Wednesday, August 30, 2023

September Radiant Roundup- Resources for the Seven Sorrows of Mary and September Feasts


Seven Sorrows of Mary
It's the month of the Sorrowful Mother, a reminder to all of us that the Saints- including the Mother of God- know sorrow and suffering. We can follow in their example of uniting our own sorrows to the wood of the Cross.

St. Teresa of Calcutta: September 5th
Mother Teresa*- Decorations, bulletin board, signs, folder covers, etc. (featuring my favorite bulletin board border ever, as pictured above ;) )

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary: September 8th
Lovely Lady Marian Bulletin Board (could be used for decor for a Marian Birthday Party!)
Favorite Marian Songs a playlist (all ages)

Most Holy Name of Mary: September 12th
Blessed Virgin Mary Digital Scavenger Hunt (5th & up- Includes investigating titles of Mary)
Marian Typology Cards* (5th & up) (One of my favorite resources I've ever made! I probably need to go back and do a redesign, but the info is solid and kids love the "scavenger hunt" of seeing how the Mother of God was foretold in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament with Mary.)

Exaltation of the Holy Cross: September 14th
The Stations of the Cross aren't just for Lent! This is a perfect feast day to remember and thank Jesus for the gift of our salvation, won on the Cross.

Our Lady of Sorrows: September 15th

St. Matthew: September 21st 

St. Padre Pio: September 23rd

St. Vincent de Paul: September 27th
Honor St. Vincent's work with the poor by learning about the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. Choose a few to put into practice!
Corporal Works of Mercy* (Coloring Pages and Mini Books- K-6th)
Spiritual Works of Mercy* (Coloring Pages and Mini Books- K-6th)

Our Lady, Star of the Sea: September 27th

Our Lady, Undoer of Knots: September 28th


St. Jerome: September 30th
Celebrate St. Jerome's work compiling and translating the Bible by spending some time in Sacred Scripture!
Structure of the Bible Printables* (4th & up)
Lectio Divina Journaling Prompts for Kids* (Pre & up)
Lectio Divina Graphic Organizers* (4th & up)
Lectio Divina Book Marks* (6th & up)

September Books for Catholic Kids

This list contains Amazon Affiliate links, which means if you click through and make a purchase, I earn a small commission at no cost to you.

The Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary
Through the Year with Mary- Bogner, Katherine (whole chapter on the Seven Sorrows, and a month of readings connected to the devotion)

Feast Days this Month
Also a good day to pray the Stations of the Cross! Check out a whole collection here.

9/17- St. Hildegard of Bingen

9/18- St. Joseph of Cupertino

9/21- St. Matthew


9/27- Our Lady, Star of the Sea

These fictional chapter books feature little mice running a school and convent under the floorboards of G.K. Chesterton's home- and the imaginative religious order is named Sisters of Our Lady Star of the Sea. :) Could be a fun read to celebrate the feast day!

9/28- St. Lorenzo Ruiz
9/28- Our Lady, Undoer of Knots
Through the Year with Mary- Bogner, Katherine (chapter on Our Lady, Undoer of Knots)

9/29- The Archangels St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Rafael

Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us!
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September Books for Catholic Kids


  September Catholic Kids Book List

Below are a few favorite titles that fit well with devotions and feast days this month! This list contains Amazon Affiliate links, which means if you click through and make a purchase, I earn a small commission at no cost to you. I'd also love to encourage you to shop directly with the publisher or with your local bookshop, or try to request these at your local library! I'm sure I've missed some books that would be great for this month, so feel free to add your own recommendations in the comments! You can find my giant list of Catholic Kid Books by topic here.

The Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary
Through the Year with Mary- Bogner, Katherine (whole chapter on the Seven Sorrows, and a month of readings connected to the devotion)

Feast Days this Month
Also a good day to pray the Stations of the Cross! Check out a whole collection here.

9/17- St. Hildegard of Bingen

9/18- St. Joseph of Cupertino

9/21- St. Matthew


9/27- Our Lady, Star of the Sea

These fictional chapter books feature little mice running a school and convent under the floorboards of G.K. Chesterton's home- and the imaginative religious order is named Sisters of Our Lady Star of the Sea. :) Could be a fun read to celebrate the feast day!

