May 31: St. Hermias

History

Saint Hermias was a Roman soldier in the second century. When he left the army, he refused to accept his pay and announced he was a Christian. It was illegal to be a Christian then, so he was immediately arrested. The emperor's proconsul told Hermias to reject Christ or be tortured. Hermias was tortued in eight different ways, including being thrown into a furnace, where he lived for three days without being burned and being forced to drink poison twice. Finally the proconsul killed him with a sword. 

Activity

When Hermias was given poison, he made the sign of the cross over the goblet and drank willingly. That took a lot of faith in Christ. In India, people enjoy a green drink that's called "zair" - which means poison, because it's green with grey flecks in it. But it's not poison at all! Make some and say a toast to St. Hermias for his courageous faith. 

1. Put 2 tablespoons of partially thawed limeade concentrate in a glass (it should be slushy). 

2. Sprinkle in 1/4 teaspoon of Indian Kala Namak salt (sold at Asian grocery stores or specialty food stores or substitute a grey or black sea salt).

3. Pour in 1 cup of cold lemon-lime soda. Stir gently

4. Add a couple of ice cubes and enjoy! 

Saint Hermais, pray for us!

More reading for parents: 

Orthodox Church in America
Catholic Online

Last year, we learned about Saint Petronilla.

May 30: Saint Joan of Arc

"Joan of Arc at the Coronation
of Charles VII"
by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

History

When Joan was born in France around 1412, her country was a mess. For about 100 years, the English had been trying to take control over the country. Even thought Joan was just a farmer’s daughter, she received visions telling her to take France to victory. She managed to get an audience with the King, and he gave her permission to go with an army. Joan turned the conflict into a religious war. She took part in the siege of Orléans, and whether she carried a sword or a standard (banner), the French army won. Even though she was just a teenage girl, Joan convinced the king and dukes to follow several of her military ideas and France was successful. Then Joan was captured and put on trial. The trial was not fair, and she was executed. However, only 25 years later, good people looked into Joan’s case and corrected the record. Now everybody knows she is a saint.  

Activity

During her trial, some of the people tried to trick Joan so they could declare her a heretic. They asked her if she knew she was in God’s grace. If she had said yes, that would have meant she is a heretic because none of us can know if we are or aren’t. If she had said no, she would have been condemned for saying she had seen heavenly visions. Joan said, "If I am not, may God put me there; and if I am, may God so keep me.” Today, before you go to bed, make Joan’s words your nighttime prayer: “If I am not in Your grace, Lord, put me there. And if I am, may You so keep me.”

Saint Joan of Arc, pray for us!

More reading for parents:

Catholic Encyclopedia

American Catholic

Catholic Online

May 29: Saint Julia Maria Ledóchowska

Mother Ursula (Saint Julia
Maria Ledóchowska) in 1907

History

Julia was fortunate to grow up in a Polish family that was devoted to Christ. Shortly before he died, her father gave Julia his blessing to join the Ursuline sisters, where she became a teacher. She was sent to Russia to open a boarding school and became Mother Ursula. But at the beginning of World War I, she was expelled from Russia and went to Sweden After the war, Mother Ursula and her sisters brought dozens of orphans back to Poland. She started her own branch of the Ursulines called the Ursuline Sisters of the Heart of Jesus in Agony. 

Activity

For people who had lost homes, family members and jobs because of the war, Mother Ursula and her sisters were almost like angels, providing practical help as well as spiritual support. Today, make these Polish “Angel Wing” cookies – they are very simple and light, and they cook on top of the stove. 

Saint Julia Maria Ledóchowska, pray for us!

More reading for parents:

Polish Ursuline Community

365 Rosaries

Catholic Online

May 28: Blessed Margaret Pole

Drawing of Bl. Margaret Pole
Photo by lisby1

History

Margaret was a lady of noble birth – her uncles were King Edward IV and Richard III of England, and she was Countess of Salisbury. She and her husband, Reginald Pole, raised five sons. Sometime after Reginald died, Margaret found herself in a public disagreement with King Henry VIII. He had started out as a faithful Catholic believer, but when the Church said he could not divorce his wife, he started his own church. When he married another woman, Margaret took a stand against him, and so did two of her grown sons. After being imprisoned in the Tower of London for two years, they were executed. 

Activity

Bl. Margaret Pole's
family Coat of Arms

Bl. Margaret Pole and her husband taught their children to be faithful to Christ and the Church. Her family Coat of Arms is full of symbols of courage and faith. Today, make a Coat of Arms for your family. Here is a website that makes it easy, with an explanation of the colors and symbols that lets you choose what represents what your family stands for, and here’s another with a bigger choice of symbols (and the opportunity to have your Coat of Arms printed on t-shirts and other merchandise). Or you can simply use this blank shield and draw your own ideas. 

