Description
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
Ps 23
The Jesus’ Shepherds path of evangelization aims to reach adolescents aged 11-15 years. Young people who have lived in the movement for a few years or not and who wish to pursue a journey of faith, will find in the Shepherds a place of growth and fraternity. While at the age of 6-12 the child learns to become a sheep, here the youngster learns to take care of the little ones. With Mary’s help, he cultivates in his heart the attitudes of the Good Shepherd. In the light of the Word of God, he takes a look at life’s great questions.
The Word of God is at the heart of every Shepherds of Jesus meeting.
24 hours of resourcing are offered to the different groups of Shepherds. They bring together young people from different regions to fraternize and develop a sense of belonging.
An apostolic project is suggested at the beginning of the year to allow adolescents to express themselves, to build something together, and to take their place in the Church.
Trainings
The people who accompany Jesus’ Shepherds on their spiritual journey have received specific training on spirituality and pedagogy specific to the Movement. They are adults who are concerned with transmitting their faith in Jesus Christ and/or young adults who have been walking through the Sheep of Jesus for several years.
Educational files
File 1: Heirs of the Alliance
The first file Heirs of Alliance includes 10 meetings of approximately two hours, which are introduced to the deepening of Psalm 23. It deals with the transmission of the faith from Abraham to the revelation of Jesus Chris, only begotten Son of God. It is a step towards rooting ourselves in our history. By presenting the great biblical figures, the youngster understands that God’s plan is to make a covenant with humanity through the people of Israel and that this covenant finds it fulfillment in Jesus Christ. As a unique person, he is invited to live an eternal covenant with God in Church. The figure of Abraham, the father of believers and that of David, the author of Psalm 23, are particularly elaborate.
At the end of those meetings, the youngster receives “the Shepherd’s bag”, which contains words of God deepened during the meetings.
File 2: The Lord is my Shepherd
The second file The Lord is my Shepherd includes 10 meetings of approximately 2 hours. It is a presentation of Psalm 23, verse by verse, connecting each to different aspects of human and Christian life, from a perspective of personal and ecclesial growth.
Thus, by deepening the verse “The Lord is my shepherd”, the conditions for following Jesus welcomed as the real Shepherd are highlighted. This verse also invites the participant to come into the presence of the Holy Trinity. In order to say “I shall not want”, the youngster discovers the secret of abandonment in the hands of his Shepherd. He lets Jesus free him from all the fear and give him peace to rest on meadows of fresh grass.
At the end of the psalm, the youngster receives a small crook, symbol of the Shepherds.
Logo
- The heart: Our Christian vocation is a vocation to love. Jesus commanded us to love one another as he loved us.
- The cross: It represents the Good Shepherd who accepts his passion and his death so that his sheep have life in abundance. Because Jesus is risen, the cross is glorious.
- A flock of sheep: A Shepherd is called to take care of the others around him, a brother, a sister, a friend, a classmate. Each youngster is invited to take his place as a little shepherd in his environment.
- The pasture and the crook: The pasture is a space where God makes us rest by feeding us with his Word and his sacraments. It is also the land of our mission. The crook is the symbol of the care and tenderness that the shepherd brings to his task. Because it identifies the shepherd as such, the crook is chosen as the Shepherd’s symbol.
- The rays: Love emanates from the rays. These take the color of each person according to their own charisma.
Testimonials
“By walking in the Shepherds, I got to know Jesus, but also to know myself.”
After 24 hours of resourcing: When I come here, it makes me wants to be better!”
“The memory of my passage in the Shepherds is very pleasant. The meetings were moments of happy exchange between youngsters and animators. We talked about our past and present experiences there and we were guided to make him a moral reflection for the growth of our spiritual life. I also remember youngsters for whom these activities had another added value: that of being comforted in difficult times by the instruction we were given of the Lord’s love and of the hope that must draw of it.”