Community Atria

“The Holy Spirit is at Work!”

Our Lancaster Sheepfold is a community of catechists and families in parishes within and around Lancaster County, PA. We came together to promote the use of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd in Catholic parishes and schools, and to support the establishment of CGS atria within the Diocese of Harrisburg.  

God can use spit and mud if necessary, so you never know.—Anne 

In our case, God used a pandemic.

Our Sheepfold formed when the COVID pandemic shut down the opportunity for catechist formations in Spring 2020. At that time, a handful of local catechists were gearing up to bring CGS to three new-to-CGS parishes and to bring Level II to one parish with an existing Level I.  We had staff approvals, catechist energy, and families asking for this vital spiritual experience. But CGS formations weren’t available. That moment in time was frustrating for everyone, and it brought us together to create a community solution. Our Sheepfold was born.

I fully believe that the Lord has called us to this work….  And has gathered our parish representatives together to draw on the gifts that each of us has in order to make this work possible.—Yvonne 

Advocates in these parishes used the Covid lockdown to research how and where other dioceses in the country found CGS support and resources. We joined book groups, visited atria, talked to formation leaders and catechists, consulted Montessorians… We had two goals: to demystify and initiate the process of atria start-ups, and to build a local CGS community with atria, trained catechists, and an abundant support base. 

My Sheepfold notebook is stamped with images of loaves and fishes. It’s my encouragement to gather up the little bit that I have for sharing. God continues to multiply the little bit each of us offers, using it to provide what we need. —Elizabeth 

With the support of four, and later five, separate parishes, the group developed simple by-laws for the Sheepfold and convened a lay Council to spearhead and focus its efforts. Two pastor-appointed members of each parish and an at-large Montessori advisor currently make up the Council, which meets quarterly in service of Sheepfold goals and activities. 

The Council’s purpose is to pool resources. —Anne 

The Sheepfold Council is structured enough to help all our atria and loose enough not to be a time burden.  Meeting just a few times a year works best.  We get the support we need, share heartfelt moments from our atria, and share training opportunities. OOHs and AAAHS abound. —Mary 

Nearly five years later, where are we and what are we doing?  

• We offer CGS programs in 5 parishes in our County, serving 144 children in religious education programs and another 80 children in 2 schools.
• We have 31 catechists certified at Level I and 5 catechists certified at Level II. We have 8 more catechists in formation across Levels I-III.
• We have 15 assistants certified through CCTheo’s Assistant training.
• We facilitate work in 8 atria (5 Level I and 3 Level II).
• Each week, we offer 15 atria sessions in religious education programs and 8 atria sessions in schools.

Beyond work in our atria, what does the Lancaster Sheepfold do? The Sheepfold fosters relationships within our community and helps to generate resources for our catechists and parishes in various ways. Sometimes, this looks like the very immediate and practical work of helping a catechist gather or make resources for the next atrium session. Sometimes, this work sets goals for the local life of CGS in future years.

My favorite part of the Sheepfold is the collaboration and sharing of ideas—both what has been successful and what challenges are faced.  Many hearts and heads produce great solutions.  The support of all the catechists is tremendous! —Mary 

In particular:

1. We provide local formation opportunities that reflect the needs of Lancaster County programs. We hosted a Level I summer-intensive formation (2021-22) and a Level I weekend-formatted formation (2023-24). We have plans to host a Level II formation starting in Summer 2025.

A big success of our Sheepfold community is that, together, we can provide formation sessions, locally, to help our catechists become formed in CGS without having to spend a lot of time in travel. This does benefit many of our Catechists and helps CGS to spread more quickly in our local area.—Yvonne 

2. We share materials, materials-making approaches, and “how to” tips for effectively presenting trickier works like Mystery of Life and Death, Parable of the Leaven, etc.  

One of the great advantages of our Sheepfold is the natural way “solutions” evolve for preparing materials. The Mystery of Life and Death is one work which has two special challenges. How to make the planted and growing seeds “visible” without necessarily digging them out? How to propagate wheat seeds at various stages if you don’t have a “green thumb”?

A catechist from one of our parishes suggested the use of small unlidded glass yogurt jars. She saved up a collection from her recycling (her husband is the lover of that particular yogurt brand) and made them available to the Sheepfold members. When we host our Swap and Social in early 2025, plenty of free jars will be accessible to attendees.

