Resources for the Year of St. Joseph

Happy Year of St. Joseph! St. Joseph has long been a favorite of mine (how can he not be?), and I was so excited to hear about the Year of St. Joseph which is being celebrated from Dec. 8, 2020-December 8, 2021. You can read Pope Francis' Apostolic Letter here and more details from the Vatican here.

I'm sure that March will be filled with focus on St. Joseph especially with his feast day on March 19th, but I've been thinking that filling these quieter days of Ordinary Time with St. Joseph might not be a bad idea. Following the lead of St. Joseph, we can ask him to teach us how to follow Jesus with abandon, giving Him all that we are. St. Joseph, whose heart was united with the hearts of Jesus and Mary, can guide us in growing in holiness personally, as a family, as a nation, and as a Church. I hope to create more new resources to help learn and pray with and celebrate Joseph this year, but I also have quite a bit in the archives I thought I'd share with you now. Scroll through for a couple of new resources and links to some of my old favorites. St. Joseph, pray for us!

You know block carving is my new favorite hobby, and I've been making some new prints in honor of the Year of St. Joseph. Click here for a 5x7" print of these St. Joseph symbols:

I've got a few more ideas for the Litany of St. Joseph in the works, but for now, here's a printable of the Litany to hang on your fridge or add to a journal. These titles of St. Joseph are so powerful and praying with them has helped me understand not only St. Joseph, but also his role in the Holy Family and for the whole Church.

Here's a activity guide for learning about St. Joseph, perfect to send home to the families at your parish or school. It features four weeks of recommended prayers, a Bible story about St. Joseph with reflection questions, printable activities, and extra projects and ideas for parents- all in clickable links to free resources.

 Click here for a printable card with the Pure Heart of St. Joseph and the Memorare to St. Joseph, as well as an explanation of the symbols on the Pure Heart of St. Joseph.

St. John the XXIII wrote this beautiful prayer for fathers, and you can use it with these prayer cards:

Click here for a digital version of the Litany of St. Joseph that is easy to pray in a group- set it to full screen either on your computer, TV, or smartboard:

Click here for a fun five question scavenger hunt in Google forms. It will make a copy for you, so you can edit it to fit the needs of your kids/students.

Easy St. Joseph Shrines You could make these shrines as simply or as detailed as you like using a favorite coloring page or St. Joseph or have your kids draw their own!

Holy Family Coloring Page

Sleeping St. Joseph Devotion

A few years ago while visiting the Philippines, Pope Francis wove his love for St. Joseph into an address on prayer and family.  Specifically, he spoke about a statue he has on his desk of the Sleeping St. Joseph.  From the Gospels, we know that St. Joseph listened to God in his dreams and then rose to act on His will.  Pope Francis shared with his audience that he asks St. Joseph to pray for his intentions by writing them down and slipping the paper under the statue of St. Joseph.

This sweet devotion has been spreading slowly across the world.  A dear friend was the first to introduce it to me, and I just love this new connection with one of my very favorite Saints.  How comforting to think of St. Joseph caring for the Church, for us and our concerns, while resting in God.  Go check out this post for all kinds of ideas and activities about the devotion to the Sleeping St. Joseph.

Holy Family Hearts Coloring Page

Perfect for the month of the Holy Family (February) or to use for Valentine Cards!

Pure Heart of St. Joseph Coloring page

If you  would like to pray the St. Joseph novena you could use this color-a-novena printable.  There's one lily to color in for each day you pray.  You can begin this novena any time (or leading up the feasts on March 19th and May 1st) and for any length to increase your devotion to St. Joseph and ask his powerful intercession.

St. Joseph the Worker Coloring Page

This quote from St. John Paul II has long been one of my favorites, and I lettered it as a reminder to pray for the work of the leaders in our lives and homes.

"St. Joseph was a just man, a tireless worker, the upright guardian of those entrusted to his care.  May he always guard, protect, and enlighten families." ~St. John Paul II

St. Joseph Holy Saturday Coloring Page
Click here for some resources for Holy Saturday and a couple of printables with a line about St. Joseph from a favorite poem:

St. Joseph Memorare Prayer Cards

Similar in wording to the original Memorare, this one asks for the intercession of St. Joseph.

