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Benefits of Good Shepherd Catechesis among Children with Intellectual Disabilities in Kenya
by
Sahaya G. Selvam
Lucia Munyiva
Abstract
Since Martin Luther, religious education has largely been identified with catechism that used question and answer method, particularly in the Catholic church. For a person with intellectual disability, this offers a grave difficulty in religious formation. Could there be alternatives? The present study aimed at exploring the benefits of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) for children living with intellectual disabilities. The participants were 23 children and 9 care-givers in a Catholic context in Kenya. Observation guides and interviews were used to collect data that showed that children with intellectual disabilities had the ability to spontaneously relate with the spiritual world, and in some cases, with Jesus. The findings confirmed that the CGS offers children with special needs the space, tools, and time to get in touch with […]
Month: October 2018
Global Innovations on Character Development
24 Oct 2018. The Symposium on Global Innovations for Character Development has kicked off at the Safari Park hotel, Nairobi. Selvam is currently participating in the two day Symposium (24th-25th October 2018).
He was invited on his personal capacity as a researcher on character strengths in the African continent, to this specialized forum being organized by the Institute of Human Development at the Aga Khan University, Nairobi. The event is jointly funded by The Aga Khan Foundation and The Templeton World Charity Foundation. Selvam will be making a presentation among the 45 invited specialists at the forum on the topic of Character Grooming of Youth.
Earlier during the year, Selvam was also invited to the 1st African Conference on Positive Psychology held at the North-West University, South Africa. At that conference, Selvam […]
Sermon for 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B: Version 2
30th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B
Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me (Mk 10: 47)
The gospel story of this Sunday has many meaningful aspects for meditation. For another version of my reflection on this gospel story <<CLICK HERE>>.
In the reflection below I focus on this powerful prayer: “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me”, which is also referred to as the “Jesus Prayer”. The devotion of using this prayer in contemplative practice originated in Egypt in the 3rd Century CE among the earliest groups of Christian monks popularly known as “Desert Fathers and Mothers”. It simply consisted in repeating continuously a version of this prayer: “Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner.” It was for the purpose of this prayer […]