Another catechist has a parishioner who is a botanist and cultivates the plants for their Atrium use. She got the seed source info and “recipe” for our Sheepfold and created a one page “how to” for all of us. This helpful little sheet will be printed in our newsletter in early 2025.

With those mysteries solved, we can focus on the one that really matters! —Barbara 

3. We swap, lend, and gift extra furnishings, tools (such as laminators and paper cutters), and materials to one another.

One of the “points” (of the Sheepfold) is to be open to helping beyond the atrium you work in. –Anne

4. We make materials together, especially useful for intimidating large-scale works, such as Geography and History of the Kingdom works.

I really enjoyed making the City of Jerusalem with a friend and fellow catechist! Material making can be so time-consuming and so difficult. Being able to share that process and tips/tricks was so beneficial! I really enjoy making materials with others!—Irma

5. We keep atria open to children from any Catholic parish in the area, even if the parish does not yet have an atrium.

I’m grateful when a catechist-friend whose parish doesn’t yet have upper-level atria sends children to ours. It has been so beautiful to welcome these children into our LII atrium and to watch as children develop new friendships that are grounded in faith and love for God. The church builds before our eyes. —Elizabeth 

6. We mentor new catechists, assistants and aides with observation opportunities, orientations, demonstrations, diverse approaches to using space, and creating Practical Life works. We encourage and coordinate our assistants as they enroll, often in teams, in CCCTheo’s online Atrium Assistant Orientation.
7. We provide access to Montessori videos, formation syllabi, album pages, etc. that are common to Sheepfold member experiences.
8. We brainstorm ways to educate our parents and parishes about CGS. We reach out to local parishes to share what we do and to encourage their consideration of this work.

How do we get more of the parents involved? It’s good to address this as a Sheepfold.—Trina 

The benefit of this Sheepfold is that we can share our knowledge and experience of our own CGS classes with other parishes. Working together, we can become stronger knowing that we are here to support each other. I would love to see more churches in the area join us in this CGS program. We can help them in setting up the CGS program in their own churches. – Miriam

9. We share our semi-annual Sheepfold e-newsletters with all interested readers. We estimate our audience at more than 150 readers. 
10. We connect local CGS participants to materials and opportunities offered by regional and national CGS groups.

Working together does give a bigger and more legitimate voice to all of us working on establishing an Atrium or expanding our CGS programs to Level II or Level III.  There is strength in numbers! —Yvonne 

The work is dynamic. We face continual challenges as we build new atria, get to know one another more deeply, and articulate common versus flexible goals for the Sheepfold. We work in a rich variety of settings—urban and suburban parishes, some with links to schools, and small and large atrium enrollments.  Each parish operates with a different funding model. Comparisons and disagreements happen. We work to recognize our own specks of sawdust and planks, and to stay focused on God, who brings us together for bigger purposes.

Visiting more established atria has been really beneficial especially as we were working on getting our atria started. However, it was frustrating for me to see what other atria had and to not be able to replicate it in our atrium. It was helpful to talk to other catechists and to be reminded that the Holy Spirit makes the work beautiful for the children, so I don’t have to be the perfect artist or find the exact perfect material in order to have an atrium that will bring the children closer to God. —Irma 

A challenge faced by our Sheepfold community is that each parish, religious education program, and CGS program that is represented in our Sheepfold is somewhat unique in its organization, needs and administration.  Our unique differences, however, do provide a rich mixture of possible options in ideas for exploration and planning. –Yvonne 

Looking another five years out, we try to discern where we are headed. What is essential brings great potential. What impact does CGS have on our children? How can CGS support faith formation across ages?  How might we share assistants and catechists across parishes? What goals might be served by catechists-at-large? 

I wonder if in the future we will develop a group of “traveling catechists” who can bring CGS to different parishes who may want CGS, may have the space for an atrium, but don’t have their own catechists. –Irma

We know that parish and school resources will ebb and flow, and that our membership and programs will shift. We try to stay alert to best ways of sustaining our atria and our community. 

We are called not to be “successful” but to be a mustard seed, so coordinated efforts to grow and expand the presence of CGS can come through to me as striving for that success. —Anne 

I think our work will last longer if we can continue to expand CGS to more and more parishes, atriums, and catechists in our area.  If we have a strong base, the changing of Pastors, retiring of catechists, and changes in C/DREs will be transitioned more smoothly. —Yvonne 

We see three essential factors in this effort:

First, we prioritize formation (catechists, assistants, aides) and education (parents, parishes) in our community, and we keep that formation and education local if possible. 

