“O Lord, our Lord, how awesome is your name through all the earth! I will sing of your majesty above the heavens with the mouths of babes and infants. – Psalm 8:2-3a
“If we let ourselves become involved in the Word of God with children, we, too, can discover some fundamental values of the religious life.” – Sofia Cavalletti (Journals, Winter 1985)
“We do not lose childhood as that which recedes ever further into our past, that which remains behind as we advance forward in time, but rather we go toward it as that which has been achieved in time and redeemed forever in time. We only become the children whom we were because we gather up time – and in this our childhood too – into eternity. Throughout our entire life span… childhood may always remain open. And we may still have to go on living through our own childhood in our life taken as a whole because it always remains an open question for us.” Karl Rahner, “Ideas for a Theology of Childhood,” Theological Investigations, vol. 8
Ann Garrido joins us on the podcast today to speak about her new book Preaching With Children. Preaching in congregations with many children is one of the most difficult challenges many preachers face. Whether you are a priest, deacon, catechist, or prayer leader, this book offers practical help in crafting specific homilies for children. Drawing on insights gleaned within the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Garrido helps preachers understand key characteristics of childhood and children’s spirituality and presents ways to reflect on Scripture through the lens of the young child. Preachers will discover that they are preaching with children, rather than preaching to them.
Ann Garrido is associate professor of homiletics at Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, MO and founding director of the school’s Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies program with an emphasis on the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (MAPS-CGS). She has served as a catechist with children ages 3-12 since 1996. Ann is also a formation leader with the U.S Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for twenty-one years and a member of the association’s formation committee. She is the author of eight books, including Mustard Seed Preaching (LTP, 2003) and A Year with Sofia Cavalletti (LTP, 2017).
Garrido, Ann Preaching with Children
Garrido, Ann. A Year with Sofia Cavalletti (Chicago: LTP, 2018)
Garrido, Ann. Let’s Talk about Truth (ND: Ave Maria Press, 2020)
Ann Garrido’s personal website