Good St. Joseph, Pray for Us!

Preorder Bonuses for "Through the Year with Jesus"!

***UPDATE 2/7/21- Since the book is now available, I'm "closing" the preorder bonuses and have contacted the winner of the free workshop. However, you can access the free printables as tools to use alongside the book here!

Ok, you all are blowing me away with support for my new book! Thank you so much for all of your kind messages and encouragement. In case you missed it, Through the Year with Jesus: Gospel Readings and Reflections for Children will be out soon and is available to order at the St. Paul Center and on Amazon. You can read more details about the content and see a few endorsements here. If you've  already ordered and want to skip ahead, you can fill out the Preorder Bonus Form here. ;)

If you know much about new books, you know that preorders really matter, especially for a new author. And this year where normal speaking gigs and conferences and workshops are still unlikely, your early support is such a powerful way to help see this book shared. As a thank you, I've been creating a set of special preorder bonuses for you to use alongside the book or just throughout the Liturgical Year in your home or classroom. They are pretty open ended and I am already thinking of ways I'd like to use them myself! The printables are all available as pdfs in a Google Drive folder, so they are easy to access, download and print however you like. A preview of those resources can be seen below.

And as a special bonus, I'll also be randomly picking one person who preorders to win a free virtual talk or workshop with me! We've all gotten more used to doing things virtually, so why not take advantage of that and let me speak to your teachers, catechists, Bible study, or moms' group. We'll work together to choose a good time and the right topic for your group.  (***Update- for entries to be considered for the free workshop giveaway, they must be entered by 2/6/21!)

The rest of the preorder bonuses are available for everyone!

Some of the items included in the Preorder Bonus Printables Folder include:

-Liturgical Season Planning Pages

-Journaling pages to support praying with Scripture (for both older and younger kids)

-Liturgical Year Journal "cover" in three color choices

-Liturgical Year Journal tabs

-Jesus & the Children Coloring Page

-Jesus & the Children Watercolor

-Lectio Divina prayer guides (small cards and full page)

-Liturgical Wheel watercolor

I love how these Liturgical Season Planning Pages turned out.  I think they could help you anchor each Season with a printable to set up ways you plan to pray, serve, sacrifice, and celebrate, as well as lists of prayer intentions and inspirational quotes. Perfect to hang on the fridge or with your calendar or to add to a journal, and could be completed individually by kids or together as a family.

This Liturgical Wheel Watercolor printable is something great to hang up or add to a journal:

These journal printables are super flexible and could help you and/or your kids set up a journal following the Liturgical Year themes. Pretty "endpaper" cover options, tabs for the seasons, and journaling pages for both older and younger kids are included. I also added a Google Slides version for those of you that might want to use it digitally with a classroom:

This coloring page is from my sketch that was used as inspiration for the book cover:

And here's a little watercolor version too:

If you have preordered, you can fill out the form here.  Access to the printables will be shared in the Confirmation message, so don't miss that link! If someone preordered for you as a gift, you are welcome to still fill this out, or if you ordered multiple copies to give to others, you can share the printables with them. I appreciate your honesty as this seems to be the simplest way to manage getting you the bonuses asap and still allow me to attend to real life. ;) Again, thank you for your support and excitement for the book! I can't wait to see it at work in your homes and classrooms! (***Update- for entries to be considered for the free workshop giveaway, they must be entered by 2/6/21!)

Happy New Year- My Book Is Ready for Preorder!

Merry Christmas, friends! I hope that you are experiencing a beautiful Christmas season and are filled with the hope of Christ as you look into the coming new year. I wanted to pop up a quick post to share two exciting announcements about my book- a cover reveal, and preorder information!

Through the Year with Jesus: Gospel Readings and Reflections for Children from Emmaus Road Publishing should be out in mid February and can now be preordered at the St. Paul Center and on Amazon. 

I'll be sharing more in the coming weeks, including freebies to go along with the book, special pre-order bonuses (update- get them here!), and giveaways, but for now I'll leave you with the back cover description of the book, and a few kind words from those that have already read it. Feel free to drop any questions in the comment box. I'm so, so thrilled to be able to share this resource for homes and classrooms with you!