Second, we are very much grassroots and hands-on. Every member of the Council is a catechist. Some may be DREs or CREs, some may be school faculty, but we are all catechists. 

Lastly, we commit to growing as individuals and as a Sheepfold, serving children and one another as we work to serve God. 

Bringing together those with a heart for the mission of CGS will always make the load of the work lighter and allow for fellowship and continued formation.  So many inspirational people, so much love. – Keri

It is wonderful to have a community of like-minded people with whom to brainstorm solutions and celebrate accomplishments.  It is good to draw on the rich experiences of everyone in the group and learn from each other.  I believe our Sheepfold helps our atriums to be the best they can be.—Yvonne 

The bigger our Sheepfold family grows, the more enthusiasm is generated.  I am inspired by the hard work, sharing of resources, and openness we have in our Sheepfold. The Holy Spirit is at work! – Mary

Conversation with Caroline Vale, catechist with the Joyful Child Atrium, Purcellville, VA

“If Jesus could start in a manger, we could start in a chicken coop.”

Origins of our Atrium

I came to our atrium about two or three years after it started because I moved into the area where this atrium is near Harpers Ferry, WV.  Mothers in the area wanted the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for their children. There were three women who started it. One has moved in one direction and one has moved on, so the third person is still in charge of the atrium. There was not physical space available in the local churches.  Loudoun County has been growing quite rapidly. There were churches still being built, but churches without space for an atrium program.

In the beginning, they were using somebody’s old chicken coop and then they used a garage. And then when I began, they had just moved into an old house in downtown Percival that they had rented. At that time, we had levels one and two and sort of three but we were creating materials for Level III that year. We didn’t have a toddler program. But we did have a nursery so that the volunteers’ children could be taken care of while they were serving in the atrium. 

If you want volunteer catechists, they need early childcare to be available! You cut out a lot of potential volunteers if all their children have to be 3 years old in order to volunteer.

It was incredibly expensive to be in an old, old house. So anybody that I meet that’s considering opening an atrium, and like going from somebody’s basement or garage, I suggest that they look for a commercial space because it was a wonderful move for us. Even though the house felt more like an atrium because it felt more like a home, and the atrium is supposed to have a home atmosphere, the commercial space was less expensive and less additional work. We no longer needed to clear the sidewalks when it snowed or cut the lawn or worry about the huge expense of refilling the propane tank during a very cold winter or needing to repair a burst pipe. With the commercial building, we had a handyman that came right away for repairs, and heating and cooling costs were lower and more fixed. Also it was just a more usable space.  We started by renting two units and last year rented a third and Level III got moved to downstairs. 

After my first year, a Montessori school joined the atrium; the school was 6-7 years old. It was a Montessori Co-op  school that began with an atrium and only opened a few days a week.  The parents jointly paid for a Montessori teacher instead of it being a private school. The school shared the same old house where the atrium was.  The school had also been in a chicken coop, then a basement and then it went to a basement of somebody else’s house. For a year or two they used a church that had Sunday School classrooms that weren’t being used. Many families are a part of both the atrium and the school.  For example, Teresa who’s in charge of the Joyful Child Atrium works at the school. When the atrium moved into commercial space, the school also started using the space as well and paying a portion of the rent. There was organic growth. There was the atrium, and the school, and then they joined back together. It’s been an amiable situation.

Growth and Limits to Growth

It takes a lot of volunteers. 

We’re still growing and growing. We have classes every day of the week for at least one level, but not every afternoon (like not on Friday afternoons). We offer Levels I, II and III twice a week.  We also offer Toddler, Level 1 and Level II twice a week as well.

The number of trained catechists is what limits our growth. We could probably have two Level I classes at the same time if we could find more catechists. I’m one of two Level III, and two toddler, trained people. We hosted our own Level I training last summer. There were 18 people in the training; 10 were from our atrium.  

Our atrium is located close to the Maryland/West Virginia line.  Families keep growing and new families keep coming. We have families from Maryland, and we have families from West Virginia. The closest parish to the atrium is St. Francis de Sales in Purceville, VA.  There’s also St. Stephen the Martyr parish in Middleburg, Virginia, and St. John the Apostle in Leesburg, VA. We also have people that come from Ashburn and Sterling in Virginia (even though there’s an atrium nearer to them, the time of sessions doesn’t work out for these families or they don’t offer Level III).

