Contemplative Haven: Children and Contemplation 
Children and Contemplation
I've been reading a book entitled, "Born Contemplative", written by Sister Madeleine Simon in 1993. It talks of how to introduce children to Christian meditation, following the teachings of Benedictine monk Dom John Main, in order to support and sustain their "inborn sense of wonder". Sister Simon, in her book, "demonstrates that it is never too early to learn the way of contemplative prayer, because children are able in their simplicity to catch and hold God by love." She quotes Pope John Paul II, from his discourse to participants of the National Congress of the Italian Association of Catholic Teachers in 1984. She tells us the Pope stated that the attitude of "attention" is the first that should be developed in children, and he continued:
"This requires that you help your students not to suffocate but rather to nourish their innate amazement in the face of creation and to reflect on it in order to grasp its perfection. To educate to this attitude, it is indispensible that the child be led to a real and profound interior silence which is the first requisite for listening."
The desire to foster the contemplative gifts of children is something which is also at the core of The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, which originated in Rome in 1954. A Catholic childrens' religious education program, it was inspired by the Montessori principles of education, and quickly spread throughout the world. You can find out more about it here, at The National Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd .
In Canada, on the website of the Archdiocese of Toronto, where the program was established more than twenty-five years ago, we are told that The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, "highlights essential aspects of the Christian message that nurture the child’s need to love and be loved and the child’s capacity to enjoy God’s presence in her/his life. It is rooted in the Bible, the liturgy of the Church, and the educational principles of Maria Montessori." The Archdiocese of Toronto website goes on to say:
"... young children live their relationship with God in enchanted wonder and profound joy which gives peace, in the satisfaction - it could be said - of a deep and vital need. In our view, the "vital need" is for relationship, which the Bible expresses as "covenant". It is the joy of the children's encounter with God that has given birth to the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd which, always and everywhere, is nourished by the same joy. It has also been observed that children of the same developmental stage respond to certain themes of the Christian Message in the same way, though belonging to different cultural backgrounds."
Over the decades, The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd has been adapted by numerous Christian denominations - Anglican, Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian and Methodist, to name a few - most recently being adapted for Protestant Evangelicals, by [long, contemplative drumroll here] fellow-blogger TrueVyne. When TrueVyne left a comment on my blog back in April 06 to the effect that she would have some things to "share" of a contemplative nature by the fall, I had no idea what she was working so busily on. In October, TrueVyne attended a wonderful conference which you can read about Here, and she has opened a website dedicated to this work at her beautiful new site named The Shepherd's Call.
The sharing of The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is probably the finest, and most successful, example of practising Christian unity that I have ever come across. Fostering, nurturing, supporting and sustaining the contemplative gifts of our children, in Christian unity. Now that is something I can understand.
Children in Prayer
"This requires that you help your students not to suffocate but rather to nourish their innate amazement in the face of creation and to reflect on it in order to grasp its perfection. To educate to this attitude, it is indispensible that the child be led to a real and profound interior silence which is the first requisite for listening."
The desire to foster the contemplative gifts of children is something which is also at the core of The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, which originated in Rome in 1954. A Catholic childrens' religious education program, it was inspired by the Montessori principles of education, and quickly spread throughout the world. You can find out more about it here, at The National Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd .
In Canada, on the website of the Archdiocese of Toronto, where the program was established more than twenty-five years ago, we are told that The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, "highlights essential aspects of the Christian message that nurture the child’s need to love and be loved and the child’s capacity to enjoy God’s presence in her/his life. It is rooted in the Bible, the liturgy of the Church, and the educational principles of Maria Montessori." The Archdiocese of Toronto website goes on to say:
"... young children live their relationship with God in enchanted wonder and profound joy which gives peace, in the satisfaction - it could be said - of a deep and vital need. In our view, the "vital need" is for relationship, which the Bible expresses as "covenant". It is the joy of the children's encounter with God that has given birth to the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd which, always and everywhere, is nourished by the same joy. It has also been observed that children of the same developmental stage respond to certain themes of the Christian Message in the same way, though belonging to different cultural backgrounds."
Over the decades, The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd has been adapted by numerous Christian denominations - Anglican, Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian and Methodist, to name a few - most recently being adapted for Protestant Evangelicals, by [long, contemplative drumroll here] fellow-blogger TrueVyne. When TrueVyne left a comment on my blog back in April 06 to the effect that she would have some things to "share" of a contemplative nature by the fall, I had no idea what she was working so busily on. In October, TrueVyne attended a wonderful conference which you can read about Here, and she has opened a website dedicated to this work at her beautiful new site named The Shepherd's Call.
The sharing of The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is probably the finest, and most successful, example of practising Christian unity that I have ever come across. Fostering, nurturing, supporting and sustaining the contemplative gifts of our children, in Christian unity. Now that is something I can understand.
Children in Prayer
posted by Gabrielle at 10:50 PM
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