Welcome to Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
2026-2027 Year

Welcome to the 2026-2027 Catechesis of the Good Shepherd year. We are opening this year with more children and more families. We now have 72 children registered in the program from 40 families. God is certainly on the move!

Our level III atrium is under way, and we are looking forward to beginning this new CGS adventure. Parting with so many of my wonderful Level II students was difficult, but they are ready for the more challenging work that Level III offers. I am quite sure they will do an amazing job.

ATRIUM OPENING

The atrium will officially open the week of September 13th with our Sunday atriums. We now have two Sunday atriums to accommodate the Universal PreK program children so please be mindful of the time of your child’s atrium. The Level III class which was originally advertised as meeting from 5:00 – 6:30 PM has been changed to 5:30 – 7:00 PM. The earlier start time was going to be challenging for several families to get to on time.

MASS ATTENDANCE

CGS does not use a card system for Mass attendance. It has not proven to be a comfortable match for the program. However, that does not mean that Mass attendance can be neglected. 

It is essential for your children to attend Mass to participate successfully in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. We work hard to make sure your child is building a relationship with the Good Shepherd and learning to understand the Mass. We try to inspire them to focus on and watch for gestures during the Mass. The more they understand what takes place during the Mass, the more engaged they will be in the Mass. The Mass is the greatest prayer and the best place to honor and show our gratitude to our gracious and loving God. Without Mass attendance, what they are learning in the atrium makes no sense to them. Please make sure your children attend Mass every weekend.

FIRST COMMUNION PARENT MEETING

If your child is making their First Holy Communion this year, I want to give you plenty of notice about an important parent information meeting. On Saturday, September 26 at 10:00 AM. I will meet with parents to help everyone understand the process of sacramental preparation in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Please plan to have at least one parent attend this important meeting.

LEVEL III COMMUNITY SERVICE REQUIREMENTS

The Archdiocese of NY requires students to complete community service before receiving Confirmation. Level III students will need to complete community service for receiving this important Sacrament. Students will be required to complete 25 hours of service total. 
•    10 hours should be in service to CGS or the church.
•    The remaining 15 hours should be in service to your neighbors and surrounding community. 
Students will be provided with a service log that should be completed each time they are involved in providing community service. Service hours will be added to their cumulative log kept by CGS.

Community Service Form

CGS CALENDAR

CGS uses a google calendar which is embedded on our website. This calendar is comprehensive and should give you up-to-date information on class sessions, important upcoming dates and CGS events. New families should know that CGS rarely cancels class on secular holidays. There are a few major holidays and religious holidays where the atrium is closed, but please plan to attend the atrium on those occasional Monday holidays. You can find the calendar using the link  below.

CGS Program Calendar

REGISTRATION FEES

I would like to collect registration fees now that the registration ‘dust’ has settled. If you are submitting your fees via WeShare, please use this link. 

WeShare

Please note that registered parishioners MUST be officially registered with the parish AND attending Mass at St. John the Evangelist or St. Charles Borromeo Church. All other students must be registered as non-parishioners. Registration for parishioners is $50.00 / child. Registration for non-parishioners is $100.00 / child. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

If you are planning to submit your registration fee via cash or check, I would like to collect those fees before the program opens. With so many new students, I need to focus on the children during the first sessions, so getting administrative tasks out of the way early is important. I will be available in the atrium to receive checks or cash registration fees on the following schedule:

• Tuesday, August 25th 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM and 7:00 – 8:00 PM
• Wednesday, August 26th 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM and 7:00 – 8:00 PM
• Thursday, August 27th 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM and 7:00 – 8:00 PM

One additional reminder, there is no charge for infants in our Nido environment. This space is provided for parents with siblings as a place to rest and spend time with your littlest one while your toddler or preschooler are in one of our Monday programs.

CONSECRATION TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS

On Saturday, August 22nd at 11:00 AM, Father Palatucci will consecrate our atrium to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This is a spiritual act of surrender and devotion that expresses our love for Christ and our trust in Him. It is a way to align our lives with Christ’s love, to seek His mercy, and to allow His Heart to guide and sanctify us — both individually and as a community. I would appreciate it if families would take a few minutes to join us. Our atrium is small, but it contains a great deal of love for Jesus.

NOVENA FOR CATECHESIS OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD

We will once again pray a novena for our program and everyone who is associated with it. This novena is the single most important thing we do to begin our year. God has been very good to our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program. This year we have many new students, new assistants and substitutes, a new level III atrium and more sessions than ever before! Our atrium opened in 2021 with just 5 children in our level I atrium. It's hard to believe how much we have grown in just 6 years! Our little atrium is blooming in God's care! 

As the program continues to grow and change, it will be very important to stay grounded in prayer & seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Please join us as we pray our Novena from Friday, September 4th through Saturday, September 12th. It would be terrific to include your children in this prayer time because as the old saying goes “from their lips to God’s ears!” The Novena can be found using this link:

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Novena

I am looking forward to seeing the children in September. Forming new groups of children in the atrium is always a challenge, but also a gift. It’s a blessing to bring their hearts to Jesus!

God bless you all!

Karen