Blessed Margaret Pole, pray for us!

More reading for parents:

EWTN
Holy Spirit Interactive
Catholic Online

May 27: St. Augustine of Canterbury

"Baptism of King Ethelbert
by St. Augustine of Canterbury"
Window at St. Martin Church
Canterbury, England

History

In the year 596, Pope Saint Gregory the Great sent Saint Augustine of Canterbury and around 40 other monks to tell the people of England about Jesus. The men started the trip, but they turned around because they kept hearing about how mean the English were to Christians. Then the pope heard that the English King Ethelbert, who was a pagan, had married a Christian lady, so the missionaries were sent to England again. King Ethelbert was very nice to them. He became a Christian the following year, and after that, many other English people became Christians too. To help them adapt, Augustine followed Paul’s example in Acts17:22-34 and converted pagan temples into Christian churches and replaced pagan rites with Christian Holy Days. The “good fruit” of this work was that England became a Christian country rather quickly. 

Activity

Celebrate the “good fruit” of St. Augustine of Canterbury’s missionary work with a fruit dessert. This traditional Canterbury Tart is made with baking apples (such as Bramley apples), dessert apples (such as Gala or Braeburn), and demerara sugar, also called turbinado sugar. This recipe is from Great Britain, so they use slightly different names for things. Icing sugar is what we call confectioner’s sugar, and caster sugar is what we call baking sugar or extra-find granulated sugar (regular white sugar will work, too). 

Saint Augustine of Canterbury, pray for us!

More reading for parents:

Catholic Encyclopedia

American Catholic

Catholic Online 

May 26: St. Philip Neri

"The Virgin Appearing to
St. Philip Neri"
by Giovanni Battista Piazetta 

History

Philip was a merry, popular person. One night when he was praying, he felt a globe of light enter his mouth and sink down into his heart. This gave him the desire to serve God and others. In time, he became a priest and spent hours in prayer, but he remained just as spontaneous and fun-loving as ever. He would play practical jokes on other priests in order to teach them humility, and sometimes he would walk around with his clothes inside out or half his beard shaved off, maybe to make people laugh or maybe to learn humility himself. 

Activity

Pope Francis has spoken a lot about how Christians should be full of joy. So, today, follow St. Philip Neri’s example and have a little fun. He liked hearing and learning new jokes, so learn a new joke today and tell it to others. Here are a few jokes to get you started. 

Saint Philip Neri, pray for us!

More reading for parents:

EWTN

American Catholic

Catholic Online

May 25: Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi

St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi

History

Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi joined a Carmelite order so she could devote all her time to Jesus. Sometimes, she would have ecstasies – holy experiences with God. In one of them, Jesus told her that she would soon feel that Jesus had left her, but He would be closer to her than ever. For five years, Sister Mary Margaret had no desire to pray and was tempted by every kind of sin. She grew so depressed, she thought she would kill herself. Instead, she kept praying and doing penance and serving others, even though she didn’t feel God at all.

Activity

Saint Mary Magdalene grew so holy, she was able to act like she enjoyed the things she really didn’t like to do at all. This way, she was able to do penance without anybody around her realizing she was doing it. Today, ask God to help you do this, too – approach even your worst tasks with a smile and a cheerful attitude.

Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, pray for us!

More reading for parents:

Catholic Encyclopedia

American Catholic

Catholic Online

Special Note: Today is Memorial Day in the U.S., a day we honor those who died in service to our country. Please remember these heroes by attending a Memorial Day service or visiting a military monument or cemetery and praying for their souls. And even with this solemn remembrance, you can still feel the joy of Christ.

May 24: Pentecost Sunday

"Pentecost" by Juan Bautista Maino

History

Pentecost is celebrated on the 50^th day after Easter. It’s also called Whitsun or Whitsunday in England, probably because it was the traditional day for new Christians to wear white clothing and be baptized at church. Pentecost is also considered to be the birthday of the Church, because when the Apostles were gathered on this day, the Holy Spirit rushed in like a mighty wind, leaving “tongues of fire” over each person’s head, and suddenly they were all given the gifts they needed to tell people about Jesus. It’s also the Jewish feast of Shavuot, celebrating the gifts of the Ten Commandments to Moses at Sinai. 

Activity

Your day should be filled with activities, because this is a very important feast day! Make sure you go to Mass, of course, but for the rest of your day, here’s a list of things – choose whatever works best for your family. 

1. Wear red clothing (red is the color of the Holy Spirit).

2. Read about the original Pentecost in your Bible – Acts 2.

3. Eat white foods (a Whitsunday tradition). How about some powdered sugar donuts after Mass, mozzarella cheese sticks for a snack, cauliflower for your side dish and supper and so on. Catholic Cuisine has more suggestions here.  