~ ~ ~

From the back cover:

The liturgical year invites us to walk with Jesus through the most wonderful story ever told: the Gospel. In Through the Year with Jesus: Gospel Readings and Reflections for Children, catechist and popular blogger Katherine Bogner reveals the rich mystery of the seasons we celebrate in the Church.

With Gospel readings for each week of the liturgical year, along with tools for reflection, discussion, and prayer, Through the Year with Jesus offers endless opportunities for discovering who Jesus is and better understanding Catholic teaching about his life and mission.

• Promote prayer and conversation about the life of Christ with children through
• Weekly readings from the Gospels
• Lectio Divina prompts to nurture personal prayer or journaling
• Sacred art to accompany the Gospel reading
• Stories of saints and many rich Catholic traditions for the liturgical year

The easy-to-use format of Through the Year with Jesus helps adults lead children to an intimate encounter with the heart of Jesus through the rhythm of the liturgical year and the powerful words of Scripture.

"Katherine Bogner hits a liturgical living home run with this devotional for children…. This book is an excellent, all-in-one way to bring the stories of Jesus and his family and his friends and his life into a home or classroom in a way that kids of all ages can connect with at their own levels. Grownups are sure to find their own faith deepened as well." Kendra Tierney, Author of The Catholic All Year Compendium

"If you've been looking for a way to engage your family or classroom in meaningful conversations throughout the liturgical year here is your answer. Buy this book!" Bonnie Engstrom, Author of 61 Minutes to a Miracle

"Through the Year with Jesus not only has beautiful Scripture readings and reflections on the Gospels, it is also an invaluable guide to help parents, teachers, and catechists learn how to pray through the Bible with their children—and how to teach them to pray and live God's Word." Katie Warner, Catholic Children's Book Author, FirstFaithTreasury.com

"Lectio Divina (and Visio Divina)are the hidden gems of prayer in the Catholic Church. With this book, Katherine Bogner brings these devotions to life for children, teachers, and parents. I am certain her guidance here will lead many young people into an encounter with Jesus Christ." Jared Dees, Founder of TheReligionTeacher.com and Author of Christ in the Classroom

Epiphany Home Blessing Kits (Update for 2021 & Beyond!)

 

(Posting this a little early to give you time to share with your parish and school. You are welcome to email out the pdfs so that they can use them at home!)

"Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage."  ~Matthew 2:2

After Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, the Holy Family was visited by three Magi from the east. They came to worship Christ and bring him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  The Feast of Epiphany is celebrated on the 12th Day of Christmas, January 6th, but in the United States is moved to the Sunday between January 2nd-8th.  On Epiphany, it is traditional for families to bless their homes, remembering the hospitality of the Holy Family to the Wise Men and asking for protection and blessing on the home and all who enter.

The home blessing is done by writing on the door or door frame with chalk the symbols 20+C+M+B+21. The 20 and 21 represent the current year. The + reminds us of the cross on which our Savior died. The C, M, and B stand for the traditional names of the Wise Men, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, as well as an abbreviation for the Latin phrase “Christus mansionem benedicat” which means “Christ bless this house.” Writing on the door also brings to mind the Passover of the Jews during the final plague in Exodus, when the blood of the lamb protected the inhabitants within. 

A few years ago, I wanted to send some resources home with my students and CCD families to help them celebrate this Epiphany Home Blessing Tradition.  Knowing that writing on the door or doorframe might not work in every house (or be every parent's favorite thing), I made these little signs that can hang over or near the door.  They are about 8" x 3.5" and are just made with scrap wood from my parents' barn.  I drilled holes in each corner, painted them with some left over chalkboard paint, and tied on some twine.

I added a small piece of white chalk and a booklet (printable below) explaining this Epiphany tradition, a short blessing prayer, and a few suggested Scripture passages and songs.  I packaged it all in a brown paper bag with the top folded down to form a "roof" and stapled on these cute tags (printable below).

If you'd like to share this tradition with your students, but don't have spare lumber, paint, and twine (or time...), you could easily send home your students with a kit including a black piece of cardstock, chalk, and the traditions booklet.  Or make it even easier and just tape the chalk right to the booklet and pass them out.  This would be a great way to share them out Mass- put a stack with the bulletins and then anyone who wants to can take one home. (Bonus points if you have a priest bless the chalk!)

