The Blessed Virgin Mary is so many things to us: she is our mother, our help, our comfort, and our joy. She is our model disciple; she is the “untier of knots.” She is also our model catechist. Here are three ways we can be more like Mary as catechists. 1. Say “Yes.” When I invite parishioners to prayerfully consider becoming a catechist, their first response is often “Who, me?” followed by expressions of doubt, […]
Create a saints mobile with children to explore the lives of holy men and women of God. From Our Lady, Mother of Africa to Saint Joan of Arc and Saint Sebastian, the saints represented in this downloadable activity are all featured in Loyola Kids Book of Seasons, Feasts, and Celebrations by Amy Welborn. Each medallion for the mobile includes a picture of a saint on one side and room for facts about the saint or […]
From time to time, we Catholics find ourselves having to explain our relationship with the saints to those who are non-Catholic, especially our Protestant brothers and sisters. While all Christians honor the saints to some degree, we Catholics can be really “over-the-top” in our devotion to the saints. (And I mean that in a good way!) Our devotion to the saints is revealed in our love for icons, statues, relics, medals, litanies, prayers, novenas, and […]
Explore saints stories associated with animals, weather, and the produce of the land. Our patron saints match sheet and online game can help. From protection against storms to the protection of bees and gardeners, the patronages of the featured saints are great to learn about in a lesson on care for creation or All Saints Day. Challenge fellow catechists to test their knowledge of the saints too! Learn about the featured saints and many more […]
Our Lady. Blessed Virgin. Queen of Heaven. Madonna. Maria. Mary. The mother of Jesus and the Church is known by many names, which reflect just how revered she is all over the world. The importance of Mary as Mother of God lies not only in that Mary was the woman who gave birth to Jesus, but in that she was the one who had faith in God and freely said yes to participate in God’s […]
This is part four of a series exploring saints who lived as missionary disciples. Jesus called ordinary people to become his disciples, and through the gift of faith, they accomplished many extraordinary feats. He transformed simple fishermen and merchants into men and women who utterly altered the society in which they lived. We might not think we are capable of the same kinds of miraculous deeds, but we are. If the thought of carrying out […]
This is part three of a series exploring saints who lived as missionary disciples. Often called “Mary of the Gael,” St. Brigid of Ireland is one of Ireland’s most beloved saints and was an important part of my life growing up in Ireland. The parish church in my hometown is called St. Brigid Parish, and we celebrated her feast day on February 1 by making St. Brigid’s crosses and welcoming the coming spring. Much of […]
Six African Americans are on the path to canonization as Catholic saints. Learn about these inspiring men and women of God through our Black Catholics on the Road to Sainthood activities pack. The pack includes video suggestions with the brief biographies of: Venerable Pierre Toussaint Venerable Mother Mary Lange Venerable Henriette Delille Venerable Father Augustus Tolton Servant of God Julia Greeley Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA After learning about these holy people, complete […]
When I was in parish ministry, our faith community was gradually becoming more ethnically diverse. When a nearby parish was closed and merged into our parish, a small but vibrant community of Black Catholics added to the richness of our diversity. While making plans to welcome our new parish members, I realized that not one of the images of saints in our church and parish center were people of color! For All Saints Day that […]
While many of us folks of a certain age think of Pope St. John Paul II as a contemporary, many of our young people probably would consider him as “ancient history.” After all, he passed away in 2005, which means that none of our pre-K through grade 8 children have a living memory of him. Likewise, those college-age young adults who may have vague memories of him from their childhood probably only recall him as […]
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