This book is a commemorative Journal from the National Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd USA, to honor Sofia Cavalletti, co-founder with Gianna Gobbi, of the Catechesis. It includes nine of Sofia's yearly contributions to the annual CGS Journal, and one by Francesca Cocchini, a catechist who worked with Sofia in her Rome atrium. This collection provides an understanding of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd through the eyes of Sofia Cavalletti. As stated in the Introduction by Karen Maxwell, a Board Member and Director of Formation, "This special Commemorative Journal allows Sofia's voice to remind us of the beauty, value, and gift of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. . . . This selection gives the opportunity to reflect upon some of the essential elements of the Catechesis. . . . We are reminded how Sofia always demonstrated a commitment and response to the child's religious life."

Dr. Sofia Cavalletti is one of the founders of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a Montessori-based approach to religious education. Dr. Cavalletti and her colleague Gianna Gobbi began to work in children’s religious formation in 1954, having been inspired by a discussion of scripture that Dr. Cavalletti had with several children. Dr. Cavalletti and Ms. Gobbi spent more than 50 years listening to and observing children in the context of a prepared religious environment called an atrium and, through this experience, explored the child’s capacity for relationship with God. Dr. Cavalletti’s insights and scholarship are documented through her books, which include The Religious Potential of the Child, The Good Shepherd and the Child: A Joyful Journey, The History of the Kingdom of God, Part 1: From Creation to Parousia (formerly titled History’s Golden Thread), The History of the Kingdom of God, Part 2: Building the Kingdom through Liturgy (formerly titled Living Liturgy), and Ways to Nurture the Relationship of God (co-authored with Patricia Coulter). Dr. Cavalletti received her degree in Hebrew and Comparative Semantic Languages from the Universita La Sapienza in Rome.