“In the magi, representatives of the neighboring pagan religions, the Gospel sees the first-fruits of the nations, who welcome the good news of salvation through the Incarnation. The magi's coming to Jerusalem in order to pay homage to the king of the Jews shows that they seek in Israel, in the messianic light of the star of David, the one who will be king of the nations." ~CCC 528

Click here for the Epiphany Tradition Booklet:

(I'm just going ahead and updating for a few years into the future, because someone is always looking for this before I get to it!)

Epiphany Home Blessing Booklet 2021

Epiphany Home Blessing Booklet 2022

Epiphany Home Blessing Booklet 2023

Epiphany Home Blessing Booklet 2024

Epiphany Home Blessing Booklet 2025

Epiphany Home Blessing Booklet 2026

*Update- Thanks to a generous blog reader, here is a matching Spanish version of the Home Blessing Booklet!

Bendicion del Hogar Para La Epifania 2023

Bendicion del Hogar Para La Epifania 2024

Bendicion del Hogar Para La Epifania 2025

Bendicion del Hogar Para La Epifania 2026

Click on any of the links below for the three different tags:

(Updates for future years)

Epiphany Home Blessing Tag 2021

Epiphany Home Blessing Tag 2022

Epiphany Home Blessing Tag 2023

Epiphany Home Blessing Tag 2024

Epiphany Home Blessing Tag 2025

Epiphany Home Blessing Tag 2026

Merry Christmas! {Free Baby Jesus Block Print}

 

Earlier this fall I shared with you that block carving and printing has become my new favorite hobby. I've really enjoyed sharing process videos on Instagram and am grateful for the creative outlet this medium has been. I hand carved this sweet infant Jesus stamp for my Christmas cards, and creating it was a beautiful opportunity for reflection and prayer on the hope of the Incarnation.

I'd love to send all of you a personal Christmas card, but since that isn't quite possible, I'm happy to send you this greeting as a little Merry Christmas and thank you for being part of the Look to Him and Be Radiant Community!

Here is the original test print and the carved block- this was my most detailed block to date. The image of Jesus is based on some photos of my sweet nephew, and the Christmas star, poinsettias, holly, and pine are all symbols connected to the birth of Christ.

Click on either image below for the free pdf, both in black on white, and black on brown kraft paper. Feel free to share as a little digital greeting to your friends and family! The edges of the print are marked to an easy to frame 5x7" size. If you display it in your home, I'd love for you to email me a pic or tag me on Instagram!

May the Infant Jesus, born to save us, 

fill our hearts with hope this Christmas Season and always. 

Know of my prayers for you, your families, and your students each day.

Merry Christmas!

O Antiphons Projects {Free Printables, Bible Study, and Google Classroom Projects}

O come, O come, Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear

Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel

As the end of Advent draws near, I wanted to give my students a tool to help ready their hearts for Christmas. There is no better way to do that than with the O Antiphons! Packed with meaning from both the Old and New Testament, the O Antiphons have been prayed by Christians for over 1200 years. I created two Google Classroom assignments for my students to choose from, one more open ended and one more structured.

Both studies include:

• O Antiphon Art
• Background info on the O Antiphons
• Links to videos to listen to the O Antiphons in both English and Latin
• A chart with the English & Latin titles, dates, and Old & New Testament references
• Links to O Antiphon printables (coloring pages/ornaments/etc.)

The Bible Study invites the student to read the Old Testament prophecy connected to the O Antiphon and then the New Testament fulfillment. The Creative Project allows the student to study one O Antiphon and create a unique reflection based on their skills and talents- art, poetry, video, news article, etc. If I were teaching in person right now, I probably would have done the Bible Study as a whole class, and then had the students complete the project on their own, but as they are working individually at home I set it up so they could choose.

I would expect either of these tasks to take my junior highers about 60-90 minutes, so this is a multi day assignment for them. You could shorten it by taking out slides, or spread out over several days. Remember the tasks can also be edited to simplify for younger students or enriched for older students. Make it work for your kids!

