Saints

St. Anselm of Canterbury

Thursday, April 21, 2022

April 21 is the feast day of St. Anselm of Canterbury: philosopher, theologian, and Doctor of the Church. He is known for his adherence to the monastic lifestyle, his willingness to oppose powerful politicians, and his writings about the existence and nature of God. He spoke against the slave trade and was known for his advocacy for the poor. He resisted being appointed as Archbishop of Canterbury, but eventually was.

Find articles, social media, and other resources for St. Anselm below.

Why God Became Man

Anselm’s Prayer – Teach My Heart Where and How to Seek You

St. Anselm of Canterbury was a Benedictine monk and theologian. His feast day is April 21. Anslem’s Prayer is a good prayer to say before reading scripture. It would also work well will a discussion of discernment or discipleship.

Disasters teach us humility. – St. Anselm of Canterbury

St. Isidore of Seville, Bishop and Doctor

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Monday, April 4, 2022

April 4 is the feast day of St. Isidore of Seville: a bishop and a scholar who wrote a huge encyclopedia. This collection was used as a textbook for nine centuries. He also invented the period, comma, and colon!

He lived during the late sixth and early seventh century, when there was a lot of division in Spain. He helped reunite the country. St. Isidore promoted the need to have well educated clergy. He was also known for his charity.

St. Isidore of Seville is the patron saint of the internet, computer users, computer technicians, programmers, and students.

Learn more about St. Isidore and other saints

Youth Prayer to St. Isadore for Those Using the Internet

Yes, internet users have a patron saint! It is St. Isadore of Seville, a seventh century bishop. He wrote a huge encyclopedia called Etymologies which at the time was thought to be a recording of everything known. The wikipedia of its day. 🙂

115 Saintly Fun Facts

115 Saintly Fun Facts is a delightful way to look at the saints. So many books focus on how they died or what they suffered. This book focuses on what was really special and unique about these saints.

St. Patrick

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Thursday, March 17, 2022

March 17 is the Feast of St. Patrick. It is interesting then that this beloved patron saint of Ireland was not actually born there. He was born in Britain and taken as a captive to Ireland.

While in captivity, he grew in faith. He eventually fled back to Britain, but after he escaped captivity he felt a deep call to return to Ireland. He felt that he lacked the education necessary for missionary work. But eventually he decided to trust in God and return to Ireland. He spread the faith throughout Ireland, instructing and baptizing people wherever he went.

He is especially known for using the image of the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity.

St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, engineers, and paralegals.

Books, Social Media Graphics, Resources, and Ideas for the Feast of St. Patrick

Learn more about St. Patrick

What Is the Trinity? LifeTeen Explains

God is an exchange of love. Why is it a mystery? Because we can’t know it unless God reveals us. God is one substance and three persons. God is love. All three persons in the Trinity are the same divine substance.

What Is the Trinity?

What does the mystery of the Trinity tell us? It tells us that God is relationship. In fact, God is such a perfect relationship in unity that God is truly one.

St. Patrick’s Breastplate

St. Patrick’s Breastplate is a prayer for protection and guidance. Christ is always with us providing us strength and wisdom.

The Lord Opened My Heart

“The Lord opened the understanding of my unbelieving heart, so that I should recall my sins.” – St. Patrick

Read About One Of The Saints

Saints are our Catholic heroes. They aren’t perfect, but they are beautiful examples of the path to holiness. So try reading about some of the saints. Our Catholic children need good role models.

115 Saintly Fun Facts

God Watched Over Me

“God watched over me before I knew him, and before I learned sense or even distinguished between good and evil, and he protected me, and consoled me as a father would his son.” – St. Patrick

Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland

This book by beloved children’s author Tomie DePaola tells the story of St. Patrick. It tells how this saint was sold into slavery in Ireland and eventually returned.

Read About One Of The Saints

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Saints are our Catholic heroes. They aren’t perfect, but they are beautiful examples of the path to holiness. So try reading about some of the saints. Our Catholic children need good role models.

Picking an age appropriate book to learn about the saints is important. If the story isn’t engaging, children stop hearing. Also, some saint books are really focused on death and suffering. While it is true that many saints suffered, I question whether that is the main point we want to teach from their stories. Children also need to know that trusting in God can bring them joy and peace.

115 Saintly Fun Facts is one of my favorite saint books for younger children. The short stories are great for young attention spans. And some of the fun facts are really funny and quirky. But they still get across the point that the saints were faithful. And it has enough stories that you can read one a day for quite a while.

Picture Book of the Saints is also a good choice for younger children. It has the stories of over 100 saints. This one has been around a while, but it holds up to the test of time. There is a beautiful image for each saint along with a short description of his or her life.

Patrick, Patron Saint of Ireland is another good choice for children. We read this one many times when my kids were younger. St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, so you could read this on his feast day. My favorite story from this book is about him sailing across the sea on an altar stone.

For tweens and younger teenagers, consider The Life of Pope John Paul II in Comics. This book is in graphic novel format, but it is non-fiction. And I think the comic book format emphasizes that this modern saint is as much a hero as anyone from the Marvel Universe.

Finally for older teens, young adults, and adults, I recommend My Life with the Saints by Fr. James Martin. Fr. Martin writes about how the lives of some of his favorite saints and holy people influenced his way of thinking. The book has chapters on Joan of Arc, Therese of Lisieux, Thomas Merton, Ignatius of Loyola, Pedro Arrupe, Bernadette Soubirous, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, John XXIII, Dorothy Day, Peter the Apostle, Thomas Aquinas, Francis of Assisi, Joseph the Husband of Mary, the Ugandan Martyrs, Aloysius Gongaza, and our Blessed Mother Mary.

Presentation of the Lord Crossword Puzzle

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The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord commemorates when Joseph and Mary took Jesus to Jerusalem to be consecrated. There they met Simeon and Anna who blessed the child and prophesied about him.

Use this crossword puzzle to reinforce the main characters and ideas in the gospel for this day. The printable crossword can be used with youth ministry or children’s Liturgy of the Word or a Sunday School lesson.

There are two versions of the crossword puzzle. Both include the puzzle and the clues.

One also includes a list of the words used. These can serve as hints, especially for younger children.
The other version just has the crossword puzzle and clues.
A key is also provided.

Presentation of the Lord Crossword Puzzle with Hints Download

Presentation of the Lord Crossword Puzzle with Clues Only Download

Presentation of the Lord Puzzle Key Download

Truth be Told: Basics in Catholic Apologetics

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Truth be Told: Basics in Catholic Apologetics is a good book for learning to defend parts of the Catholic faith to those who challenge it. It will also help you learn more about your faith! The book is aimed at teenagers, but anyone with youth in their lives can benefit from reading it.

The book is written by Mark Hart and Joe Cady. It clarifies and explains some poorly understood aspects of the Catholic faith in simple, easy to understand language.

More about Truth be Told: Basics in Catholic Apologetics

Saints

Books, Social Media Graphics, Resources, and Ideas for the Feast of St. Patrick

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