November- The Holy Souls

It's fun to plan in advance weeks before (Halloween and ) All Saint's day, for the kids to look forward to this day and learn about their saint and prepare! 

I love All Saint's Day! On this very special day, we celebrate all those that lived holy lives for God. It is important to remember that each saint lived a holy life by being who God created in the unique person and the unique talents that God gave each of them. Each person has their own narrow path to heaven in this world, amongst all the easy wide sinful paths.  In advance, to prepare for this day, we learn about the saints in Liturgical Living, and looking into other saints.  It is so much fun to help the kids find their favorite saint to be for (Halloween and) All Saints Day. I decided that it was way more fun, Liturgical, less pagan and a wonderful example to others to be Saints on both on Halloween, a day that is usually dedicated for witches and goblins.  It's wonderful when people ask who someone is, and learn something new and holy! 

Role models are important in our lives. Kids like to look up to others, and so they need good examples, and should have holy examples to look up to. Learning about the Saints throughout the out the year, and All Saints Day are great opportunities to direct them in finding holy role models. I love this quote by Saint Clare of Assisi! 

“We become what we love and who we love shapes what we become. If we love things, we become a thing. If we love nothing, we become nothing. Imitation is not a literal mimicking of Christ, rather it means becoming the image of the beloved, an image disclosed through transformation. This means we are to become vessels of God's compassionate love for others.” 

So, given the choice between celebrating the ever-changing false superheroes (some even have become "woke"), and the real superheroes of heaven, the best choice is a saint, for our kids and for us to look up to and be inspired by. 

I had a lot of fun making this baby Saint Mother Teresa! Everyone loves a good Child Mother Teresa picture! 

We love making these prayer book marks. There are so many great prayers and quotes by different saints. It is fun to combine the Saint Patrick’s Day activity with this! We select our favorite prayers or quotes, print them out, place the dried flowers and leaves over them, and laminate them! This is great for Saint Terese of Lisieux as well! You can also have the kids color in small images of the said tight the quote and use those as bookmarks! They make a great (Christmas) gift from a child! 

On All Souls Day, we pray for the faithful departed souls to be united with our Lord in heaven. It is a dedicated day to honor and remember the dead.  It is a good tradition to go visit a cemetery or a loved one in a particular cemetery. 

Today, and this month, we the Church Militant, all warriors in the spiritual battle to get to heaven, which is the Church Triumphant, offer our prayers for Church Penitent, those in purgatory that cannot pray for themselves to also become a part of the Church Triumphant in heaven. 

Church Triumphant those that have triumphed to get to heaven.

Church Militant all of us in the frontlines in the spiritual battle to triumph for heaven. This is why we say, “Saint Michael defend us in Battle!” 

Church Penitent those in purgatory that need our prayers to become a part of the 

Church Triumphant in heaven. 

We all want to be the Church Triumphant, the ones that have won and triumphed to get to heaven, the ultimate destination. 

Through this we can learn more in depth what intercessory prayer is and how important it is not just for the dead, but also for the living. We will encounter many people that have nobody to pray for them. Mother Teresa said that if we judge someone, we have no time to love them, the same goes that if we are judging someone, we have no time to pray for them. We should turn our judgment into prayers, and always pray for the holiness of others, always. 

Our prayers make a difference! 

From the Old Testament in The Bible:

"It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins" (2 Maccabees 12: 46).

Also, from the catechism of the Catholic Church: 

We believe in the communion of all the faithful of Christ, those who are pilgrims on earth, the dead who are being purified, and the blessed in heaven, all together forming one Church; and we believe that in this communion, the merciful love of God and his saints is always [attentive] to our prayers (CCC, 962).

The prayers are particularly directed for the souls who are being purified in Purgatory, waiting for the day when they will join the saints in heaven. The celebration of Mass is the highest means the Church can provide for charity for the dead, however we can also ease their sufferings through our prayers, penances though our own suffering and prayers that have their own indulgences attached to them!

