SMYRNA—Three lay ministers from the Archdiocese of Atlanta were selected to participate in a year-long continuing education program through the University of Notre Dame that focuses on the formation of children. 

The initiative, called Contours of Wonder, invites participants to study how children are formed in today’s digital world and to develop practical ideas for parish ministry that foster children’s participation in worship, said Lesley Kirzeder, program director at the McGrath Institute for Church Life at Notre Dame. 

“When we move at the pace that we move through the world, we often see the world as something to consume and dominate to our best use,” Kirzeder said. “We start to see the world as something to be scrolled by or swiped through quickly. A sacramental vision invites us to slow down and see things in the world as a gift, and seek then, who is the giver of this gift.” 

Shannon Civetta, team leader for family faith formation at St. Peter Chanel Church, Roswell, teaches a youngster about adoration. Civetta is one of three Atlanta area catechists selected to participate in the Contours of Wonder cohort of the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame. Photo Courtesy of St. Peter Chanel Church

Last December, the archdiocese hosted a workshop in partnership with the McGrath Institute for Church Life that began the conversation about children’s formation. The next step in the initiative was selecting a 20-person cohort from numerous dioceses to take a deeper look at the subject, Kirzeder said. Following a series of weekly lessons, each cohort participant will develop a capstone project intended to transform children and family ministry. 

Contours of Wonder is funded by a $1.25 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. Directors of religious education, principals, catechists, music ministers and others working with children can participate. 

Cohort participant Shannon Civetta, team leader for family faith formation at St. Peter Chanel Church in Roswell, said the Contours of Wonder program will complement recent changes that her parish made to focus family ministry around the Eucharist as central to the faith. She has noticed that parents lack an understanding of the Mass and need more guidance for bringing the faith into the home during the week. 

AJ Cervantes, director of religious education and evangelization at St. Andrew Church in Roswell, said parents in his parish are also seeking practical tips for teaching their children about the church. He’s eager to learn from others in the program and at Notre Dame as he thinks about how parents can be catechized. 

“As a catechist for more than 20 years, my experience is that kids who stay in the church come from families that know and live their faith. Kids have to hear it and see it,” Cervantes said. 

Maureen Lilly, leader of elementary faith formation at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Newnan, will also take part in the cohort. She’s hoping to learn how to have more touchpoints with families between baptism and first communion. It’s too common for families to baptize infants and not be part of family programming again until children reach kindergarten or first grade, she said. 

“I’m hoping to gain the knowledge to best support our community, to be there as a support and guide during those early years,” Lilly said. 

Maureen Lilly is one of three local participants in the Contours of Wonder co-hort.

Michele McHale-Pickard, who leads catechesis and certification for the Archdiocese of Atlanta’s Office of Evangelization and Discipleship, said she anticipates that lessons and ideas from the three cohort members will extend out to even more parishes in the archdiocese. 

“Hopefully, the cohort can come up with programs that can be adapted, used or act as a springboard for other parishes, too. Parishes don’t have to reinvent the wheel but refine it for their parish community,” McHale-Pickard said. 

Parishes can do more to support parents and help them form children into disciples, she said. By participating in Contours of Wonder, the archdiocese has access to ideas from leaders across the country who are all thinking about the same aspect of catechesis, she said.  

The cohort will gather at Heritage retreat center in Sharon in February 2026 to begin their capstone projects. The projects will be presented at Notre Dame in June.