9/28- St. Lorenzo Ruiz
9/28- Our Lady, Undoer of Knots
Through the Year with Mary- Bogner, Katherine (chapter on Our Lady, Undoer of Knots)

9/29- The Archangels St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Rafael

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Monday, August 28, 2023

The Significance of the Sign of the Cross

I used this study with my students as part of our preparation for the Signing of the Senses during the Rite of Election for my 8th grades before they are Confirmed. It also would make a great study during January, the month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on September 14th, or during Holy Week.

Click here for a printable version of the worksheet your students can fill out while watching the videos:


Click here for an editable Google Doc you can assign in Google Classroom
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Padre Pio- Pray, Hope, and Donut Worry Prayer Cards

Padre Pio's Feast Day is September 23rd and an easy way to celebrate is a play on his popular quote "Pray, Hope, and Don't Worry." These pray, hope, and DONUT worry prayer cards are super fun when paired with a sweet donut treat, which is what we did after Mass last year on his feast day. I definitely am not the one that first came up with this, but I thought I'd share these prayer cards with you if you want to remind everyone of the wise words long after the donuts are gone!

Click here for the donut prayer cards:

And I also have this doodled coloring page for you too!

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Sunday, August 27, 2023

Which Saint Said Which? Bulletin Board

 
I shared about this bulletin board on Instagram a couple of weeks ago and got lots of questions! The poster is from one of my favorite Catholic shops Friends in High Places. They are always coming up with something new and I love their unique style! I ordered this poster last year and just hadn't found the right place for it. It fits great in these narrow bulletin boards I have in the corners of my classroom, but needed a little something to make it fill the whole space. This is also right by the door, so I like to put something more "interactive" that the kids might see and talk about.

So I decided to pick a short quote from each of the Saints featured on the poster, put them in speech bubbles, and hang them around the perimeter of the poster... but I didn't cite who said what quote! So this way when students look at it they are trying to match the quote to the Saint based on quotes they have already heard, or what they know of their lives, etc. I've already had students guessing! We haven't done it yet, but I might make it a station activity or something to see how many they can match! (Typing that gave me an idea and I just added a blank version if you want to try it too!)

If you'd like to make something like this for your own students or kids, I totally encourage you to support FIHP and order a poster from them (no affiliate or incentive from me- I just really love their work!) but you could totally make something using just the speech bubbles on their own or with another piece of art of one or more of those Saints. 


Here are the printables I made to go along with the poster: 

Click here for the 20 Saint quote speech bubbles:


Click here for the names of all the Saints if you want to add them:

Click here for a single sheet with all the quotes and who said them:

Click here for the quotes but with a blank space for the Saints if you want to use it for an activity:

And click here for the title: 
(Hint, if you want to make this bigger than one sheet of paper, open in Adobe Acrobat Reader, go to print, and under "Page Size and Handling" choose "Poster." You can change the tile scale to print the document over multiple 8.5x11" pieces of paper and then tape together!)



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Our Lady of Sorrows Block Print- Feast Day 9/15

The Church dedicates the month of September to the Seven Sorrows of Mary. Through this devotion, we remember that even though Mary was without sin, she still experienced suffering and hardship.

At the Presentation in the Temple when Jesus was just a baby, Simeon prophesied that Mary’s own soul would be pierced by a sword. The Seven Sorrows of Mary are stories from the Bible where the Blessed Mother experienced pain and sadness. From losing Jesus in Jerusalem to witnessing His death on the Cross, Mary’s heart understood grief and suffering, but she never lost her faith and trust in God. These moments show us how the Blessed Mother loved Christ and turned to Him when life was hard.

When I was working on my Names of Mary block carving collection a few years ago, I created an image of Our Lady of Sorrows. I'd like to share a 5x7 printable from that project with you! This image was originally hand drawn by me, transferred to a rubber block, carved out, and then printed like a stamp. This is a true scan of that print that you are welcome to hang as art in your home or classroom or use as a feast day decoration!

