Since Sofia Cavalletti and Gianna Gobbi founded the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) in Rome seventy years ago, they approached children’s catechesis with a focus on Scripture and liturgy, and solidly based their approach on the Montessori principles of education. CGS is a gift and legacy that Sofia and Gianna have bestowed on generations of adults and children around the world who have fallen in love with Jesus, the Good Shepherd. In recognition of seventy years of CGS and of forty years as a national association, CGSUSA has compiled the commemorative journal The Gift of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. The heart of this journal comprises a collection of previously unpublished excerpts from Sofia’s personal correspondence with translator Patricia Coulter, covering various reflections on life and on the nature of the Good Shepherd Catechesis itself. Also included are Coulter’s observations of Gianna's work with children in Rome. CGS members and catechists will appreciate Sofia and Gianna’s long and deep experience of living the Catechesis joyfully and fruitfully with adults and children alike.

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.

This collection of essays reflects on the essential elements of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd through the eyes of Sofia Cavalletti.

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.

This volume compiles the last five years of the Journal, including art from children in the atria and reflections on catechetical development

The United States Association of The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is proud to feature the Montessori Foundations of CGS in the 2022 Journal. This year's journal continues the examination of Maria Montessori’s work, which is so integral to the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. The articles explore how Montessori’s theory and practice are integrated throughout the atrium experience to assist the child from three to twelve years in an encounter with God.