St. Brigid is poised to become the first school in the Diocese of Saginaw with a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Level III Atrium. Students in the fourth grade and younger for the 2024-25 academic year will experience all three levels of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) during their time at St. Brigid Catholic School.  

“Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a Montessori-style approach to experiencing religion with children,” explains Laura Wilkowski, principal at St. Brigid. “It takes place in an Atrium, a calm environment that works to teach students to quiet themselves to experience God through a variety of works.”  

“Works” are the activities a child might choose to engage in to interiorize the presentation and dialogue with the Holy Spirit. They might include three-dimensional wooden figures and a miniature environment to act out a parable, a model altar and liturgical items. 

Students act out the parable of the Good Samaritan."The Found Coin" parable



“Each time the children come to the Atrium, a new work is introduced, but it is the students who draw meaning from the work. As a result, students develop a deep sense of faith and have very profound observations,” said Mrs. Wilkowski. “They also learn the names and the reasons for what happens within the Mass. Most [students] have a richer understanding of their faith than we as adults.” LeAnne Osborn first experienced a CGS Atrium 10 years ago when she and her family were visiting St. Stephen Parish in Saginaw.  

“I was absolutely blown away as a former science and religion teacher to see this laboratory of faith where the kids were all independently engaged with hands-on works that were so beautiful," she recalled. “That space was so beautiful. So then, I just wanted to learn everything I could about it.” 

When Mrs. Osborn joined St. Brigid Catholic School staff in 2021, she knew she wanted to bring Levels II and III to the Atrium. Fellow CGS catechist Chris Platko advised her to build on the existing Level I program and "let it grow with the children.” 

So, she did. The first year, they ensured students were well-grounded in Level One, which is intended for three- to six-year-old children. The next year, Mrs. Osborn started implementing Level II for the second and third graders. And now, for the 2024-25 school year, St. Brigid will offer Level III for fourth through sixth graders. 
Students arrange the parts of the Holy Mass, which are divided into the Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Level III will focus on typology, in which the Old Testament foreshadows what will be fulfilled in the New Testament. Students will also learn more history and geography, coming to understand ancient civilizations from which our fathers in faith were called, and they will have the opportunity to more deeply contemplate Scripture and liturgy.  

All CGS presentations are rooted in liturgy and Scripture, such as a parable or a scene from the Gospels. Students learn about the geography of Israel and the layout of Jerusalem, “so that they realize that all of this happened in a specific time and place,” Mrs. Osborn explained.  

A typical presentation lasts less than 10 minutes, and then students are invited to reflect on it and work quietly for the remaining class time. 

“If the response is silence, that's good, because that indicates reception of the mystery and a sitting with the mystery,” Mrs. Osborn said, pointing out the importance of silence for prayer. 

Students may choose from a wide variety of works during their quiet time, including prayerfully creating art. Mrs. Osborn noted she is often amazed by the students’ creations. For example, after a presentation on Psalm 23 (The Lord is my Shepherd), one student drew a chalice overflowing with hearts, representing the verse “my cup overflows.” 

Mrs. Osborn said that she is excited for Level III to “continue to give students the opportunity to be independent in what they choose to contemplate.” 

"The presentations are going to dovetail perfectly with what I'll be teaching in the general curriculum for middle school religion, but it will give them that time to peacefully absorb what I'm teaching them,” she said. “[It will give them] time for it to go from their head into their heart.” 
Mrs. Osborn guides students through a work involving a map of Israel at the time of Jesus. 

Being a CGS catechist has impacted the way Mrs. Osborn teaches, too. She describes her process as “not just pouring out information, but really trying to sit before the mystery of God with the students.” 

“It’s real, this mystery that is our faith. It's not just a dead letter, or dry information that we're trying to pass down. It's this living, dynamic, salvific reality,” she said passionately. “We just create an environment where that relationship [with God] can flourish.” 

Believing in the life-changing faith formation CGS provides, St. Brigid Catholic School has invested in the program. Mrs. Osborn and Bailey Delaney serve as catechists, a process which requires a catechist to be trained one level at a time, then practice that level for one full year before being trained at the next level.  
Mrs. Osborn is a Level III trained catechist, and Mrs. Delaney has completed her first year of training. Each level’s training can run between $500 to $1,000 per catechist, and the cost of setting up an Atrium can be around $3,500, according to Mrs. Wilkowski.  “However, any costs associated with the atrium are easily justified when you observe students in the Atrium,” she said. 

Mrs. Wilkowski recalled a few remarks from students in the past year. During Advent, students studied the Old Testament prophecies that point to and reveal the coming of the Messiah: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light." (Is. 9:2)  

One fourth grader made the connection:  “The light came into the world when Mary said yes to the angel, and then she brought the light to Elizabeth.” 

As the second graders reflected on the Preparation of the Gifts, particularly the one drop of water placed into the chalice of wine, a student said:  “It’s as if you were dropped in God’s love around you.”  

Drawing such meaning from their time in the Atrium is a hallmark of all CGS levels, which will now be available for middle school students. 

 “Even the simplest presentations are profoundly deep,” Mrs. Osborn said. “We really want all three levels of CGS to give our students as much as we possibly can of this beautiful methodology.”

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The Diocese of Saginaw is home to 10 elementary schools and three high schools. To learn about the difference a Catholic education can make in your child’s life, find a school near you! 

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