Family Activity

On all souls day the most wonderful thing that you can do is go to the cemetery as a family. The cemetery should not be seen as a scary place. This is a great opportunity for your children to offer prayers for the dead as a beautiful act of charity! 

Pray the Eternal Rest Prayer. 

Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Make a Tombstone Rubbing!

An amazing opportunity for an act of Charity that you shouldn’t miss as a family. 

Bring a crayon and this paper. Make a rubbing of a headstone or more. It’s fun to let the kids choose. As an act of charity, pray for this person! 

Here are the supplies you will need for December. Get them early! 

Advent Candles

I wish I had known this a long time ago. I can’t tell you how many times I tried to get advent candles last minute, just to have them sold out.

Advent Wreath 

Advent Prayers

you can print from my website in December. I like to Laminate mine, and keep it near the Kitchen table. 

Tape, scissors, (tags )and wrapping paper and wrapping paper storage container like this one, and I love it! It neatly holds all my wrapping essentials. No matter how prepared I am, there are always last-minute gifts and things, and it is so wonderful to get my container out that is all neat and organized! https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Storage-Organizer-Under-Bed-Container/dp/B07KWBSS5T/ref=sr_1_22?crid=3RCLN60RELBSI&keywords=wrapping+paper+tube+organizer&qid=1636288779&sprefix=wrapping+paper+tubeorganizer%2Caps%2C102&sr=8-22

Make your Christmas list! We write down all the people we will be getting gifts for! We write the gift idea next to their name and as we get it, and we refer to this list. Ordering online now is so convenient. If you do it early enough. 

Get your shopping done early! 

Consider supporting smaller Catholic/Christian stores. It’s so easy to just want to do something like prime. Get your shopping done before Advent! 

Keep your gifts in 1 spot! 

I have a couple boxes in a spot where the kids cannot access them. I just put all the gifts in there to keep things streamlined and organized. 

Complete your Christmas shopping, so you can focus on Advent and the reason for the season, not shopping. Every year, somehow things would feel out of control between Thanksgiving and Christmas and shopping. The shopping aspect would become very stressful and not enjoyable, more like a chore. This was not done in the right spirit of giving and excitement of the birth of our Savior.  Just in my adult life, my mom in law gave me the gift of inspiration of doing the majority of Christmas shopping before thanksgiving before the busy time of the year, so that I could be done with most of it, and ENJOY being with the family and FOCUS on Advent and all the other fun activities, crafts and festivities STRESS FREE! Try it! It is life changing! You wont go back! 

Do you do Christmas cards? 

They seem to take a long time, and all the coupons are always before Thanksgiving. Make your Christmas Card with your favorite picture! Or if you don’t have any favorites, make a point to take a picture after church when you are all dressed up, or with friends taking turns! There are lots of great ways! 

The end of October or beginning of November is a great time to take family pictures if you want to have them annually for Christmas cards. I have found that planning it in plenty of time is very pleasant to have plenty of time to pick out the right photo, pick out the right card, have them printed and get them labeled and sent for Advent. Procrastinating especially during Advent never feels good or right.
The last years, we have coordinated with friends to dress up and to meet somewhere pretty like the beach and take pictures of each other's family. Taking pictures shouldn't be stressful or expensive. Doing it with friends makes it more easy going and fun! If you cannot find time, before or after church would be a great time, as everyone is already dressed up! 

Feast day celebration box

I like to have a separate tupperware box set apart for every month where I put the things I will need for the month for feast days in advance and organized!

Know where your Christmas decorations are, and make sure you have what you need! Get Christmas decorations out on Advent! We put up the main nativity décor to really set the tone. 

Our lady of Loreto gingerbread house kits

Paint trays- I am a huge fan of these! These are great for portion control and decorating cakes, cookies, or any kind of craft with variety and portion control.

Go through my December, and see if any of these traditions interest you! They are good ones! Order them before Advent! 

An Advent activity family plan! 

Make the most of your Advent! Make it special! Make it holy, by making it Christ centered!