4. Make  a birthday cake!  A white cake with some sort of red representing the tongues of fire is traditional. Here’s a recipe for strawberry cake.  

5. If the weather cooperates, fly kites – remembering the mighty wind that announced the arrival of the Holy Spirit. 

6. Make a dove out of your hand print. 

7. Make “Tongues of Fire” headbands.  

All the saints of heaven, pray for us!

More reading for parents:

Catholic Culture
American Catholic

Jimmy Akin’s 8 Things to Know and Share

May 23: St. Julia

St. Julia

History

St. Julia was born in South Africa and raised in a Christian family. But she was captured and sold as slave. Julia served her master as she would serve Christ, doing every task to the best of her ability. Her master respected her. One day, he took her on a business trip. They stopped at an island, where the governor tried to trade four of his best slave women for Julia, because she was so beautiful and such a good worker. Her master said he wouldn’t let Julia go for any amount of money. When Julia refused to take part in the governor’s pagan worship, he waited until her master was asleep and then tried to force her to worship idols. Julia remained strong in Christ, and the governor had her killed because of her faith. 

Activity

Because Julia was a slave, she was not able to preach to her pagan master about Jesus. Instead, she showed him what Christians were like by being honest, hard-working and devout. There are times when all Christians have to show their love for Jesus instead of using words. Today, find a way let Christ’s love shine through you in what you do and how you do it.  

Saint Julia, pray for us!

More reading for parents:

Sacred-Texts.com

365 Rosaries

Catholic Online

May 22: St. Rita

St. Rita

History

Rita begged her parents to let her enter the convent, but they found her a husband instead. Rita did her best to be a good wife and mother, even though her husband frequently got angry and became very mean to her. Whether on purpose or not, he taught their sons to be mean to her, too. Then Rita’s husband was fatally wounded in a fight. Before he died, he became a Christian because of Rita’s prayers. Then Rita spent her days in fasting, prayer and doing good works. In time, she because an Augustinian nun. 

Activity

Saint Rita thought that her husband would never believe in Christ, but he did. She also thought she would never become a nun, but that happened too. Now she is a patron saint of impossible causes. Today, ask Saint Rita to pray for the “impossible” thing you’ve been praying for. 

Saint Rita, pray for us!

More reading for parents:

National Shrine of Saint Rita

American Catholic

Catholic Online

May 21: Saint Eugene de Mazenod

St. Eugene de Mazenod
Marseille Cathedral, France
Photo by Finoskov

History

Eugene was born into a middle-class French family shortly before the French Revolution started. Because of the uprising, he and his family had to flee to Italy. His family life was very unhappy. His parents argued all the time, and his grandmother and his aunt (who lived with them) were always rude to his father for not having enough money. For a while, Eugene was tutored by a priest in Italy, who taught him to love and serve Christ. As a young man, Eugene thought he might want be careless and selfish like the wealthy young men he knew. Then on Good Friday in 1807, when he was praying in front of a Crucifix, Eugene suddenly realized the full impact of God's love. He became a priest and eventually a bishop. 

Activity

Because of his own family life, Saint Eugene de Mazenod is a patron for dysfunctional families. We all know of a family where nobody gets along - and where the parents are thinking about divorce. Today, pray for them and ask Saint Eugene to pray for them as well. (If you are in a position to do so, suggest that a couple considering divorce try Retrouvaille first, a self-directed program of rediscovery that has helped many couples remember why they fell in love in the first place.) 

Saint Eugene de Mazenod, pray for us! 

More reading for parents: 

Biography on the Vatican web site

Catholic Saints Info

Catholic Online

May 20: Saint Bernardine of Siena

St. Bernardine of Siena

History

Even though Bernardine was very good at caring for sick people, he did not know if that was what God wanted him to do. He fasted and prayed until he realized he should join the Franciscans. The Franciscans were missionary preachers, but Bernardine’s voice was weak and hoarse, so he spent his first 12 years praying that God would prepare him for mission work. The first time he preached, his voice was so strong and commanding, everybody loved what he had to say. Pope Pius II compared him to the Apostle Paul, too. Bernardine preached until he died peacefully when he was almost 64 years old. 

Activity 

One of the things that Saint Bernadine loved to preach about most was the name of Jesus. In fact, the Church thinks that he is the one that invented the "IHS" symbol that you see in so many churches. In Greek, the letters "IHS" are the first three letters of Jesus' name. Today, make an IHS sign to hang in your bedroom. Here's a simple coloring page, a fancy one, and one with a decorative cross. 

Saint Bernadine of Siena, pray for us!