All the catechists are volunteers.  However, for each class that a volunteer teaches, then a child attends for free.  So if you teach two sessions, two children attend for free.  It’s the volunteer’s responsibility to pay for Level I training but we do pay for some Level II or III training if they’re committed to continuing to help.

Finances

Families pay $450/year for each child plus a $100 fee per family, whether you’re a volunteer or not.  The $100 fee is to maintain the website registration system. Between 85-90% of the money that comes in goes to the rent.

There’s always ways to make money differently:  some charge more; having a trainer that’s in house, like Catherine, would help just bring in people to the community; a summer atrium session (twice a week, less formal, outside space); ask for tax deductible donations to support the training of a catechist (my father-in-law actually paid for my first level two training.) We’ve reached out to the Knights of Columbus, they’re giving like a $500 a year scholarship, which over two years pays for one CGS class for one volunteer catechist.

As a fundraiser, we’ve had a tea that was quite successful. The parents or children are the waiters or waitresses and the children are playing musical instruments.  An old historic building that rented out for weddings gifted us the space in January in the morning for a tea.  We had donations of little tea sandwiches and everybody polished up their silver. We were able to raise a couple thousand dollars when we had a volunteer to plan the tea.

Every dollar that you can pull in to pay rent means that you can offer a scholarship for a family who can’t afford the atrium otherwise. With additional funding you can offer a resource or training or a summer session or a stipend for driving for your volunteer catechists.

Space with Independence – The Biggest Challenge

Our biggest problem is really space. We have three sessions of classes on Tuesdays: one from 9-11am, one from 1-3pm, and then one from 4-6pm.  And then we have two sessions on Tuesdays with the classes from the school. It’s like 160-170 kids are going through atrium. It’s full.

There aren’t as many options for people who want something for a little bit of time for their children, but not full time daycare. There’s not the twice a week or once a week programs available for families.

We have a very good relationship with the closest to churches, but choose not to place our atrium in a church. Because when they change out the priest, I’ve heard from catechists where they lock the doors and they can’t get any of their materials and you’re like oh my gosh: the cost of replacing the materials, the time.  During COVID we were able to open in August 2020 with strict sanitation policies while the diocese was still closed down. I know there’s a lot to be said for having our atrium be independent. 

I would say most parishes just do not understand they need to invest in the teaching of the people that are teaching their children.

Elizabeth Calanchini, she’s done the toddler training and she’s talked about how in Mexico they have more of a center based religious education in a separate building and that’s where the atrium would be. So if you have any families that are from Mexico in your community, you might be able to reach out and they might know more about what this is like.

Making materials is also a challenge. When you make a material, you could try to make two and then gift the other to another atrium.  I spent all summer making toddler materials because we’re opening up the toddler atrium, and there is no materials manual. I happened to be lucky enough to be finishing my level three training at the same time and so I was going out to Arizona where they have a toddler atria. I took pictures of everything so we could decide: this looks like something we can use. We spent probably two weeks trying to figure out how tall tables needed to be and the chairs for the toddlers.

Somebody had said to me, Well, you were really just missionaries. You just aren’t leaving home right?

I think our model is possible in other places. I know that we’re in the richest county in the country, but it was donations and grit that really got us here.  If Jesus could start in a manger, we could start in a chicken coop.

How you got started

What different groups, communities or churches come together to form your community atrium (ie what is the community, beyond a single parish)?

8 parishes merged into one citywide parish – includes chaplaincy at Yale, Polish community, Spanish-speaking community, Italian community, progressive churches, conservative churches, liturgically disparate churches all trying to come together as one parish under a mother church. 

How did your community atrium begin? What needs drew you together?

We started with two communities that were looking to share materials and catechists. We already had overlap in a few catechists who supported both Atria. Then the materials of one Atria disappeared when the catechist left the parish.

How many years have you been operating as a community atrium?

3 years

Who is there?

Which levels of CGS do you offer? How many children do you have in each level?

Level 1 & 2. 75 total enrolled. 4 weekly sessions for level 1 with 7-10 children; 3 weekly sessions for level 2 with 10-12 children.  

How would you describe the demographics of the participants in your program?  For example, what are their denominations, school or church affiliations, disability, language, BiPOC, or economic status, if you know it.

Families come from many different parishes to attend the Atrium. The region is generally supported by the business of Yale University, so it tends to be a highly educated population. 

How many catechists and assistants work in your program?  How many are paid and how many are volunteers? How have you accessed training? What are your training challenges?

