February 28: Pope Saint Hilary

Pope St. Hilary

History

Hilary was born in Italy during the 5^th century. He worked for Pope Saint Leo the Great, and when Leo was died, Hilary was elected to be his successor. During both Leo and Hilary’s papacy, people were arguing about whether or not the pope was the true leader of the Church and several other issues. So there was a lot of divisions, and Hilary worked very hard to bring people back together in Christian unity, and he succeed in France, Spain, Africa and Gaul (which is where Luxembourg and Belgium are today).

Activity

Today there are even more divisions in the Church than there were 1500 years ago, with tens of thousands of non-Catholic denominations all teaching things a little differently. Bringing all of us back together as one Church is a huge challenge. It would take a miracle! Luckily God is good at miracles. Today, read John 17:20-23 in your bible, which is Jesus’ prayer that all Christians would remain one Church. Then pray that the Lord will help you work toward Christian unity with your non-Catholic family and friends.

Pope Saint Hilary, pray for us!

More reading for parents:

EWTN

Catholic Online

St. Hilary's essay, "The Fear of the Lord"

February 27: St. Leander of Seville

Saint Leander

History

Born in Spain, Leander was a monk who later became bishop of Seville. He taught the two princes of Seville about Jesus, and they became Christians, which made their dad – the king – so angry, he exiled Leander to Constantinople. While Leander lived there, he became close friends with the man who would become Pope St. Gregory the Great. In fact, it was Leander who suggested that Gregory write one of his most famous books, “Morals on the Book of Job.”

Activity

Because Saint Leander was a holy man who loved Jesus very sincerely, he was very good at inspiring other people to a deep faith in the Lord. The fact that he and three of his siblings all became saints must mean they were good at inspiring each other. So today, think of a way you can inspire your brother or sister to love Jesus more than they already do. (Don’t forget to ask Saint Leander to pray that you’ll come up with a good idea.)

Saint Leander, pray for us!

More reading for parents:

Catholic Encyclopedia

Tradition in Action

Catholic Online

February 26: St. Isabel of France

St. Isabel statue at
Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois, Paris
Photo by Marie-Lan Nguyen

History

Isabel was the daughter of King Louis VIII of France and the sister of Saint Louis. Many men wanted to marry her, but she wanted to give her life to God and only to God. She worked with the sick and the poor and founded a monastery, where she lived even though she never became a nun.

Activity

You don’t have to be a nun or a priest to help the sick and the poor. Today, think of somebody you know who is sick and do something to help them out, whether that’s dropping off a box of tissue and some soup, making an encouraging phone call, sending a card or something else.

Saint Isabel of France, pray for us!

More reading for parents:

Catholic Encyclopedia

Roman Catholic Saints

Catholic Online

February 25: Saint Tarasius

History

St. Tarasius was a very smart man and a very charitable one. When he was elected patriarch of Constantinople (the highest ranking bishop), his first goal was to organize a General Council to resolve some arguments that were happening between different dioceses within the Church. He also worked very hard to make sure all the priests and bishops and laypeople were living holy lives. He even went to visit every single house and every single hospital in Constantinople, offering help to whomever needed it. 

Activity

Saint Tarasius visited every person in the town where he lived. But sometimes, we get too busy to even notice our own neighbors Even if you live in farm country, where the houses are a half-mile or more apart, you still have neighbors. Today, make it a point to check in on a neighbor you haven’t seen for a while. Just pop over to say hello and find out how they are. If you find out they need something, offer to help. Either way, be sure you pray for them.

Saint Tarasius, pray for us!

More reading for parents:

Catholic Encyclopedia

Magnificat

Catholic Online

February 24: Saint John Theristus

St. John Theristus

History

Born in Sicily, John grew up to be a Benedictine monk in Calabria. He was a holy person, and God was able to use him to work miracles. Once, he helped some farmers miraculously harvest a big crop before a terrible storm came and destroyed it all, which saved local people from starvation. This is why he is called “Theristus”, which means, “harvester.”

Activity

Saint John Theristus was more concerned about harvesting souls for the kingdom of God than he was harvesting veggies, but he did both. You can do both, too. This would be a great day to start some seeds for your own home garden. Even if you don’t have a yard that’s big enough to plant a full-fledged garden, you can grow tomatoes, lettuce, peppers,herbs and more in pots.  And if you don’t have a pot, you can just use a regular bag of potting soil as a planter. Use a seed starter-tray to get your seeds growing, or you can use a paper egg carton covered with plastic wrap and set on a sunny window sill. Then when you harvest your crops, remember to share the extras with people you know so that you can bring them the love of Christ in a very practical way. 

Saint John Theristus, pray for us!

More reading for parents:

SQPN

Catholic.Net

Catholic Online