Especially if you or your kids are making time consuming things from scratch, do yourselves a favor and start early! Do it for Christ. It is never a bad time or a bad reason to do something for the anticipation of the birth of our savior even before Advent! 

Saint Josephat was baptized, raised and ordained to Holy Orders as a Monk in present day Ukraine in the Catholic Church. He had a devotion to Mary and virginity. He was known as a holy man. There was much sociopolitical and ecclesiastical rivalry between the Catholics and Orthodox, and Saint Josephat tried to bring peace and reunification. Many did not like that, so one day a gang of Orthodox Christians killed him and threw him in a river. When His body was recovered, it was seen glowing! Many miracles were attributed to his intercession. Saint Josephat's sacrifice became a blessing as regret and sadness over his death converted many toward reunification with the Catholic Church.

Activity: Wow! His body glowed! Play with glowsticks or any kind of glow items you have today! We read his story, and talk about his glowing body, and what a miracle that was! Then, at night, we get the glowsticks out and turn off the lights, and let the kids have run with them! 

Saint Elizabeth was born on July 7, 1207 to the Hungarian King Andrew II and Gertrude of Merania. One of her greatest known miracles occurred when Saint Elizabeth was feeding the hungry. She would put bread in a basket and cover it, and walk outside the walls of the castle and feed the poor in secret. Her husband, Ludwig met with her and asked her questions to erase everyone's suspicions that she was stealing treasures from the castle. He asked her to reveal the contents in the basket. God took mercy on her for her charitable heart, and turned her basket of bread into a basket of flowers at that moment! 

After her death, miraculous healings began to occur at her graveside. Examinations were held for those who had been healed from 1232 to 1235. The investigations, along with testimony from Elizabeth's servants and companions and the immense popularity surrounding her, provided enough reason for her canonization. Pope Gregory IX canonized her on May 27, 1235.

Activity: 

Make or buy bread today, and serve it in a bread basket! This is a great way to talk about the miracle. 

Talk about Miracles! God can make miracles happen for anyone! 

It's fun to discuss the different kinds of miracles that Jesus preformed. His very first Miracle was turning water into wine at the Wedding at Cana. Can you think of any other miracles?

Saint Elizabeth is the patron saint of bakers, beggars, brides, charities, death of children, homeless people, hospitals, Sisters of Mercy and widows.

In September 1620, a small ship called the Mayflower left Plymouth, England, carrying 102 passengers. They left their physical comforts in England and sailed away seeking a new place where they could freely practice their faith, as in England in that time they had no religious freedoms. After 66 days of the risking their lives for religious freedom, sailing across the ocean, they landed near the tip of Cape Cod. One month later, the Mayflower crossed Massachusetts Bay where the Pilgrims, as they are now commonly known, began the work of establishing a village at Plymouth. Only half of the passengers lived to see the next spring. Squanto, was a native American who spoke English because he had been kidnapped and sold into slavery amongst the English and was able to escape. He taught the pilgrims how to cultivate the land and showed them how to grow corn, extract sap from maple trees, catch fish in the rivers and avoid poisonous plants. He also helped the settlers forge an alliance with the Wampanoag, a local tribe, which would endure for more than 50 years and remains one of the sole examples of harmony between European colonists and Native Americans. 

In November of 1621, after the first successful corn harvest a celebratory feast was organized and the colony’s Native American allies, including the Wampanoag chief Massasoit were invited. This was the first Thanksgiving that lasted for 3 days. 

Much of what we know about the first Thanksgiving came from the Pilgrim, Edward Winslow, who wrote:

“Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labors; they four in one day killed as much fowl, as with a little help beside, served the Company almost a week, at which time amongst other Recreations, we exercised our Arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deer, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governor, and upon the Captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plenty."

In 1789 George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation by the national government of the United States for the Americans to express their gratitude for the happy conclusion to the country’s independence and the successful ratification of the U.S. Constitution. 

