Born This Way: Children and Spirituality

How do you teach children about spirituality? Are they innately spiritual?

That's the idea behind a programme called The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.  It's a program designed to introduce children to God and spirituality in a holistic way, applying Montessori teaching principles to the Christian faith. 

The program was created 60 years ago in Rome by Sofia Cavalletti, a Hebrew-scripture scholar, and Gianna Gobbi, a teacher who trained with Maria Montessori. Through their work with children, they came to believe that children are naturally spiritual beings and just need a little time to explore it within themselves, at their own pace, in their own space. 

CBC Tapestry producer Rosie Fernandez visits an after-school session of The Good Shepherd at St. Justin Martyr Parish in Unionville to find out how kids are responding to this approach today. 

Dr. Lisa Miller, author of the book The Spiritual Child, is founder of the Spirituality Mind Body Institute, the first Ivy-League graduate program in spirituality and psychology. She has found scientific evidence that giving your child a strong spiritual foundation is the most important thing you can do for their long-term well-being.