Recommended Reading
To learn more about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, visit the United States Association of The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
Below is a list of book recommendations on topics related to Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, praying with children, the Montessori approach written by Maria Montessori, Sofia Cavaletti, Gianna Gobbi, and more.
The Child in the Church
by Maria Montessori, et al, edited by E.M. Standing
A reprint of E.M. Standing’s compilation of essays from Dr. Montessori and others on religious education for children. Dr. Montessori describes the need for a particular kind of religious education for children--one that respects their individual religious experience and helps them experience the Liturgy in a concrete way. She saw the fulfillment of her whole work in education in the application of it to religious education.
Nurturing the Whole Child: montessori principles applied to the catechesis of children
by Gianna Gobbi
This is a revised edition of Listening to God with Children.
Gianna Gobbi apprenticed with Dr. Maria Montessori and collaborated with biblical scholar Sofia Cavalletti to develop the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS). Gobbi explains how Montessori principles are practically applied with children in the context of religious formation. This book is a valuable core text 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.
Montessori: On Religious education
by Maria Montessori
This is a compilation of 3 books by Dr. Montessori involving children in the Liturgy and opening the door to the their own religious experience: The Child in the Church, original version from 1929, compiled by E.M. Standing; a translation of The Life of Christ in the Liturgical Year from 1949, a reprint of the 1931 original; The Holy Mass (a sequel to The Mass Explained to Children). This sequel was compiled by Georgette and Anne-Marie Bernard in 1955 from talks that Montessori gave. In these books, we see the roots of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, the foundation upon which it was built. It will be must-reading for anyone working with children in the Atrium.
History of the Kingdom of God, Part 1, From Creation to Parousia
by Sofia Cavalletti
This is a revised version of the earlier work, History’s Golden Thread. The reader is given keys to reading the Bible, following golden thread of the history of salvation from the creation of the world to its final destiny in Christ, the Parousia. It is a key work for CGS catechists, but also for others to enrich their understanding the biblical foundations of Christianity.
History of the Kingdom of God, Part 2, From Creation to Parousia
by Sofia Cavalletti
This is a revised version of Sofia’s earlier work, Living Liturgy. Together with Part 1, From Creation to Parousia, these books offer the reader insight into Scripture and Liturgy as the means to understand God’s plan of salvation history, from the creation of the world, through Redemption, to the culmination in the Parousia, when God will be all in all. It is a key work for CGS catechists, but also for others to enrich their understanding the Liturgy connected with the plan of Salvation.