Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Phil 4:6-7



Sunday, January 20, 2008

Feast Day Activities -- Week 4

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This week brings several saint feast days for children to celebrate. And, since this is the beginning of the calendar year, this would be a great time to start a saint line-up, like these by Alice, or like these by Crafty in Coffeeland. Both are very cute and I can imagine what an incredible line-up we'd have by All Saints Day, if we started now. Too fun!


On Monday is the Feast of St. Agnes
St. Agnes is the Patron of the Children of Mary. I guess that's all of us. She is also called the Patron of Young Girls, as well as betrothed couples, bodily purity, chastity, Colegio Capranica of Rome, gardeners, Girl Scouts, and virgins. For a child appropriate biography, go here.
For a fun Saint matching game, that includes St. Agnes, go here. Click on "Who is who 3" for an easy game, or "Who is who 2" for older children. This website is full of great activities -- for other saint activities, go here and click on "Saints Speak." You'll find a "hangman" type game with saint quotes. Good fun!
Since the Lamb is the symbol of innocence and modesty of the virgin-martyr, and agnus is Latin for "lamb," you could bake a lamb cake today.
Here are some customs from Lithuania and Italy.

Thursday is the Feast of St. Francis de Sales
For a child appropriate biography, go here.
For a saint's fun facts on St. Frances de Sales, go here (print this out on card stock and start a collection).
Below is a beautiful prayer by St. Francis de Sales. I keep a prayer journal in which I write many of the prayers I would like to refer back to. If you think your child would enjoy keeping a prayer journal, pick up a blank lined book and help them get started. My children made some prayer cards a few years ago by writing their favorite prayers on one side of a white index card and a making a drawing on the other. We laminated them and still have them to use.

Prayer of Saint Francis de Sales

Lord, I am yours,
and I must belong to no one but you.
My soul is yours,
and must live only by you.
My will is yours,
and must love only for you.
I must love you as my first cause,
since I am from you.
I must love you as my end and rest,
since I am for you.
I must love you more than my own being,
since my being subsists by you.
I must love you more than myself,
since I am all yours and all in you.
AMEN.


Friday is the Conversion of St. Paul.
For a child appropriate version of the story go here. Maybe your child would like to draw some sequential pictures to tell the story.
Go here to read about St. Paul's family tree, we well as the story of Saul and his conversion.
To play a game of St. Paul and the Epistles charades, go here.

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