Dr. Jerome Berryman’s classroom

The Center for the Theology of Childhood supports training, academic offerings, research,curriculum and material development, and publications in the field of childhood spirituality. The Center offers both virtual and physical spaces to facilitate research and development. The Center’s physical spaces include a library, an archive, and Dr. Berryman’s original Godly Play room. The library is home to over 4,000 books related to Godly Play. The collection includes resources from a variety of fields which inform the practice of Godly Play including classical theology, mystical theology, philosophy (especially the existentialists), ethics, child development, Montessori, play, silence, laughter, tears, religious education, and the history of childhood. The archive houses a collection of Jerome Berryman’s publications and important historical documents related to Godly Play and the Foundation. Dr. Berryman’s original Godly Play room, hosted by St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church in South Denver, continues to serve as a sacred space for children of the parish to experience Godly Play every Sunday.

The program for visiting fellows of the Center was inaugurated 2009 when Dr. Brendan Hyde from the Australian Catholic University was in residence for a month. His work resulted in the book, The Search for a Theology of Childhood:  Essays by Jerome W. Berryman from 1978-2009 (2013).  Many scholars from around the world have visited the Center since the beginning of this program.

In January 2016, The Rev. Dr. Cheryl V. Minor, Ph.D. was named Director of the Center for the Theology of Childhood. Cheryl directs and coordinates the training, publishing, academic, and research activities of the Center with the support of the Center’s Senior Fellow, Founder Rev. Dr. Jerome Berryman.