Catechcis of the Good Shepherd

Thomas, called Dydymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe. John 20: 24-25.
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Since 1954, Dr. Sofia Cavalletti, a Hebrew and Scripture scholar and member of the Vatican Commission for Jewish-Christian Relations, and her colleague, Professor Gianna Goggi, a Montessori-trained educator, have developed the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.

This approach to teaching children the Catholic faith was based upon their observance and working with children at the Children Centre in Rome.

The Catechesis provides an environment called an Atrium, in which certain biblical and liturgical themes suitable to the children's developmental needs are presented. The Atrium contains concrete materials, consistent with the themes that help children deepen their relationship with God.
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Sofia Cavaletti believes that youngsters already know the story of God and Jesus as the Good Shepherd before anyone tells it to them. Before they were born, they were in God's arms. The sights, sounds and smells of God are part of their makeup. They have had from the beginning an interior teacher - the Spirit of God that is deep within them. They know God. The teacher brings from the outside an echo of what they already know inside, and helps it to deepen.