Meggie Langlois admits that her involvement with Catechesis of the Good Shepherd started because she needed a break. When her oldest children were 4 and 5, she homeschooled her 5-year-old and felt overwhelmed and tired. She noticed what she called “the holy moms” sent their kids to Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. She had no idea what it was, but if moms she trusted in her homeschooling group sent their children there, she would do the same.
She remembers the day her older children came home from a class singing “the liturgical color song,” which describes the colors the Church uses for different liturgical seasons. “I figured if I was going to be able to catechize my children, I needed to know more than they did,” Langlois said.
Meggie Langlois
By the time her youngest was 3 and attended the classes for level one (ages 3 through 5), Langlois assisted in his room, then did so for levels two (ages 6, 7 and 8) and three (ages 9 through 12). She became a trainer for level one.
In addition to serving as a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd teacher and trainer, Langlois has been a faculty member at St. Agnes School in St. Paul since 2018. She recently joined “Practicing Catholic” radio show host Patrick Conley to discuss the catechetical program.
Montessori-based Catechesis of the Good Shepherd centers on two pillars: Scripture and liturgy, Langlois said.
“Our focus really is on the relationship with God,” Langlois said. She said the Catechesis classroom, called the atrium, is similar to eucharistic adoration, as “it’s quiet and people are praying and being thoughtful,” and has been compared to a retreat-like experience.
“It’s basically working on the relationship with God as well as learning our faith,” she said.
Materials relating to the parable of the Good Shepherd include 10 small wooden sheep and a shepherd with a sheep on his shoulders, Langlois said. The story of the Good Shepherd leading the sheep out and then back to the sheepfold is often recreated in her atrium, she said. She recalled the time a younger student was putting the work away and said out loud that “the sheep wanted to be so close to Jesus all the time, and so do I.”
“More than the words the children use, it’s the expression on their faces when they realize that they have this understanding of how deep this love that the Good Shepherd has for them is,” Langlois said.
To learn more about Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and where it’s offered, visit cgsusa.org. Langlois said listeners can email her questions at [email protected].
To hear the full interview, tune in to the 9 p.m. Aug. 19 “Practicing Catholic” show, which repeats at 1 p.m. Aug. 20 and 2 p.m. Aug. 21 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM. Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes interviews with Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis, who discusses the importance of faith formation for young people and adults; and a reprised interview from September 2021 with Emily Abe, 27, who describes her conversion to the Catholic faith and how digital media and graphic design can serve the new evangelization.
Listen to their interviews after they have aired at:
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