Click here for the print:


And you can also find it included on these Names of Mary Bookmarks:

And if you are interested in more info on our Lady of Sorrows, the devotion has a whole chapter in my book Through the Year with Mary! Complete with a kid friendly explanation, full color artwork with discussion prompts, reflection questions, a prayer, and a connection to Jesus, the goal of the book is to help you have good conversations with your kids!

Click here to find in from my publisher the St. Paul Center or here to find it on Amazon!

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Saturday, August 26, 2023

St. Veronica Block Print- Feast Day 7/12

 

This image of St. Veronica was inspired by many years of praying this line from Fulton Sheen's Stations of the Cross:

“O Lord, the day I was born anew of water and the Holy Spirit, the image of your Cross was engraved upon my heart. Today you ask me: ‘Whose inscription is written thereon?’ It is be yours, then let me render to God the things that are God’s. Grant that like, like Veronica, I may brave all human respect to carry your image about with me, not on a veil but on the tablet of my heart. Bestow on me the grace to be so much like you that others among whom I live may see something of you in me, as the maidservant saw something of you in Peter. If they do not see in me the marks of your passion, let them at least see the sparks of your love.”
-Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, Way of the Cross, Station VI


This block print was the first time I tried a reduction print with multiple layers of color. It isn't perfect, but I enjoyed the process and will definitely try it again! You can see some of the process in this video on Instagram:


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Our Lady of Częstochowa Block Print- Feast Day 8/26

Do you know much about Our Lady of Częstochowa? While it has changed owners and locations many times in its history, the icon has been housed at the Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland, since 1384. Exposure to air and the soot of burning candles has darkened the colors of the icon over time, leading it to sometimes be called the Black Madonna.

One of the most recognizable elements of the icon are the scars on Mary’s cheek. Tradition says that during an invasion in 1430, thieves tried to steal the image from the church. They placed it in a wagon, but the horses refused to move. In anger, one thief slashed the painting with his sword, leaving the marks on Mary’s face, and the icon was thrown out of the wagon. Our Lady of Częstochowa's feast is celebrated on August 26.

When I was working on my Names of Mary block carving collection a few years ago, I included my own version of Our Lady of Częstochowa image. I'd like to share a 5x7 printable from that project with you! This image was originally hand drawn by me, transferred to a rubber block, carved out, and then printed like a stamp. This is a true scan of that print that you are welcome to hang as art in your home or classroom or use as a feast day decoration!

Click here for the print:


And you can also find it included on these Names of Mary Bookmarks:

And if you are interested in more info on Our Lady of Częstochowa, the devotion has a whole chapter in my book Through the Year with Mary! Complete with a kid friendly explanation, full color artwork with discussion prompts, reflection questions, a prayer, and a connection to Jesus, the goal of the book is to help you have good conversations with your kids! 

Click here to find in from my publisher the St. Paul Center or here to find it on Amazon!

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Stella Maris Block Print- Feast Day 9/27

The Feast of Our Lady, Star of the Sea is celebrated on September 27th. Also called Stella Maris, this devotion to Mary has been around since the 5th century and is especially popular with sailors and coastal towns, but is also just a beautiful symbol of how the Blessed Virgin guides us during the storms of life.

St. Thomas Aquinas wrote: It is surely fitting that her name is ‘Mary,’ which is akin to the Star of the Sea (‘Maria—maris stella’), for just as sailors are directed to port by the star of the sea, so also Christians are by Mary guided to glory.

When I was working on my Names of Mary block carving collection a few years ago, I knew I wanted to create an image of Stella Maris. I'd like to share a 5x7 printable from that project with you! This image was originally hand drawn by me, transferred to a rubber block, carved out, and then printed like a stamp. This is a true scan of that print that you are welcome to hang as art in your home or classroom or use as a feast day decoration!

Click here for the print:


And you can also find it included on these Names of Mary Bookmarks:

And if you are interested in more info on Stella Maris, the devotion has a whole chapter in my book Through the Year with Mary! Complete with a kid friendly explanation, full color artwork with discussion prompts, reflection questions, a prayer, and a connection to Jesus, the goal of the book is to help you have good conversations with your kids!

