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Becoming a Formation Leader
The sheep listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd, and He calls His sheep by name and leads them out. When He has brought out all His sheep, He goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow Him, because they know his voice… I came that they might have life and have it to the full.
 John 10:3-4, 10b; Little Gospel text
Thank you for your interest in the Formation Leader Discernment Process with the United States Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGSUSA). On behalf of the Formation Leader Discernment Team, we look forward to getting to know you! Â
As of February 2025, the Formation Leader Discernment Team has adopted a cohort model for discernment application submissions. The Formation Leader Discernment Application Form will be open for 12 weeks in 2025 from February 18 – May 30. You must sign in to your CGSUSA Member account to access this link between February 18 and May 30.Â
The CGSUSA Formation Leader Discernment Preliminary Interest form will remain available for:
- Those interested in becoming a CGSUSA Formation Leader but not yet prepared or who do not yet meet the criteria to enter the formal Formation Leader Discernment Process.
- Those who are inquiring about the Formation Leader Discernment Process from June 2025 to January 2026.
First review the Criteria for Determining a Catechist’s Readiness to Begin The Formation Leader Discernment Process below. This will offer guidance as you prepare to enter discernment. As always, the Qualities of a CGS Formation Leader remain essential.Â
Formation Leader discernment begins with you and includes the CGSUSA Formation Leader Discernment Team. We join with you to discern your readiness to take on this important role of sharing the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Although many people drawn to Catechesis of the Good Shepherd seek to serve children, not all who become catechists are called to be formation leaders. If you have read this far, you have already begun your own prayerful discernment about becoming a formation leader; therefore, we want to encourage you to continue listening to how God is calling you to this role. I’m happy to serve you in this process and look forward to getting to know you.
Grace and peace to you in Christ,
Karen Maxwell, Director of Formation
You may download a PDF Overview of the Formation Leader Discernment Application Process at the right. This document includes all the information shared on this webpage.Â
Criteria
1. It is best to begin this discernment process after you have been actively serving children as a catechist in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd at any level for at least seven years. The more experience you have gained in this work the better your readiness will be to begin as a formation leader. It is valuable, if possible, to gain experience working with children at all levels. The discernment process may take two to three years as it involves various experiences preparing for this role. Ultimately, this is still a discernment process, and the discernment is with the catechist, the Formation Leader Discernment Team, and even the community the catechist serves.
2. Every applicant will begin their Formation Leader discernment for recognition as a Level I Formation Leader. Like catechist formation in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level I is foundational for all other levels. It is also true for those who desire to become CGS Formation Leaders. Recognition as a Level I Formation Leader includes demonstrating that you have had at least three consecutive years serving children as a Level I catechist. Your experience needs to be within the most recent seven years. It is valuable to see the full three-year cycle of working with the children. This criterion -at least three consecutive years working with children – will also be true for recognition as a Level II or Level III Formation Leader. More years with the children in the atrium is always beneficial.
3. You must maintain an annual individual membership in the United States Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
4. You must have completed all three levels of CGS catechist formation (Level I: 3-6, Level II: 6-9, and Level III: 9-12) and received a certificate from CGSUSA. If it has been more than ten years since you completed Level I catechist formation, it is wise to consider auditing Level I catechist formation again. This is also true for Levels II and III should formation leader recognition be pursued at these levels. A new addition to this is also identifying the completion of the seminal Infant-Toddler Catechist Formation.
5. Your album for the level at which you seek recognition as a formation leader must be personally written and read by either the formation leader you had for that level or another CGSUSA-recognized formation leader. You do not need to complete all three personal albums at once in order to be recognized as a Level I Formation Leader. However, you will need to have your Level I personal album completed and read by a Level I formation leader as part of the Level I Formation Leader Discernment Process. Recognition as a formation leader at each level requires completing this criterion.
6. You will provide photos of the atrium environment at the level you are discerning recognition. The Formation Leader Discernment Team will look to see how well you have prepared and arranged the atrium environment and how the materials are prepared in light of the Materials Manual.
7. Observation experience in a Montessori school environment. It is valuable for a potential formation leader to have had some experience observing in an Association Montessori Internationale accredited Montessori School (AMI) or an American Montessori Society accredited Montessori School (AMS). Observation hours can be from 1 to 3 hours. Although we understand that observing in a Montessori school may not be feasible in some areas, providing information on any of the ways you have deepened your knowledge of Montessori’s principles of education regarding the child through reading her books, attending seminars, courses or viewing online webinars is helpful to know.