7 lead catechists (4 level 1, 3 level 2); each is supported by a team of 2 assistants, ideally. 20 total.   

What does parent involvement look like (commitment, parent ed, attendance)? 

Many parents act as assistants (in exchange for reduced tuition) and all but 2 of our lead catechists are also parents in the Atrium. Parents participate in para-liturgies and are asked to bring a weekly donation of fresh flowers. 

Where you are

Where is your atrium – city/town, state?

New Haven, CT 

What kind of space does your atrium meet in? Is it a dedicated space, shared space, in a home or school or church, etc.

Former rectory, mostly dedicated to CGS. 3 floors, top floor is generally unusable as it has not been renovated as the rest of the building. First floor includes a full kitchen and sunroom, dining room, one bathroom, and two additional large rooms. None of these rooms currently have Atria in them but are reserved for CGS except by request of the parish. One sitting room is used for a parent and toddler waiting during sessions, the other is used for the first communion meditations, and the dining room is the current space we plan to build our Level 3 Atrium. The second floor includes two bathrooms, three small rooms, and two large spaces that each are made of two connected rooms with an open doorway between them. One small room is used as a catechist materials closet, and the other two smaller rooms are used as a part of each Atrium space; for level 1 as an empty preparation room for the younger children, and the other is used as a prayer service room. Each level has its own dedicated bathroom. 

When do atrium sessions take place and for how long? Do you face any time related challenges?

Sessions are 90 minutes long. Of course we all wish (in level 2) to go to 2 hours, but we are up against the challenges of the evening falling. Sessions start after school at 4:30PM. Catechists struggle to be available in the weekday afternoons. We offer one session on Sundays this year, and the timing with the citywide Masses is very challenging. We used to offer a level 1 class after Mass time last year on Sundays, and very few children enrolled. Catechists are on the fence about teaching on Sundays. The best is when we can find the right synergy between the Mass times and the Atrium time as our rectory is nearby to 3 churches, but it has been an added challenge with the merging parishes that the Mass times have frequently changed. 

Are materials complete for each level or are you still working to create or acquire materials?  If so, for which levels?

We are building level 3 materials now, level 1 & 2 are complete.

Administration/organization

What is your organizational structure? What is the administrative structure and support? Do you have institutional support? 

We have a Director of Faith Formation who oversees all the parish programs. We have a Director of CGS, this position used to be held by two people. 

What financial support does your program receive?  Would you be willing to share the annual budget amount?

Our program charges tuition, $250 per child, $350 per family. We are able to mostly run the year on the tuition income, around $10K, although overages are generally covered by the parish. We cover the cost of training for catechists who commit to teaching for two years in the program so much of the budget goes toward this. A significant portion also goes to materials, as well as a fee for the program director.   

Reflections

What are some challenges in your community atrium? 

Recruitment to the work is constant. Access to training and inspiring catechists to continue with training into level 2 and beyond. Catechists also find the work, although rewarding, extremely taxing. Administration of the program is a very big lift and not supported by the parish in an integrated way by a full-time employee, so is dependent on the goodwill and capacity of a mostly volunteer. We also are an academic community in New Haven, so folks are often coming and going, rather than staying for a longer period of time to commit to the Atrium. They are generally looking for what their children need immediately. 

What is working well in your community atrium? 

Many families with different perspectives on the church come together under one shared practice in the Atrium. Our space is very beautiful now, whereas it did not used to be, and it occurs in a more neutral location than the basement under the church. Families spread the success of our work by word of mouth, and we see families with all different faith backgrounds coming to the Atrium. 

What are some gifts you have experienced by working in a community? 

I love seeing people who share one faith see it being expressed in their children as truly one practice under God. There are many ideological divisions in our community, and the Atrium is one of the few places I see these fall away. 

What advice would you give others trying to start a community atrium?

Para-liturgies and other tools to draw families in are useful when you don’t have the force of a single parish putting families in community with each other. We do 3 of these per year, and I’ve come to appreciate what an important part of the work they are. 

What else would you like to share about your community atrium?

We have a lot of support from our priest, and this allows much of what we are able to do to be possible. Having lived without this support in the earlier days of our parish Atrium, it makes a huge difference. If we did not have this support, we would likely try to establish the Atrium as a separate free-standing entity. I have, however, found that running our own income stream has afforded a great amount of respect and independence from normal parish affairs, and is a good first step if priest support is not there.