Tuesday, December 30, 2025

January Radiant Roundup

 

Happy New Year, Friends! This marks the start of the FIFTH year of offering the Radiant Roundup, and I've been so grateful for the more practical organization method, opportunity to pull things out of the archives, and chance to share some new things in an easy & quick manner. If you haven't already subscribed, I send a brief monthly newsletter hitting the highlights for the coming month. You can sign up in the navy box to the right of this post. May God bless you richly in 2026!

Resources with a * mean that they contain free printables (or shareable digital files).


Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus: Feast Day January 3rd
Names of Jesus Mini Poster* 
The Significance of the Sign of the Cross Study*  (includes content on taking the Lord's Name in vain)


Mary, Mother of God: January 1st
Marian Ideas Collection* 

Epiphany: First Sunday after January 1st (Traditionally January 6th, Observed Sunday, January 4, 2026)
Epiphany Home Blessing Kit* (Includes updates for the next few years)
*Original Post updated to include Home Blessing Booklets in Spanish*
Gifts of the Magi Bible Study* (Google Classroom Assignment)

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton: January 4th
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Mini Study (Google Classroom Assignment)

Baptism of the Lord: Second Sunday after January 1st (Observed Sunday, January 11, 2026)
A great time to study the life of Jesus: Passport to the Holy Land Study

Ordinary Time is perfect for growing in the virtues!
Virtues & Saints Bible Study* 3 guides for the Theological Virtues
Virtues & Saints Bible Study* 4 guides for the Cardinal Virtues

St. Marianne Cope- January 23rd

Servant of God Antonio Inija: January 26th (date of martyrdom)
St. Thomas Aquinas: January 28th
St. Thomas Aquinas Mini Study* (Google Classroom Assignment)

St. John Bosco: January 31st
St. John Bosco Mini Study* (Google Classroom Assignment)

Catholic Schools Week: Begins on the last Sunday in January
Saint Pennants- Perfect decor for Catholic Schools Week*

Resources for a New Year:
Start the year off with weekly readings and reflections with my books!
Through the Year With Jesus


Begin using the Looking for Jesus kids' bulletins (12 editions, can space out for the whole year)*




Traditional Catholic Monthly Devotions:
Monthly Devotion Calendar Signs*



You can find the links to the monthly Radiant Roundups here:

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January Books for Catholic Kids

January 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 Most Holy Name of Jesus
The New Year

Mary, the Mother of Jesus, Tomie de Paola

1/3- St. Genevieve

1/4- St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

1/6- Epiphany (Observed Sun. 1/4/26)
Where is the Baby King?- Henning & Atkins

1/21- St. Agnes


1/22- Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of the Unborn


1/25- Conversion of St. Paul

1/28- St. Thomas Aquinas


1/31- St. John Bosco


Book Lists By Month:
Click on the images below for book lists organized by feast days and devotions for each month:
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Tuesday, December 9, 2025

Fulton Sheen's FBI File: Investigative Activity for Kids

Did you know that the FBI gathered a file on Fulton Sheen? From 1943-to the mid 1950s, the Federal Bureau of Investigation kept tabs on Fulton Sheen, including his speeches, travels, and writings.

What did they find? Rather than discover something bad, the FBI file reveals Sheen’s holiness and good work in the world. I've used excerpts from Sheen's FBI file in my classroom as a high interest investigation for my students about his life. They are curious what kind of information the FBI might have collected, and by reading the articles, correspondence, and reports, they come to know some of the character of this future Saint.

In particular, there is a four page report that summarizes the observations, some humorous, that the agents recorded about Sheen. After reading that report, my students have been able to list characteristics that Fulton Sheen was known for, even to an outside observer. It's an engaging way for them to learn more about his life!

I've used this in both my classroom with junior high students as well as at a large family event with a variety of ages.

Supplies:

  • FBI File Excerpt (recommended section linked below, can reuse with more than one student)
  • Memos (copies for the students to write their own report)
  • Optional- Highlighters (Fun to have them mark the significant facts about Sheen that they "discover")
  • Optional- Stamps (I got this Top Secret stamp and it was a HUGE hit. Old date stamps, a seal, etc. make the activity more interactive)
  • Optional- File Folders (I intentionally pulled out old, marked up file folders to store the reports in. You could write on them, stamp them, etc. Or use a sealed manila envelope that the students get to open!)
  • Optional- Magnifying Glasses (also just a fun, interactive element. I grabbed this set for our big family program.)
Activities:
  • Have children pretend to be an undercover agent and examine one of the FBI files on Fulton Sheen. They can use the magnifying glasses and highlighters.
  • Once they have discovered some facts about Sheen in their investigation, have them write a memo to their FBI supervisor about three facts they’ve observed about Fulton Sheen.
  • They can use the stamps to mark their memo “top secret” and take it with them!

You can find the entire FBI file here.


Click here for my favorite excerpt from the FBI file. This is a good summary to read with students:

Click here for the FBI "Memo" the students can fill out. (I created this using scraps and artifacts from the FBI file):




If they would like to read more of the FBI file, or you want to share the info with parents, you can print these QR codes:


Click here for brief instructions for this activity:


And you may be interested in my entire Fulton Sheen Curriculum, over 200 pages of free content about the life and work of Fulton Sheen, incorporating so many Catholic concepts like Saints, Mary, Prayer, the Sacraments, and more!


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