by Gabriela Gastelum and Catherine Maresca
CCTheo opened in 1995 with a vision to explore the intersection of the church, children, and theology. This is best done right in the Atrium with the children themselves. For 60 years, Sofia Cavalletti and Gianna Gobbi modeled this exploration. This time of exploration is not over! Part of our ongoing work in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is to continue observing children, learning all we can from them about their theology and our own.
My Catechesis of the Good Shepherd journey started almost 20 years ago in my hometown in Puebla, Mexico. My first encounter in an Atrium was in a school setting, and my role was to observe a group of fourth graders. What a peaceful and joyful task! I have taken notes, and as a scientist, by professional formation, questions start to arise. Throughout my academic and catechist career, I have always noticed, almost by serendipity, children’s small gestures or reactions during their time in the Atrium that keep me wondering what would be the best way to serve them. Suddenly, the Holy Spirit guides me to move the materials from one shelf to another, rearrange the Atrium furniture or charts, or even change how I offer the kerygma to the children. Sometimes, I am blessed to see the fruits of these actions. Recently, I learned I was doing research without being aware! Research? Yes, I was doing action research in the Atrium.
But who has time for this research? Or training? Or a place to share what we learn?
CCTheo has been conducting Catechist Action Research in the Atrium (CARA) based on the Teacher Action Research model developed for Montessori classrooms and schools by Dr. John Chattin-McNichols and Dr. Peggy Loeffler. Action Research happens right in the classroom. Teachers bring the practical questions that originate at work to their research, then make and execute a plan to observe and assess proposed answers to those questions. Dr. Cahttin-McNichols later adapted the method for catechists in the Atrium. CARA offers an approach that yields data to add to our catechists’ intuition, which can guide our practices in the Atrium and catechist formation courses.
In 2018, the first CARA Cohort was held in Washington, DC. Participants learned about conducting action research and planned to execute it during the year. In 2019, they met to assess findings and prepare a summary to report to each other. Dr. John Chattin-McNichols led both sessions and was available to answer questions or clarify their work between the sessions. Several had the opportunity to report to others at Weaving Our Gifts 2019.
Thanks to our grant from Lilly Endowment, CCTheo has expanded and further refined this action research course to offer it online. The course will involve online live meetings as a group and videos to learn from the wisdom of Dr. Chattin-McNichols, which can be watched at the participants’ convenience. We hope this course will bring together a small community of catechists observing and researching in their Atrium and learning together.
Starting in January 2025, Catherine Maresca and I will guide the cohort through three phases:
The participants will meet online in January, February, March, May, and August 2025. Office hours will be offered throughout the year to answer questions or clarify our work between the sessions. Your discoveries, wisdom, and experience can be shared with catechists at our biennial conference, Weaving Our Gifts, in October 2025.
Would you like to join us as a researcher or as a data collection site guided by a researcher?
Please let us know by registering or writing to Catherine Maresca at catherine@cctheo.org.
Gaby Gastelum is currently the Faith Formation director and the atrium coordinator at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Troy, NY. She holds a Ph.D. in Food Science, has conducted several research projects, and has taught science at all grade levels, including community engagement projects for twenty-four years. She most recently served as Vice President of Education at the miSci Museum of Innovation and Science in Schenectady, NY.
Additionally, Gaby has observed, assisted, and taught in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd programs in Mexico and the United States since 2006, when she enrolled her children in this program in Puebla, Mexico. A native speaker of Spanish and fluent in English, she brings a wealth of experience in teaching and a love of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. She and her husband, Luis Luna-Reyes, have two young adult children. Gaby’s hobbies include dancing salsa with Luis, listening to music, and sometimes knitting. They also have a puppy, Tofu.