In 1863, at the height of the Civil War, Abraham asked all Americans to ask God to “commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife” and to “heal the wounds of the nation.” He officially made the first thanksgiving date the last Thursday of November. 

In 1941 Franklin D. Roosevelt changed thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday in November. 

We thank the brave and faithful pilgrims that left the comforts of their country to find a new place where they could freely practice their faith, and that is what our country was founded on. We thank God for the Native Indians that were so kind and generous to the Pilgrims! 

Prayer Through Gratitude 

Being thankful is a state of being grateful. If we are always grateful for something, it is a form of prayer. We can teach our children to always to be grateful for what we have as opposed to what we don’t have. To always be wishing for something else, we are never content with what we have, and if we are not content, we are not happy or at peace. Teaching children gratitude for what we have now, moment to moment and to elevate that gratitude towards God, is a great practice of thanking and acknowledging our Lord for our blessings. 

This Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to make it be more than just turkeys. It is a great opportunity to talk about the 10th commandment, the link between gratitude as means of prayer towards our Lord. 

Great Bible Verses on Gratitude

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High." Psalm 50:14

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." 1 Chronicles 16:34

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." Colossians 4:2

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

Activity: Count Your Blessings! 

Print out the page, or make your own. Kids love tracing their hands, scissors and glue. Trace hands, write on each finger a blessing and count! Give thanks to God! Good discussions with kids! 

On this day called Thanksgiving, what are thankful for the Lord giving us, as all comes from Him. 

What can we give or offer to others that makes people thankful for us! Let us Thank God for those things about us too! 

Color in this crown! I make it extra special, and we use gold paint! Put this crown or a real crown on your home altar as a symbol of crowning Christ as the king of your home and lives and acknowledging Christ as the king of kings. 

Activity: 

How do we make Christ the King our hearts and lives!? 

It is NEVER too early to start reading the Bible to your children! There are many great ones out there! 

I find that as a whole in society, we have no issues letting our children see far-fetched and made up movies, shows and books about mythical kings and superhero’s and such, but when it comes to the Bible, the mainstream hesitates, or think they couldn’t grasp the things of our true king and superhero, Jesus! It makes everything so much more exciting to children to know that the things He did like his miracles really did happen! We SHOULD be exposing the children to the Bible, and to God as soon as we can, because He should be king of our lives and our hearts! The greatest way to love someone is getting to know them. Lead your children to a greater love for Christ in reading them the Bible! 

Different Bible recommendations! 

-The Beginner's Bible: Timeless Children's Stories Hardcover 

By Zondervon

-New Catholic Picture Bible: Stories from the Old and New Testament 

By Lovasik 

-The Catholic Children's Bible 

By Saint Mary's Press

About Christ the King! 

The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, formerly referred to as "Christ the King," was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925 to try and reverse secularism, people living and thinking as if God does not exist. The feast is intended to proclaim Jesus is the King of kings, and the eternal King!

(St. Andrew, one of the Twelve Apostles, depicted with an X-shaped cross. Exterior mosaic next to the cathedral at Amalfi, Italy)

In the Gospel of Matthew, it is said Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee and saw Saint Andrew and Simon Peter fishing. It is then he asked the two to become disciples and "fishers of men". It is believed Saint Andrew was one of the closer disciples to Jesus. He told Jesus about the boy with the loaves and the fish, according to John 6:8. When Philip wanted to speak to Jesus about Greeks, he spoke to Saint Andrew first. Saint Andrew was at the last supper. Per Christian tradition, Andrew went on to preach the Good News around the shores of the Black Sea and throughout what is now Greece and Turkey. He was martyred in Patras by crucifixion on a cross form known as "crux decussata", which is an X-shaped cross or a "saltire", because he deemed himself "unworthy to be crucified on the same type of cross as Jesus.  Today this is commonly referred to as "St. Andrew's Cross." St. Andrew is the patron saint of fishermen and singers. 

Activity

Start you Saint Andrew Christmas Novena today until Christmas!