A Monastic Experience

After our first summer experiencing CGS formation at the beautiful Conception Abbey and Seminary College, we wondered why we ever have formation courses anywhere else! The tempo of monastic life, the spontaneous movement from prayer to work and back to prayer, and the beauty of our surroundings melded together into an enriching, faith experience.

As monks crept in and out of the formation room to observe this new thing that was taking place on their grounds, we enjoyed the fruit of our labor: the first atrium ever set up at Conception.

Our welcome was so warm, the reception of the monks and guests as well as Abbot Benedict, that we are thrilled to be invited again to offer a Level I Complete Formation Course beginning Summer 2019.

Check out some of these pictures from our last course! We have one weekend remaining (Thurs-Sun before Thanksgiving and there are limited auditing spots available if you want to join us!

We loaded up the van (with collapsible shelving!)

I guess this is the before picture

Participants joined the monks for prayer for Vespers each day

We hung these signs to help the curious know what was going on!

Demystifying materials making is a special gift offered to the participants. :)

The Formation Team! Ms. Lynn (materials specialist), me, and Ms. Maureen, my assistant!

It is always a special blessing to hang out with the monks!

Our first weekend we had a seminarian sit in with us the whole time!

Talk about surprise blessings, I was able to take my daughter and two other girls to Conception the next week for a First Communion retreat!

 

What Makes a House a House?

Just a little tidbit I learned this spring: Gianna always said that a house isn't a house if it doesn't have a table. Use your discretion and watch the children carefully, but you may want to add a table to your Annunciation materials, your Visitation materials, the Merchant's House, the Found Coin (Level II), and maybe other works as well!

According to Lynn (my catechist friend who is especially blessed in materials making), these little tables can be very expensive, so you may want to make them yourself!

Christ has Died, Christ is Risen

I remember the day that I learned I was supposed to say "Christ has died, Christ is Risen" as I light the candles during the Altar presentation. I thought I completely missed this important point in training and have been doing it for several years now. Humility, humility.

Well, as part of the growing "closet of humility" in my understanding of CGS, I will again add this practice. While you may at some point say those words while lighting candles, it is not a practice that you should feel compelled to do. It isn't really connected to the direct aim of the presentation and Rebekah R. was surprised when she was asked about the practice as she had never done it or heard of it (she studied with Sofia!) She said that this isn't a liturgical presentation, it is a nomenclature presentation, so it doesn't seem appropriate to say it every time. It isn't inappropriate, it just doesn't seem necessary.

So there you go!

How it all began in Sofia's words...

I'm beginning to use these treasures in my courses and didn't want you all to miss out.

A Special Treat

You can find treasures and videos on the National Website! 

I hope you are a member!!

Why is the stole worn under the chasuble?

Someone asked me in a course about this, as sometimes priests wear the stole outside the chasuble. Is this incorrect? Why must it be worn under?

I shared the joke that a priest friend told me that wearing the stole on the outside of the chasuble is like wearing your underwear outside your pants, but last weekend I learned a better reason.

The priest who was teaching his congregation about vesting prayers and the vestments taught that the stole represents the authority of the priest/bishop. The chasuble is final garment donned and is worn only at Eucharistic celebrations. The chasuble represents LOVE. Over all of these things (and especially the exercise of authority represented by the stole), we "put on love" (cf: Colossians 3:4). The deacon wears the stole over his shoulder (like a waiter with a towel on his shoulder) to represent his service.

This does not mean that you need to change your album page, but for your information!

So there you go!

Practical Life

Several friends have completed their 3-6 Montessori training and I'm told that practical life takes up about a week of their formation program. Since we barely have a full day of practical life background and examples in a Level I course, it is definitely a place to spend more time learning how to do it well in your atrium.

I found this playlist that gives some good examples. We don't need to be Montessorians, of course, but I think that a catechist with a good grasp of this area of formation has better tools to meet the needs of various children and leads to happier and more peaceful children in our atria.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7n8-uJamB0e14qzv0Fil_xT4Jeo2IARp

A catechist told me recently that the children were "done" with practical life by January, but she found that the children were restless in her atrium. Remember that practical life needs to grow with the children (so take it out when they are just "playing" and not working. It shows they've grown out of it!) Especially if you have a 2 hour atrium session, you will need more advanced practical life to help the children shift and reset after a preliminary work period. 

Keeping You Posted!

I've been thinking for a while now about starting a newsletter of sorts to keep you all updated on CGS happenings and continued developments in my own understanding of CGS (read: to correct stuff I may have told you wrong!) Then I realized that a blog might be the easiest way to answer questions quickly, organize them by labels so that you can find answers you need again, and be accessible to everyone (not just those on Facebook!)

So! Here's my go at it! I'm excited to find a way to keep in touch with you all. I am starting a FB page, too, called Forever in Formation and you can ask questions there. I told you that I am your formation leader forever and that I will always be there for you. I hope this will help me keep that promise!