Gifted to IWA by the Sisters of the Incarnate Word, the atrium is a place in which children and adults live together for a religious experience. We offer a program in the atrium called the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd which:
Seeks to bring together two mysteries: the mystery of the child and the mystery of God.
Fosters deeper participation in the wider community of the family, the school, the church, and other social spheres.
A place of prayer in which work and study spontaneously become meditation, contemplation and prayer.
Since its founding, the IWA atrium has always been a community of parent and grandparent volunteers. We welcome your questions to learn more.
Below you will find information about each level of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd offered at IWA.
“Help me come closer to God by myself” – Maria Montessori
The Atrium Environment > The prepared environment is one of the most important elements that support the relationship between God and the child.
Materials:
“ The catechetical material...consists of ”signs” of a transcendent reality...(and)...is a way of letting the child prolong the meditation begun together with the adult.” – Sofia Cavalletti
The Atrium Materials > Materials found in the Atrium are beautifully and lovingly handmade for the child’s spiritual growth and delight. Materials are made of natural materials. They
are organized to serve the 3-6 year old child’s desire for order, beauty, and independence. The child can choose works to explore and deepen their experience of the presentation at their own pace. The Atrium is organized around the two pillars: liturgical and scriptural.
Adult:
“Finally, one day as I looked upon these children with great respect and affection, I placed my hand upon my heart and asked, ‘Who are you?’ Were these perhaps the little children whom Christ had embraced and of whom he had said, ‘Whoever receives this little child for my sake receives me,’ and again, ‘Whoever does not accept the kingdom of God as a little child will not enter into it’?”
- Maria Montessori, from her book “The Secret of Childhood”
The Atrium Adult > We believe there is a deep bond between God and the child which produces in the child the desire to draw nearer to God. The adult, or catechist, role is to prepare the environment and oneself to give selected presentations from scripture and liturgy that “call forth” the child’s response.
“Help me to think about God for myself.”
- Maria Montessori writes about the development of the 2nd plane child.
The Atrium Environment > With the 6-9 year old, we contemplate together the vastness of the gifts of God’s creation. We place ourselves within this great kingdom of God and ask: “God, who are You?” and “Who am I to you? What is my role in your kingdom?”
When we read the words of Jesus: I am the true vine, we begin to understand this great love God has for each of us and we ask ourselves: What is my response to the gift of God’s love?
In this parable, Jesus shows us that we are even more deeply united than the shepherd and the sheep. We are now one: the same roots, the same branch, the same sap flows between us.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.
He takes away every branch in me that does not bear
fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it
bears more fruit...Remain in me, as I remain in you.
Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it
remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you
remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear
much fruit...
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you
and your joy may be complete.”
John Chapter 15
Materials :
“To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God...it is like a mustard
seed that, when it is sown in the ground, it is the smallest of all seeds
on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest
of plants.
-Mark 4:30-32
The Atrium Materials > The atrium seeks to bring children into direct contact with God’s richest truths and greatest mysteries in a carefully and lovingly prepared environment.
Timelines and maps are pondered as we help the child to orient themselves in time and in place in God’s plan across the history of the Kingdom of God. Many of the same works in the atrium that we use today were created in 2003 by parents and students and continue the IWA atrium legacy gifted by the Sisters of the Incarnate Word.
The Level II materials themselves are more conceptual as the 6 - 9 year old is able to think more abstractly and visualize in their mind the words of Holy Scripture and read the signs of sacred liturgy.
Adult:
“Word, in love with all people!
Your love of them has charmed You
since the time of Your incarnation.
You flood their minds with Your
wonderful light and so call them to
love. Their will is set afire because of
Your beauty with is also goodness.”
A prayer: God’s Love of Us
from the autobiography of
Blessed Jeanne Chezard de Matel, foundress of the
Sisters of the Incarnate Word, chapter 27
The Atrium Adult > Together, as the adults and children gather in the atrium, they place themselves in a listening stance before God’s Holy Words seeking to penetrate the mystery of scriptural and liturgical images and signs. In Level II, the adult continues to support the child in developing their prayer languages. The spontaneous prayers of praise and gratitude of the younger child expand to include communal prayer. Children incorporate scripture, songs, prayers of the church and silent meditations together.
The Atrium Environment > Above all, we remember the atrium is a place of prayer. In Level III, for the 9 - 12 year old child, prayer continues to develop communally, as established in Level II & I. There are still times of celebrations around the church’s great feasts. However, the environment itself primarily fosters individual autonomy.
The atrium is essential, simple, orderly, and beautiful. And because it has these qualities, it helps bring peace to the human soul and prepares one to deeply listen and respond. Further, the environment is dignified and appropriate to the use of budding theologians at work.
Materials:
“The secret of good teaching is to regard the child’s intelligence
as a fertile field in which seeds may be sown, to grow under the heat
of flaming imagination. Our aim therefore is not merely to make the
child understand, and still less to force him to memorize, but so to
touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his inmost core.”
- Maria Montessori
The Atrium Materials > For Level III, works are often more complex, suitable to the child’s developmental plane. Timelines across salvation history enable the synthesis of typologies as we see even more deeply our place in history and consider what our own roles might be: how do we want to live in God’s kingdom? Bible studies are introduced as the child reads scriptural accounts together with the adult, pausing to lift up points to reflect on. As Saint Augustine once said: “The New Testament lies hidden in the Old, and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New." This ability to look for patterns and analyze the words of God embody the ancient practice of typology in the Catholic church. The adult and child read, study and fall more in love with the scriptures and together take a listening stance before the Word of God.
Adult:
“You said that...You would be glorified in me...
My Lord, may you then be glorified
for I have no special desires,
and I do not wish to do my own will...
I rejoice because You have raised my spirit above earthly greatness...
Your words give me divine nourishment.”
- A prayer of Praise from the autobiography (chapter 20) of Jeanne Chezard de Matel, foundress of the Sisters of the Incarnate Word
The Atrium Adult > Through diligent personal growth and dedication, the adult in the Level III Atrium is trained to observe the child and respond. The adult is well formed, supportive, and careful not to intrude in the child’s connection and responses to the Divine. In collaboration with the group, adults and children ensure materials are in good order and complete. Often works at this level are quite intricate.
“Help me to find my role in building the kingdom of God, to discern and to pray in new ways, and to realize the gifts I have for the good of others.”
The Level IV Atrium - Since 2015 IWA has embarked on discovering how the work of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and the wisdom of Maria Montessori can continue for the 3rd plane of development. This 3rd plane of development spans childhood from age 12 - 18 years of age: the age of adolescence.
This innovation was chosen by our IWA administration and our sisters in response to the student’s pleas. They expressed their desire to continue weekly atrium time as part of their religious education.
This extra time together in the atrium each week has enabled us to deepen cosmic awareness, ecumenical appreciation of other paths and a much greater awareness of how the church has moved over 2000 years.