Click here to find in from my publisher the St. Paul Center or here to find it on Amazon!

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Our Lady Undoer of Knots Block Print- Feast Day 9/28

You have probably seen this painting of Our Lady, Undoer of Knots before, but do you know the story of its origin? Around four hundred years ago, a couple from Germany named Wolfgang and Sophie Langenmante were experiencing struggles in their marriage. Wolfgang went to his parish priest, Fr. Jakob Lem, and asked his advice for how to help their marriage.

Fr. Lem was inspired to to tell the Langenmantes to ask Mary to untie the knots in their relationship. Through Mary’s intercession, they went on to have a happy and holy marriage. Years later, in gratitude for his grandparents’ faithful marriage, their grandson commissioned a painting of Mary untying a tangled ribbon of knots. In addition to the untangled ribbon, the artist also showed Mary stepping on a knotted-up snake, demonstrating that Satan twists and tangles and misleads us. The painting was donated to their local church, where you can still see it today.

The Feast of Our Lady, Undoer of Knots is celebrated on September 28th. We can ask Mary to help us face little problems and also to aid us in untangling big challenges.

St. Irenaeus wrote: The knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. For what the virgin Eve had bound fast through unbelief, this did the virgin Mary set free through faith.


When I was working on my Names of Mary block carving collection a few years ago, I included my own version of the Undoer of Knots image. I'd like to share a 5x7 printable from that project with you! This image was originally hand drawn by me, transferred to a rubber block, carved out, and then printed like a stamp. This is a true scan of that print that you are welcome to hang as art in your home or classroom or use as a feast day decoration!

Click here for the print:



And you can also find it included on these Names of Mary Bookmarks:

And if you are interested in more info on Our Lady Undoer of Knots, the devotion has a whole chapter in my book Through the Year with Mary! Complete with a kid friendly explanation, full color artwork with discussion prompts, reflection questions, a prayer, and a connection to Jesus, the goal of the book is to help you have good conversations with your kids! Fun fact- the block carving image I created actually ended up in my book! Even though all of the other art (around 50 full color images!) are all classic sacred art or photos of statues/stained glass, we couldn't find a high enough resolution image of the original Undoer of Knots painting. So my artwork is full page and the original painting is a smaller image include in the info on the next page. Not something that was planned, but my editor and team were grateful I had something on hand that was ready to be used!

Click here to find in from my publisher the St. Paul Center or here to find it on Amazon!

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Saturday, August 19, 2023

Ascension or Assumption- Do your students know the difference?

 
I know this activity is coming in a little late to be useful this year, but I figured I might as well get it posted so it is ready for next year!

I think Ascension and Assumption are two of the most mixed up Catholic terms. The Ascension occurred forty days after Easter when Christ returned to Heaven. The Assumption happened at the end of Mary's earthly life when she was brought to Heaven body and soul by God.

We were back to school a little early this year, so for the first time in my memory I actually had classes on the Solemnity of the Assumption. We started with all school Mass, and then I used these activities during the rest of the day with my six junior high classes.

I used a collection of classic art to get the conversation started- and I was right- very few of my students knew much about the Ascension or the Assumption or the difference between the two. Starting with the art was a great way to get them talking and think about similarities and differences. For example, they readily noticed that the artists showed Christ rising on His own, while Mary is often being carried by angels.

After looking at the art and reading a short snippet about each from the Bible and the Catechism, they worked on sorting these facts into what was true about the Ascension and the Assumption or applied to both. (I included a couple of short videos in the slides as well.) We talked through their answers on the worksheet and they did quite well! 

While the Solemnity of the Assumption has already passed this month, you certainly could still use this activity during August! And of course it will make a great tool for the Ascension at the end of the Easter Season as well.

Click here for a slideshow with the art, quotes, and videos:

Click here for the Ascension or Assumption worksheet:
Click here for the answer key:


Click here for a version set up as a Venn Diagram:

And here for the key:


The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians. ~CCC 966

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