8.  Successive Levels of Recognition – Level I Formation Leaders need to have experience leading or co-leading two full Level I courses before seeking recognition as Level II Formation Leaders. Similarly, Level II Formation Leaders need to have experience leading or co-leading two full Level II courses before seeking recognition as Level III Formation Leaders. Only recognized Level I Formation Leaders may apply for recognition as Level II Formation Leaders. Only recognized Level II Formation Leaders may apply for recognition as Level III Formation Leaders.Â
Elements of a Discernment Application
·      CGSUSA Formation Leader Discernment Application – The primary application form, CGSUSA Formation Leader Discernment Application, is available (open to new applications) during the first half of the year. This application is divided into 8 main sections.
·      Individual Membership Fee paid to CGSUSA – All those in the Formation Leader Discernment Process and Formation Leaders are required to maintain an individual membership in CGSUSA, at $50.00. If there is a reason why this cannot be done, please contact Karen Maxwell.
·      Online Application Fee (Level I Formation Leader Recognition Only) -A one-time $25 application fee is required for all applicants seeking recognition as Level I Formation leaders who are accepted into the discernment process. You will receive an invoice by email which is payable by credit card, ACH, or check. (No application fee is required for recognition at additional levels.)
·      Ministry Reflection and Portfolio –After your Formation Leader Discernment Application has been received and reviewed, you will receive an email from the Formation Leader Discernment Team. If your application meets the necessary criteria to advance to the next phase of the discernment process, that email will include a link to the Ministry Reflection and Portfolio Form. You will be asked to upload (a Word or PDF document) in response to several Ministry Reflection Questions, upload photos of your atrium environment and materials, and upload a few sample album pages.  The photos are intended to show the committee how well you have a theological understanding of the materials as they are arranged in the atrium and how the atrium materials are prepared considering the Materials Manual. For Level I, catechists can assess their atrium in light of the Level I Prepared Atrium Environment Overview document that will be provided.
·      Letters of Reference (Submitted by those whom you’ve identified on your Discernment Application) – You will ask three people who know you and your work in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd to submit Letters of Reference on your behalf. One of these three people needs to be a recognized CGSUSA formation leader. Another could be the priest or a person on staff at your parish or school as long as they know your work as a CGS catechist. These individuals will receive an email with a link to the online Letter of Reference form to complete and submit on your behalf.
·      Album Reader Response Form (Submitted by the CGSUSA Formation Leader reviewing your album) – Once a CGSUSA formation leader has personally written and reviewed your personal album, the formation leader must complete an Album Reader Response Form. This form is accessible to all CGSUSA Formation Leaders.
·      Montessori Observation (Optional, but highly encouraged) – If possible, you are encouraged to observe children in a Montessori school environment. Use the Montessori Observation Form from your catechist formation or request from the Office of Formation. Take notes. You will then be asked to respond to reflection questions based on your observations.
·    Course Mentor Reflection – After serving as a Course Assistant for at least one catechist formation, the Formation Leader(s) of the catechist formation will submit a reflection of your time as an assistant.
·    Course Assistant Assistant Reflection –After serving as a Course Assistant for at least one catechist formation, you will submit a reflection of your time as an assistant.
If you would like to submit a Formation Leader Discernment application to enter the next phase of your discernment process, please review the Elements of the Formation Leaders Discernment Application page carefully in its entirety.  This page provides downloadable documents and more information to help guide you in preparing to complete and submit the application. All those seeking recognition, whether as Level I Formation Leaders or at advanced levels of recognition, will access the same form. Different fields are presented to the applicant based on the level of recognition selected.
Should you have any questions, please Contact Us.
Preparing to begin the Formation Leader Discernment Process
What you can do if you do not yet meet the application criteria or if the application window is currently closed.Â
Gain experience as a catechist: Continue to gain experience working with children in the atrium.
Audit another CGS Catechist Formation: If you completed your catechist formation ten years ago at the level you would like to be recognized as a formation leader and received a CGSUSA certificate, consider auditing another course at that level.
Write your personal catechist album so that it can be ready to be reviewed by a mentor formation leader.
Observe in a Montessori primary (for Level I) or elementary (for Levels II and III) at an AMI or AMS-accredited school. (Take notes. Montessori Observation Form)