Tracy Gaestel

Tracy discovered the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd while reading the first edition of The Religious Potential of the Child (which, in 1988, was going out of print). She fell in love with the method and content before knowing that it had an official name. She took her first workshop in 1989, and attended her first Level I formation in 1990 and 1991 at St. Mary’s College in South Bend, Indiana. Her first Level II and III formation courses were completed in 1992 and 1995 in Jackson, Mississippi. She has continually attended other courses over the years to keep current with the work.

Tracy started the atria and has been listening to God with the children at Church of the Angels in Pasadena, California since 1989. She is currently in a Level I atrium, and will be moving back to Level III next year.

Tracy is a founding member of the Southern California Catechists’ Association, a formation leader, and has served on the Board of the National Association since 1997, primarily in the office of Treasurer. During her tenure on the Board, she helped form the vision and goals document, was the chair of the Development Committee, the chair of the Finance Committee, the chair of Membership and started the Membership Services Committee and the Conventions Committee. She was the co-chair of the Materials Manual Project until the staff position of Materials and Resources Coordinator was created in 2008. She also led the Search Committee in its recent search for a new National Director and is currently mentoring newer members of the Board who are stepping into positions on the Executive Committee.

Professionally, Tracy is a reading specialist and first grade teacher, working with children from the inner city.

She is married to fellow catechist, Fr. Bob Gaestel. They have two grown children. Tracy and her husband feel extraordinarily blessed to be part of this work begun by Sofia and Gianna, and its continual spreading to the children of the world.
 

Brent Glasgow

Brent is an information technology professional with over 15 years experience. His focus has been implementing large systems for major companies while ensuring they drive business value and deliver strong returns on investment. For the last five years, he has served with ALSAC / St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis and is currently their Director of Quality and Planning. Brent is responsible for ensuring that their technology roadmap is aligned with their fundraising strategy, including project management, quality assurance, and vendor management.

In his home diocese of West Tennessee, Brent has served in various roles when needed. He directed a children’s choir following the curriculum of the Royal School of Church Music, has been a member of the Education and Formation Committee, and coordinated the weekly pastoral care outreach of a large parish. Brent has also spent the last four years as a catechist in a Level II atrium.

Brent's gifts are twofold. First, he brings a disciplined business approach to technology that manages fundraising, back office systems, communications, and brand awareness. As the Association continues to shape the future of its website, online publications, email, and mobile communication strategies, this gift is especially useful.

Second, Brent brings the gift of passion. He has seen at St. Jude that the committed work of a few courageous souls with God’s help can change the world. Brent believes that the ministry of CGS and the National Association can change lives in a similar way, and he is a fervent advocate of its expansion and adoption in more areas of God’s church.

Mary Heinrich

Mary began her journey with the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd in 2001 when her daughter was three years old. She has been trained in all three levels of the catechesis, and is a formation leader, working primarily in Level I and Level II courses. She works in a Level II atrium at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Urbandale, Iowa. Her involvement as catechist and formation leader has been a gift for her.

Mary has served as a Director of Faith Formation in the Catholic Church for twenty-four years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and a master’s degree in Pastoral Studies in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri. Mary currently serves as Co-Chair of the Board of the National Association, and she is also on the Membership Services Committee, CGS Fund Committee and the Publications Committee.

She is married to a material-making husband, Kurt. Her daughter, Clare, is anxious to be a trained catechist so that she may assist in a Level I atrium. When not immersed in CGS, Mary enjoys reading, art and spending time with her family.

Jo Ann Padgett

Jo Ann’s first encounter with Catechesis of the Good Shepherd was in 1986 when a friend presented Baptism I in their small, at-home prayer group. It was a moment of recognition of something wonderful, and the beginning of a life-long journey of discovery and delight.

Since then Jo Ann has shared this religious experience with uncounted numbers of children at all levels and in different atria. She began with her son, Travis, at Level I at St. John the Divine Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas when he was three years old. She and Travis grew up together through Levels II and III until the family moved to Boulder, Colorado. Travis moved on to middle school while Jo Ann set up a one-room atrium for the twelve children aged three through eleven who attended St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church. In 2006, she moved to Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church where she worked at Level I, Level II, and, for the past two years, at Level III. This year she will lead a Level I atrium at Sacred Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Boulder as well as continue to develop the Level III atrium at Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Over the years, Jo Ann has attended various trainings at all three levels of CGS. She became a formation leader in 2003 and was part of the first class to graduate with a Master of Pastoral Studies – Catechesis of the Good Shepherd in May, 2010 from Aquinas Institute of Theology. She was elected to the Board of the National Association in July, 2008.

In addition to the MAPS-CGS degree from Aquinas, Jo Ann holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Duke University, a master’s in Architecture from Rice University, and was certified as a primary Montessori Directress, AMS. She has worked as a computer programmer, a Montessori guide, and as Director of Children’s Ministry in both Houston and Boulder. She and her husband Tom have been married 35 years and have two children and three grandchildren. They enjoy hiking and biking in the foothills of Boulder.

Linda Sgammato

Linda was called to the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd in 1996 while coordinating a parish program for children with special needs. That was just the beginning of her “adventure.” Linda is a catechist for Levels I, II, and III, and she is also a formation leader for Level I courses. Linda is a member of the Catechetical Office staff of the Archdiocese of New York, where she has held the position of Director of Early Childhood and Special Religious Education since 1999.

Linda has served as a catechist in the Level I and II atria in her home parish in Beacon, New York as well as at several other parishes in the area. In her professional position, she oversees the formation of catechists of the Good Shepherd and spends time assisting and supporting their work in atria throughout the Archdiocese.

She continues to work with children with special needs and their families, introducing them to the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, which she regards as a particularly inclusive method of faith formation.

Linda is married to Nick and the mother of three children and two amazing granddaughters.