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The Chair of Saint Peter the Apostle

The Chair of Saint Peter the Apostle: Feast Day Feb. 22


“And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18) Today, we celebrate the feast day of Peter's appointment by Christ to govern the Church on earth, and his successors in that role to become the next Vicar of Christ—in simple terms, today's feast day celebrates the institution of the papacy. So, today as we celebrate this beautiful role of leadership within the Catholic Church, pray for the Pope, that he will always be guided by the Holy Spirit, and lead the flock he's been entrusted with the gifts of knowledge, wisdom, understanding, piety, counsel, fortitude, and a fear of the Lord. Also reflect on the awesomeness that you are part of something beautiful—you are a part of the Church, the Church founded by Christ, the Bride of Christ! Let that amazing reality sink in!   

Celebrating Through Food:

Since today’s feast celebrates the role of the Pope as the head of the bishops and Vicar of Christ, make “The Pope’s Fettuccine—Fettuccini alla papalina,” using this delicious recipe from the website: “Global Table Adventure.” Serve your fettuccini with lemon flavored Italian soda, since Vatican City is within Rome. If you want to get even more creative, you can even mix pineapple juice in your Italian soda, or rum for the adults, and name your beverage, “The Chair of St. Peter Cocktail." (A modification I made to the recipe was I cooked my egg sauce in a saucepan on low while my fettuccine noodles cooked in order to cook my eggs slightly)

Celebrating with a Craft:

Since I used to be a middle school social studies teacher, I love making interdisciplinary connections. For today's crafts/activities, mix a little geography, history, and religious education together. Print and color the Vatican City Map coloring page  and Saint Peter's Basilica coloring page from "Super Coloring." You can discuss map reading skills with your kids and label the Vatican City Map's various locations. Khan Academy has a short article that discusses how and who helped build the basilica; and the Vatican has a great Virtual Tour of Saint Peter's Basilica for you and your family to embark on a virtual field trip together. Your kids can also color The flag of The Holy See coloring page from "Crayola," and you can discuss how Vatican City is its own city as well as country. Your kids can also make "Pope Francis paper dolls" using this free template from the website "Drawn 2 B Creative." (Scroll down to the bottom of the page to open and print the template).  To wrap everything up, have your children draw a pyramid listing a very simplified "Hierarchy of Catholic Church Leadership." 

Celebrating Through Prayer:

Below is a prayer I wrote that you and your family can say together.

Dear Lord, as you chose Peter from among your apostles to be the rock on which to build your Church, please guide his successor, the Pope. Send the Holy Spirit to fill him with all the gifts, graces, and virtues he needs to lead your church faithfully and according to your holy will. Amen

Additional Reading: 

Here is a great article, from Franciscan Media, for further reading about today's feast day. 


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