Becoming a catechist in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a “whole person” work, requiring head, hands, and heart. Studying scripture and the sacraments, learning a Montessori approach to the child, making materials (often learning to sew or use a saw in the process), and cleaning and preparing the atria are all a part of the formation.

For many adults, one of the most difficult yet most essential lessons is learning how to "observe" the child.  In "The Spirit of the Catechesis: 32 Points of Reflection" Sofia Cavalletti makes her very first point: "The catechist observes and studies the vital needs of the child and the manifestation of those vital needs according to the developmental stage of the child." 

Taste and See: Savoring the Child's Wisdom is a major contribution to helping catechists learn what it means to "observe" the child: to see, listen to, trust, and savor the child's words and activities for what they reveal to us about the religious life of the child.

And they go further. Each essay springs from a child's response or prayer, which stirred the author, a catechist with 20 years experience, to ponder the deeper theological truths the child's words express. They are living examples of the wisdom, hidden from the wise and clever, yet made known the children. They remind us that it truly is the child who will lead us.

Anyone--catechist, teacher, parent, friend--who is engaged with children will be inspired and guided by these essays. 

Paperback, 6 x 9