Saint Angela Merici

Saint Angela Merici: Feast Day Jan. 27th

Today we celebrate Saint Angela Merici. After reading about her, as a mother, I find Saint Angela to be extremely inspiring and a good role model. During her life, she founded the first teaching congregation of women in the Church, where she made it her mission to educate women in the faith, so that they could teach their children the faith and be able to build strong faith filled families. Building the Domestic Church of the family was definitely important in Saint Angela’s lifetime, but I believe it is even more important today. The family has always been the building block of society, and as many Saints have verbalized, “when the family goes, so goes society.” You and your spouse, as a Catholic mom and dad, are the first catechists in your children’s faith. Today, pray for Saint Angela’s intercession to help your family’s faith life flourish and grow!

Celebrating Through Food:

Since Saint Angela was from Italy, make grilled chicken Parmesan, breaded with Italian bread crumbs and extra Italian seasoning, for dinner. Slice the chicken into strips once it’s cooked and serve over spaghetti with marinara sauce. For dessert, make “Italian Sprinkle” cookies using this tasty and easy recipe from “Taste of Home” (I substituted butter in place of shortening).

Celebrating Through a Craft:

Using paper and crayons or markers, make a picture of your family holding hands and standing on a rock that says “Jesus.” Explain to your children that Jesus is the cornerstone in your family and that your family needs Him and your faith in Him to flourish and share your gifts with the world. It’s only through Jesus that we can do anything.

Additional Information:

Here is a great article, from Franciscan Media, about Saint Angela for further reading if you are interested.

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