After a special meditation during her preparation for First Communion, Gianna came home filled with enthusiasm.
“It was so fun!” she told her mother.
That may not be the response most adults expect after a time of quiet prayer. But Gianna’s joy revealed something deeper. She was not simply learning information about God. She was growing in a living relationship with Jesus.
Her mother has also watched her become more confident in making choices, trying unfamiliar things, and expressing herself with freedom and peace. Because the adults around her honor the small decisions she makes each day, Gianna is learning to use her freedom well.
This is the quiet work of formation: helping a child know that she is loved by God, trust the gifts He has placed within her, and respond to His voice with joy.
Good Shepherd Circle members help make moments like these possible.
Children are growing up in a world filled with noise, pressure, distraction, and uncertainty. They need more than information. They need places where they can encounter what is real, beautiful, peaceful, and true.
At John XXIII Montessori Center, children are given time to wonder, work with purpose, grow in responsibility, and listen for the voice of the Good Shepherd.
They encounter Christ in the silence and beauty of the Atrium. They learn through meaningful work that engages their hands, minds, and hearts. They are accompanied by adults who respect their dignity and trust that God is already at work within them.
This formation helps children grow into young people who know they are loved, use their freedom well, and recognize that their lives have a God-given purpose.
The Good Shepherd Circle is a growing community of families, grandparents, alumni, and friends who provide steady monthly support for the mission of John XXIII Montessori Center.
Members do not fund only one classroom, material, or project. Together, they strengthen the full daily life of formation: the guides, catechists, prepared environments, Montessori materials, prayer, meaningful work, and community life that serve children and families throughout the year.
Each monthly gift becomes part of a dependable foundation beneath the mission.
The amount may be modest or substantial. What matters most is the faithful commitment to walk alongside the children and families of John XXIII.
The image of the Good Shepherd stands at the heart of John XXIII.
In the Atrium, children encounter Jesus as the Shepherd who knows each of them by name, calls them gently, and delights in them. They discover that they are already loved and invited into a living relationship with Him.
Members of the Good Shepherd Circle help sustain the environments where children can hear His voice and respond to His call.
Just as the Good Shepherd faithfully cares for His sheep, Circle members surround this work with faithful care, month after month.
Some gifts meet an immediate need or make a particular project possible. Monthly gifts serve a different purpose.
They provide dependable support for the work that continues every day:
Preparing peaceful and beautiful learning environments
Supporting guides and catechists as they accompany children
Caring for Montessori and Atrium materials
Sustaining the rhythms of prayer, learning, work, and community life
Helping the mission remain strong through seasonal changes in giving
Monthly support creates stability. Stability allows John XXIII to plan responsibly, care well for the people and environments entrusted to us, and remain focused on the formation of children.
When many people make a faithful monthly commitment, their gifts become a strong and sustainable foundation for the mission.
Choose Your Monthly Commitment
Every monthly gift strengthens the daily work of formation. Choose the level that is right for you and your family.
The examples below illustrate how different levels of monthly support contribute to the whole mission. Your gift will be used where it can most effectively serve the children and families of John XXIII.
$15 per month
A Faithful Beginning
Strengthens the environments where children pray, learn, work, and grow in joyful freedom.
$25 per month
Steady Support Throughout the Year
Helps provide a full year of Atrium curriculum materials: the beautiful, handcrafted works that help a child hear the voice of the Good Shepherd.
$50 per month
A Deeper Investment in Formation
Helps support trained adults in maintaining the daily rhythms that serve children and families.
$100 per month
Leadership Monthly Support
Provides substantial, dependable support for the full work of Catholic Montessori formation.
A different amount may be the right choice for you. Whether your gift is $5, $25, $100, or more each month, your faithful partnership matters.
The work sustained by Good Shepherd Circle members is often quiet: a child absorbed in meaningful work, a prayer offered in the Atrium, a guide patiently observing, or a moment of joy shared within the community.
Take a few minutes to see what this formation looks like in the daily life of John XXIII.
The formation of a child unfolds slowly: one prayer, one choice, one act of meaningful work, and one loving relationship at a time.
Your monthly gift helps ensure that children continue to encounter Christ, grow in joyful freedom, and discover the purpose God has placed within them.
Childhood is sacred. Formation matters. We would be honored to welcome you into the Good Shepherd Circle.
