To honor and remember Gianna Gobbi on the Centenary of her birth, the staff of the United States Association of The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd has selected several of Gianna’s articles and articles written about her, which express the spiritual richness of this approach to the religious formation of children for the child and adult alike.

In Nurturing the Whole Child: Montessori Principles Applied to the Catechesis of Children, Gianna Gobbi draws on a lifetime of experience with children, having apprenticed with educator Dr. Maria Montessori, and collaborated with biblical scholar Sofia Cavalletti to develop the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS). With a deep understanding of the way children hear God speak to them personally and with profound simplicity, Gobbi explains how Montessori principles are practically applied with children in the context of religious formation. This work is the fruit of entering gently and respectfully into the child's joyful encounter with the mystery of God's silent self-revelation made tangible through ancient biblical images, liturgical signs, and celebrations. Originally presented in Italian as a series of lectures for the formation of catechists in CGS, “la dispenza di Gianna” has been translated in English and edited for publication. This book is an important addition to the CGS library and a valuable reference in the formation of catechists in CGS. Parents of young children attending the CGS atrium will also find this book an informative resource on the nature of children and their prayer life.

This work is the product of several decades of practical experience with children -- blended with prayerful reflection on the way children hear God speak to them personally and with profound simplicity. So is this work guided by the Spirit. It is the fruit of entering gently and respectfully into the child's joyful encounter with the mystery of God's silent self-revelation made tangible through ancient biblical images, liturgical signs and celebrations. Book jacket.

This book describes the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a Montessori-based style of catechesis that focuses on the child’s independent journey to God by working with materials in a specially prepared place called an atrium. Written by Sofia Cavaletti, the Italian scripture scholar who developed the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, this classic work demonstrates the profound spiritual capabilities of children as brought forth through their engagement in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. This book is important for anyone desiring to learn about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd or the spiritual life of children ages 3-6. Sofia Cavaletti is an internationally known biblical scholar and was a member of the committee that prepared the Directory for Masses with Children. Together with her collaborator, Gianna Gobbi, a Montessori educator, she has traveled throughout the world forming catechists in this essentially oral method and helping to establish catechetical centers modeled on their Centro di Catechesi in Rome.

Anyone familiar with the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd has probably encountered the early description of this approach to the religious formation of the child in The Good Shepherd and the Child: A Joyful Journey. With major contributions by Sofia Cavalletti, Gianna Gobbi, Silvana Montanaro, and Patricia Coulter, this book has long been a “core text’ for catechists and also for parents of children in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Now there is a new edition, which reflects the changes in the presentations and the materials that Sofia Cavalletti made in the years before her death in August 2011. The original contributions of the authors are retained in Part I. In Part II, long time catechist and one of the first US catechists to study with Sofia Cavalletti, Rebekah Rojcewicz, has carefully outlined the current methods and developments in the work. This includes a selection of the key parables and scripture texts that are presented to the children. She also offers a new Introduction in which she describes the process by which the original authors and founders of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd came to recognize the child’s potential for a relationship with God and learned what nurtures that experience. The original art work by Julie Coulter-English is retained in this new edition.

E.M. Standing's compilation of essays on Montessori religious education