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.

Comments

Saint Elizabeth of Hungary

Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Feast Day: Nov. 17th Saint Elizabeth of Hungary has always held a special place in my heart since she is my confirmation saint. If I'm being honest, when I was reading about saints back in the eighth grade, trying to choose which saint I wanted to take as my patron, my requirements were as follows: (1) She couldn't die a horrible death, (2) She was married with kids, (3) and her life was pretty good allowing her to serve God and others through the blessings she'd been given. In hindsight, my list of "requirements" was probably a little superficial, but now as an adult I focus more on the virtues and saintly qualities of Saint Elizabeth, and find inspiration in how she lived. She was humble, a kind and loving wife and mother, and very generous to the poor. She also made plenty of time to pray and grow in her relationship with the Lord. On her wedding day, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, who was a princess, did not wear a crown. Instead she s...

Study the Saints

Study the Saints: As I write this post, four days into the New Year, I’m called to reflect upon what New Year’s Resolution I can make that will be the most beneficial for my family and myself. A word that’s inspiring and that comes to mind is “Saints.” Celebrating the Saints on their feast days is wonderful and has been a blessing to my family. My children have learned about various holy men, women, and children from all places of the world and times in history, and they have been able to try foods from various cultures. I love how the Catholic Church is universal! Matthew Kelly wrote a book entitled Rediscover the Saints that I read last year, and I believe it has been part of a catalyst that has taken me to the next level of learning about the Saints. Celebrating saintly feast days is wonderful, but taking the time to read the actual writings of the Saints can be an even bigger game changer and blessing in your life and the lives of your family members. To date, I’ve only read the D...

Saint John Neumann

Saint John Neumann: Feast Day Jan. 5th Saint John Neumann, the first American Bishop to be canonized and Patron Saint of Catholic Education, has a special place in my heart. My late grandfather’s name was John Neumann, and when my brother was confirmed, he selected our grandfather to be his sponsor and chose Saint John Neumann as his patron. I like to reflect on the reality that as our grandfather, John Neumann, stood beside him as his sponsor, Saint John Neumann prayed in Heaven for my brother at his Confirmation. Aside from this neat family name connection with a Saint, as a former teacher I also find Saint John Neumann to be inspiring, since he helped increase the number of Catholic schools while he was Bishop of Philadelphia and brought numerous religious sisters into the schools to teach. Faith instruction of children and young people was definitely important to Saint John Neumann. If you are interested in reading more about Saint John Neumann, check out this article from Francis...

Just a Catholic Mom

Search This Blog