCTheo is dedicated to the Montessori practice of observation, pondering, research, and conversation with academic rigor. We support catechists with their academic research and support sharing their findings with the wider community.
Here you’ll find some academic articles written by researchers, our own theologians, and collaborators.
CCTheo In Context
Shorter articles that we often post. Here we put our thoughts on the atrium, current events, or whatever is speaking to us at this moment. If you want to stay up to date with CCTheo this is your place!
Building the Beloved
Atrium Community
BBAC is a series reflecting on the community with a focus racial justice. Along with the podcast, these reflections look to start conversations around diversity in the atrium.
Occasional Papers
In depth, well researched papers exploring every aspect of religion, children, and being a catechist. Authored by a diverse group of guests and staff alike.
Echoes
Our legacy publication with atrium reflections, thoughtful papers, and advice for catechists dating back to 1996. This is a treasure trove of decades of knowledge available for purchase in the shop.
Featured Articles
Typology Materials In the 9-12 Level of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Atria
Author: Catherine Maresca
Research Group: CARA 2018/19
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) for the 9-12 age range includes a series of studies from the Hebrew Bible that include a close reading of the text, followed by work with the types of the text that can be matched to types from the times of Redemption and Parousia. The last step of this study lays the types out in some way so the children can see the connections between these three periods of sacred history…
PRenatal and PeriNatal Foundations of Moral Development
Author: Millicent Adams Dosh, MA
Presented At: Center for Applied
Ethics Conference 1999
An individual person’s moral development and behavior begin with, and are influenced by, prenatal and perinatal experiences. Any design or model for moral education must acknowledge the formative influence of these prenatal and perinatal experiences on later moral development…
Living the Light: Gospel Nonviolence in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
Author: Peg Burns
The world is so filled with violence. Is this because Jesus’ Way goes against the capabilities of our very bodies? Must we resign ourselves to passing moments of living Jesus’ Peace? Is the violence we see all around us inevitable despite our very best efforts? Is our neurobiology a built-in nemesis? Our final article will address the topic of neurobiology and peace…
CCTheo in Context
Prayers of Lament in the Life of the Atrium
How do children respond to the invitation to pray with lament? How are these prayers a gift to them? For those of us who accompany...
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For The Baby
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light” (Isaiah 9:1)
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Homebound Children Support
Some CCTheo collaborators are researching how the wider Montessori community works with home-bound children. While they are pondering through their research and conversations, we wanted...
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Who is God?
Introducing “Shared Faith,” a collection of resources for parents and caregivers to support children’s spirituality. Over the coming months, the Center for Children and Theology’s...
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A Conversation on the Road
After 20 years, the seed that was planted in a car ride has grown into something bigger than Catherine Maresca and Susan Piecik could have...
Read MoreBuilding the Beloved Atrium
The Found Sheep
by Georganne McAdams The day I offered the Found Sheep presentation, just one newly minted 3-year-old parish member was able to join me. Cordelia comes...
Read MoreRacism and the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
by Catherine Maresca Racism reared its ugly head in America in 2014. While our first hope is that it does not exist in our atriums...
Read MoreUsing an Anti-racist Lens
by Jane Hall-Williams Jane Hall-Williams is the CCTheo staffer who designs and manages our emails, virtual flyers, website pages, and appeals. Growing up in the...
Read MoreBe an Anti-racist Catechist
by Pam Leskowyak It was the last day of school, and I walking with my dad, preparing to leave. Suddenly, he paused, looked at me...
Read MoreRacial Equity in the Atrium
by Mary Roney Our beautiful, large Roman Catholic church is a jewel in an area of Baltimore city that has been neglected in revitalization efforts. The good...
Read MoreBlack Jesus
by Annette Witte Our family has been on an intentional anti-racism journey since the murder of George Floyd in May of 2020. Our process has...
Read MoreOccasional Papers
Where Was God? Spiritual Questions of Sexually Abused Children
Issue X November 2011 by Barbara Hughes When we address the spirituality of childhood, we are confronted with the tragic reality that at least one...
Read MoreThe Theological Differences Between Godly Play and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
Issue XXV July 2018 by Victoria Schwartz With this paper Victoria Schwartz introduces us to the theology and philosophy that inform the content and methodology...
Read MoreThe Foundation of the Human Being
Issue XV Dr. Silvana Montanaro Quattrocchi provides much food for thought about how a child’s first years after birth are so important for the foundation of the...
Read MoreThe Bible in Godly Play and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd: A Critical Comparison
Issue XXVI April 2019 by the Rev. Joyce Scherer-Hoock In this paper, the use of the Bible in Godly Play and Catechesis of the Good...
Read MoreThe Child as Mystic
Issue XII Sofia Cavalletti, biblical scholar and founder of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, noticed that the child possesses a mysterious knowledge of God. This...
Read MorePrenatal and Perinatal Foundations of Moral Development
Issue II An individual person’s moral development and behavior begin with, and are influenced by, prenatal and perinatal experiences. Any design or model for moral...
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