More reading for parents:

Catholic Encyclopedia

American Catholic

Catholic Online

May 19: Pope St. Celestine V

Pope St. Celestine V

History

Named Peter when he was born, Pope Celestine V became a hermit when he was 20, spending all his time in prayer and Bible study. When he was 84, the world had been without a pope for 2 years because the College of Cardinals could not agree whom to elect. Peter wrote them a note telling them that God was not pleased, so the cardinals elected him pope! Peter was not happy – he even tried to run away. Finally, he accepted and took the name Celestine V. Unfortunately, he was so humble and unable to say no, people started to use him to get what they wanted. After five months, Pope Celestine went to the cardinals to apologize for doing a terrible job. He resigned and a new pope was elected. 

Activity

It can be really hard to figure out what we are supposed to do. Sometimes, even the people who God gives us as leaders can make a mistake and give us tasks that are way too hard for us. When that happens, we must remember to be like Pope Saint Celestine V. He tried and when he realized he was failing again and again, he resigned. Think about your own life today - is there something you need to humbly admit that you're not able to handle? 

Pope Saint Celestine V, pray for us!

More reading for parents:

Catholic Encyclopedia

EWTN

Catholic Online

May 18: Pope Saint John I

History

John was only pope for a little less than three years, from 523 to 526. He was a very frail man when he was elected, but the emperor at that time sent him all the way to Constantinople anyway, on a peace-seeking mission. Everything went very well – maybe too well, because the emperor decided that Pope John must have been conspiring against him with the ruler of Constantinople. When Pope John returned to Italy, he was arrested, and he died in prison.  

Activity

Pope John I wasn’t strong or powerful, but God didn’t need him to be anything other than faithful. That’s why Pope John was able to do such good work for the Lord. Today, memorize I Corinthians 2:9, “ And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”  

Pope Saint John I, pray for us!

More reading for parents:

Catholic News Agency

Catholic Encyclopedia

Catholic Online

May 17: St. Paschal Baylon

St. Paschal Baylon

History

Saint Paschal Baylon's parents were poor Spainards, but they were rich in faith. So when he was born on the Feast of Pentecost, which is called "the Pasch" in Spain, they named him Paschal. Paschal had to work as a shepherd instead of going to school, but he would carry a book with him, and if anybody walked by, he would ask that person to teach him letters and words until he learned how to read. He grew up to become a monk, and he often had visions when he was praying before the Blessed Sacrament. He prayed all the time, even while working. 

Activity

In honor of Saint Paschal Baylon today, make a simple Spanish tortilla for dinner. It's sort of like a frittata or an omelet, and it's a good, cheap meal. 

Saint Paschal Baylon, pray for us!

More reading for parents: 

American Catholic

EWTN

Catholic Online

May 16: St. Simon Stock

St. Simon Stock receiving the
 brown scapular from the
Blessed Mother

History

Simon was a Carmelite monk who started a lot of Carmelite communities in Europe. He became Vicar General of the order, but that mean dealing with a lot of problems. Some people made fun of the monks. Other people were tired of donating money to them. And the monks argued with each other. One day when Simon was praying, he saw a vision of the Blessed Mother with a brown scapular. She told him that it would make a difference for his order, and it did.  Things got better almost immediately. 

Activity

The idea of a scapular is rooted in the words of Christ: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:29-30) The brown scapular is two small pieces of brown wool with string or wool connecting them so that the wearer has one piece of fabric over his or her chest and the other over his or her back. Any Catholic can wear one – even a baby – but you have to have your scapular blessed and “imposed” by a priest – basically, that means that as the priest places the scapular over your head, he prays a certain prayer.  If you don’t have a brown scapular, get one today – you can even get one for free on this website. 

Saint Simon Stock, pray for us!

More reading for parents:

CatholicEncyclopedia

BrownScapular History
Catholic Online

May 15: St. Dymphna

St. Dymphna

History

When Dymphna was 14, her mother died and her dad became very depressed. He tried desperately to find another woman who looked just like Dymphna’s mother so he could marry her, but Dymphna was the only girl around who looked like her mother. Her dad tried to pretend that Dymphna could become his wife, so she ran away with her priest and two other friends. Her dad caught them and killed the priest and Dymphna.

Activity

Soon after Saint Dymphna’s tragic death, it was discovered that when people who suffered mental illnesses would get well when Saint Dymphna was asked to pray for them. Do you know anybody who is nervous or angry or sad all the time? Today, ask Saint Dymphna to pray for them using this traditional prayer:

O God, we humbly beseech You through Your servant, St. Dymphna, who sealed with her blood the love she bore You, to grant relief to those who suffer from mental afflictions and nervous disorders, especially __________. 
St. Dymphna, helper of the mentally afflicted, pray for us. (Follow this with the Glory Be.)

Saint Dymphna, pray for us!

More reading for parents:

Catholic Encyclopedia

National Shrine of St. Dymphna

Catholic Online