December 31: Pope Saint Sylvester

Statue of Pope Saint Sylvester
at the Church of Saint Sylvester
Pisa, Italy

History

Born in Rome and ordained by Pope Saint Marcellinus, Sylvester was accustomed to Christian persecution. Then Emperor Constantine made Christianity legal, and two years later, Sylvester became Pope. One of the most important gatherings in Church history happened during his papacy: the Council of Nicea in 325, where hundreds of priests, bishops and theologians met to talk about what God wanted to do with the Church.  But Pope Sylvester was too old to go. He sent two priests to represent him. When the Council ended. Pope Sylvester agreed with all their decisions, including the Nicene Creed

Activity

At every Sunday Mass, we stand together to pray the Nicene Creed. Read it together today. Do you know it by heart? If you memorize it, it’s easier to think through what the words mean as you say them at Mass. Work on memorizing the Creed today if you haven’t already.

Pope Saint Sylvester, pray for us!

More reading for parents:

Catholic Encyclopedia

Catholic Online

December 30: Saint Anysia

History

Saint Anysia grew up wealthy, but she never wanted to live a rich life. She dedicated herself to Jesus and her money to helping the poor. Everybody knew she did this because she was a Christian. One day, a soldier tried to drag Anysia into a pagan temple to make a sacrifice to his false gods. Anysia resisted, making him so angry, he drew his sword and killed her. 

Activity

We are so lucky we live in a time when we can act like Christians and help the poor without being afraid. Many of us help the poor before Christmas or even on Christmas day, but the poor need our help every day. To honor the memory of Saint Anysia, go through all your clothes and toys and find things that don't work for you any more but could be used by somebody else. Put them all in a big box or bag and take them to a homeless shelter in your community. 

Saint Anysia, pray for us!

More reading for parents:

Holy Spirit Interactive

Catholic Exchange

Catholic Online

December 29: Saint Aileran

History

Aileran was an Irish monk and a scholar. He liked to learn about Jesus and saints, and then write books about them. He wrote about all the great Irish saints who had lived before him, including Saint Patrick and Saint Brigid. The last thing Aileran ever wrote was about the genealogy of Christ that is found in the Gospel of Matthew. 

Activity

Today, read the first chapter of Matthew's Gospel. Matthew wrote this Gospel to prove to other Jews like Himself that Jesus is the Messiah. Why do you think it was important for Matthew to include Jesus' genealogy? That was one of the things that Saint Aileran found interesting.

Saint Aileran, pray for us!

More reading for parents:

Catholic Encyclopedia
Catholic Online

December 28: Saint Anthony the Hermit

St. Anthony the Hermit
(detail)
by Baltasar de Echave

History

Saint Anthony became a monk when he was a young man. For a while, he lived in a community, but he had so many men who wanted to learn from him, he didn’t have the time to focus on Jesus that he really wanted. So he ran away to a more quiet location and lived as a hermit, all by himself. Saint Anthony grew so close to Jesus that he understood the Lord’s will very well, and God was able to work miracles through him.

Activity

With Christmas, it is a very busy time of year! Some of us have so many gatherings with family and friends spread throughout the week, we can forget to make special time for Jesus. Saint Anthony never forgot this and neither should we. Today, set a timer for 15 minutes and spend that time totally alone with Jesus, talking to Him and listening to Him. What would happen in your life if you did that every day?

Saint Anthony the Hermit, pray for us! 

More reading for parents:

Catholic Online

December 27: Saint John the Apostle

Statue of Apostle John,  St.Isaac's Cathedral
Saint Petersburg, Russia.

History

John was one of the Twelve Apostles, and one of Jesus’ closest friends. Only John, his brother James and Peter witnessed certain important events in Jesus’ life on earth. John was also  the only one who stood by Jesus all the way through His death on the Cross instead of running away in fear. As He was dying for our sins, Jesus asked John to take care of Mary, which he did. John started many churches, and he wrote a Gospel about Jesus, three letters (Epistles) and the book of Revelation, which are all part of the Bible.

Activity

Saint John the Apostle is often represented as an eagle in church art. Today, make some eagle-shaped treats to celebrate one of Jesus’ best friends. 

Saint John the Apostle, pray for us!

More reading for parents:

Catholic Encyclopedia

American Catholic

Catholic Online

December 26: St. Stephen

The Stoning of St. Stephen by Luigi Garzi (1638–1721)

History

Shortly after Jesus ascended into heaven, the Church started to grow rapidly. Pretty soon, the Apostles realized they needed help, so they ordained seven deacons, and one of them was Stephen. Stephen helped take care of needy people in the Church. He also preached about Jesus, and that made people who didn’t like Christians angry. So they told some lies about him, and Stephen was condemned to die. Stephen talked about Jesus and asked God to forgive the men who were about to kill him. Only somebody who had the love of Jesus filling his heart could ask for that!

Activity

Sometimes, it’s really, really hard to forgive somebody who has been mean to you, called you names or hurt you in some other way. But having a forgiving heart is important for Christians. So today, ask Saint Stephen to pray that you will be able to forgive everybody who has ever did something wrong to you – and everybody who ever will do something wrong to you.

Saint Stephen, pray for us!

More reading for parents: 

American Catholic

Catholic Online

December 25: Merry Christmas!

May the peace of Christ be with you and yours on this holy day! Celebrate the birth of Jesus, God Incarnate by going to Mass (it's a Holy Day of Obligation) and enjoying other traditions.

All the saints in heaven, pray for us!

More reading for parents:

Catholic Online










Painting of the Birth of Christ (circa 1780)
by Francesco Pla Duran

December 24: St. Adele

A woman portrays
St. Adele

History

Adele was the daughter of King Dagobert II of Germany. After her husband died, she made sure her grown son was provided for and then became a nun. She started a convent and led the other sisters with holiness and good judgment. She influenced many people to lead holy lives – her grandson was Saint Gregory of Utrecht.

Activity

Saint Adele was devoted to Christ, and surely Christmas was a very special time for her. Today, watch this video of a famous German Christmas carol.  Here it is in English, too. 

Saint Adele, pray for us!

More reading for parents:

Catholic Online

December 23: Saint John of Kanty

Statue St. John of Kanty in Knyszyn
Photo by Henryk Borawski

History

John was a priest who worked as a professor of Scripture at a big university in Krakow, Poland. But some people told lies about him, and John was fired. He was sent to work as an assistant pastor for a small parish in Bohemia (now called the Czech Republic). The people there didn’t trust him. For years, John ministered with love and kindness and nobody was ever nice to him. Finally after eight years, the truth came out about his last job and he was able to return to Krakow. On the day he left, the Bohemian people of his parish followed him down the road for miles begging him to stay with them, much to his surprise.

Activity

The Bohemian people didn’t trust John because they thought anybody who had been fired deserved it. Sometimes we call that “black and white” thinking – making a snap judgement without having all the fats. Today, bake some Czech Black and White Cookies in honor of Saint John of Kanty. They’re great cookies to have at Christmas time.

Saint John of Kanty, pray for us!

More reading for parents:

Canons Regular

SQPN

Catholic Online