About Us

The Guild of the Good Shepherd is a regional group, which supports and promotes the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) program by offering training course, workshops and related events. Though most of our members are Episcopal, the Guild enthusiastically includes fellow Christians from Roman Catholic and other Protestant churches in our formation classes and workshops.

The Guild’s Board is comprised of lay people and clergy from our members’ churches. (Check us out via the ‘So Who Are We?‘ link within the ‘About Us’ menu item.) We offer information on CGS and can direct or provide courses for anyone wishing to use this curriculum.

What the Guild offers:

  • Information on local, regional and national training opportunities.
  • Formation courses held at area churches in that is typically spread over a 10-month period.
  • Support in opening an atrium in your church. The Guild will offer consulting, training, resources and some grants to assist parishes in establishing this approach.
  • Support for those parishes and individuals that have established this program.
  • Workshops and speakers, who will introduce your church to the CGS.
  • Connection to and resources from the National Association.
  • Several material-making workshops throughout the calendar year.
  • Networking with other Catechists and parents.
  • Ongoing enrichment as a Catechist and development of your spiritual life.
  • Membership directory and mailings.
Presentation

Information:
The Guild is a wealth of information about the CGS program. We can come to you or you can come to us. We also have panels that give a succinct overview of CGS. The panels are portable and stand upright for displaying at your parish for meetings and the like. Please contact the Guild if you are interested in finding out more about the panels!

In the future the Guild will be able to provide information on what it takes to start up a CGS program. Besides information about training, you’ll find out what you should estimate for a yearly budget (which can be as little as $500-$700), receive a list of materials to get started with, and the like.

Training:
You may get training in any one of the 3 levels in the CGS program. There is Level I for ages 3-6, Level II for ages 6-9, and Level III for ages 9-12. Each course consists of more than 90 hours of training, which is spread over several months – usually one Saturday per month. However, it is not necessary to complete a whole course before beginning CGS in your parish. The amount of material taught in a course covers the full 3-year cycle of the level.

For information, you may contact the The Guild.