These were created in Google Slides because I will share them directly to Google Classroom for my students, but you also can download them and edit in PowerPoint to use or share as you need. (A few more details about that at the end of this post).

And FYI, there is a new section under the Sharing the Faith tab with all of the other editable Google Classroom assignments I've made available on the blog. ;)

Click here for the digital O Antiphon Bible Study:

Here's a little preview of the slides:

Click here for a more open ended project allowing the students to learn about the O Antiphons and then create a project like art, a poem, a video, news article, etc.

Here's a preview of the slides:

These activities originally began as a set of printables, which I added to the blog five years ago. If you'd rather have some coloring pages, I have them in several sizes. Each has the title of Jesus, the date, the Old and New Testament references, and an image. They are great as coloring pages, ornaments, gift tags, decorations, or Bible Journaling. Check out this post for the printables:

It includes a full size O Antiphon Coloring Book:

Click here for the 4-per-page mini book, which also make great ornaments or gift tags:

Or they are also available in a 2" size which are great for Bible Journaling or tiny ornaments.

I wish you a holy remainder of Advent and a very blessed Christmas!

~ ~ ~

A few notes about the digital versions: 

-These assignments were created in Google Slides with the intention of being assigned in Google Classroom. You can certainly download them in PowerPoint and send them through email, or whatever tool you are using to communicate with your students.

-They are totally editable. You just have to make a copy on Google Slides or download to PowerPoint before making any changes. Delete, change, add-- make them work for your kids. (If you request edit access on these files, I won't be able to grant it because it would change the master slides for everyone. You have to make a copy to make changes.)

***All of the resources needed for the tasks are readily available- like public websites or docs I've created. If you share the slides with your students, make sure that they can access all of the links as well. For example, if you have a closed Google Domain (many schools are) they will not be able to open any of the files I have linked because I am outside of their domain. You will have to make a copy, save in your own Google Drive, and link. (Unfortunately, I get A LOT of student access requests to docs shared by their teachers, but I can't even email them back because of domain permissions. It breaks my teacher heart to not be able to help them- so if you are in a closed Google Domain, please keep that in mind!)***

Weekly Advent Reflections {Editable Assignments for Google Classroom}

Forgive this for being a bit "late" but I literally just made these for my own students and thought that maybe they could help another teacher or DRE or parent ;) These slides are intended to help guide a student through a little reflection and prayer based on the Advent theme each week. 

Each week, the slides include:

-A short video and included questions on that video

-The reference for the Sunday Gospel of the week and a few reflection questions

-An connection between the Advent theme of the week and beauty- examining art, music, or poetry

-A closing prayer

I would expect this to take my 7th or 8th graders about a half an hour, or it is something that could be spread out one piece at a time over the week. You could certainly edit to simplify or beef it up to stretch to older or younger students. 

These were created in Google Slides because I will share them directly to Google Classroom for my students, but you also can download them and edit in PowerPoint to use or share as you need. 

I also just added a new section under the Sharing the Faith tab with all of the other editable Google Classroom assignments I've made available on the blog. ;)

Click here for the Hope Reflection Slides:

Click here for the Peace Reflection Slides:

Click here for the Joy Reflection Slides:

Click here for the Love Reflection Slides:

A few notes: 

-These assignments were created in Google Slides with the intention of being assigned in Google Classroom. You can certainly download them in PowerPoint and send them through email, or whatever tool you are using to communicate with your students.

-They are totally editable. You just have to make a copy on Google Slides or download to PowerPoint before making any changes. Delete, change, add-- make them work for your kids. (If you request edit access on these files, I won't be able to grant it because it would change the master slides for everyone. You have to make a copy to make changes.)

***All of the resources needed for the tasks are readily available- like public websites or docs I've created. If you share the slides with your students, make sure that they can access all of the links as well. For example, if you have a closed Google Domain (many schools are) they will not be able to open any of the files I have linked because I am outside of their domain. You will have to make a copy, save in your own Google Drive, and link. (Unfortunately, I get A LOT of student access requests to docs shared by their teachers, but I can't even email them back because of domain permissions. It breaks my teacher heart to not be able to help them- so if you are in a closed Google Domain, please keep that in mind!)***