Ideas for Celebrating Saints and Feasts of the Fall Season
Karen Berry, OSF
The season of autumn is special in its ability to evoke awareness and keen insights. Its brilliant colors demand attention, and then the fading, falling leaves punch us with the reality that good things come to an end and life faces death before nature’s cycle springs to new life again. This season in the Church year offers us brilliant color woven with themes of life and death, too. From celebrating all the saints to praying for departed souls, from venerating the angels to honoring Christ as a king whose “throne” was a cross, we weave faith into the fabric of our autumn awareness. Let us invite the children to whom we minister pick up this autumn tapestry and add a few pieces to their celebration of fall.
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, “The Little Flower” (October 1)
Children relate well to the story of the “Little Flower” because Saint Thérèse (1873–1897) was a young girl with a simple faith who did small daily things very well. Her feast occurs this year on a Wednesday. The message of the Gospel (Luke 9:57–62) is to let go of everything to follow Jesus. Here is a website with photos and more information about her life.
As children learn the story of Saint Thérèse, they will discover facts about her life (being the youngest, losing her mother, following older sisters into a convent, wanting to be a missionary, getting very sick and dying young) that will help them feel her passion. Her journey, which she called her “Little Way,” led her right to God because she did small things with a big heart. Use the symbols of flowers and pathways to help children design their own route to God. Celebrate simple tasks done well.
Saint Francis of Assisi (October 4)
This patron saint of ecology and renowned peacemaker touches the hearts of young and old. Legends abound in the story of Saint Francis (1181–1226) and numerous symbols emerge from them. The wolf of Gubbio is the symbol for peacemaking. This story is beautifully illustrated in the children’s book, Francis: The Poor Man of Assisi by Tomie dePaola (New York: Holiday House, 1982). This book also relates the story of the stigmata of Saint Francis. The stigmata at LaVerna is a symbol of our willingness to share the passion of Jesus. The nativity scene that Saint Francis erected in a cave on a hillside near the town of Grecchio has become a universal Christmas custom, emerging from it is the symbol of an Incarnate God who intimately shares our life. The Umbrian hills and Rieti Valley in all their natural beauty and with all their hidden hermitages symbolize the solitary soul united with the Creator in and through the created universe. Umbria is sometimes called “the land of saints” for it was home to Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi (August 11), Saint Rita of Cascia (May 22) and Saint Benedict of Norcia (July 11).
Refer to the following websites for more information about
-the wolf of Gubbio
-the crèche at the cave of Grecchio
-the stigmata at LaVerna
Children love Francis for his connection with the animals. Using that as a starting point, lead them to respect creation, to imitate Jesus, to turn selfishness into sharing, to make peace with others, and to value prayerful encounters with God.
Thanksgiving Day (November 23)
Every religious tradition encourages gratitude. Even though Thanksgiving Day is a US
national holiday, many people choose to come to church as if this were am actual holy day, and rightly so. Recognizing that all we have is gift leads us back to the source of all our blessings. Children know how to be grateful. Directing gratitude to God is a natural step in spiritual development.
Use the symbols of the season to create categories for gratitude:
-cornucopia for plentiful food
-bright colored leaves for nature’s beauty
-pilgrims for religious and political freedom
-turkey for God’s creatures
Use these same symbols as reminders of those in need of our help and our prayer:
-cornucopia for hungry people
-colored leaves for ecological concerns
-pilgrims for immigrants and refugees
-turkey for humane treatment of animals
Giving Thanks Every Day
When we help children find reasons to celebrate ordinary days as well as holidays, we raise their awareness of how special life is in all its colors. When they embrace the simple, yet heroic, ways of St. Therese and St. Francis, they grow more inclined toward gratitude for life. Every day becomes a day to give thanks.
Joliet Franciscan Sister Karen Berry is the director of a family program of religious education at Saint Francis Parish in Tucson, AZ. She is a freelance writer for Catholic magazines and the Diocese of Tucson newspaper, The New Vision. Her book Prayer Services for Parishes is published by St. Anthony Messenger Press.
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, “The Little Flower” (October 1)
Children relate well to the story of the “Little Flower” because Saint Thérèse (1873–1897) was a young girl with a simple faith who did small daily things very well. Her feast occurs this year on a Wednesday. The message of the Gospel (Luke 9:57–62) is to let go of everything to follow Jesus. Here is a website with photos and more information about her life.
As children learn the story of Saint Thérèse, they will discover facts about her life (being the youngest, losing her mother, following older sisters into a convent, wanting to be a missionary, getting very sick and dying young) that will help them feel her passion. Her journey, which she called her “Little Way,” led her right to God because she did small things with a big heart. Use the symbols of flowers and pathways to help children design their own route to God. Celebrate simple tasks done well.
Saint Francis of Assisi (October 4)
This patron saint of ecology and renowned peacemaker touches the hearts of young and old. Legends abound in the story of Saint Francis (1181–1226) and numerous symbols emerge from them. The wolf of Gubbio is the symbol for peacemaking. This story is beautifully illustrated in the children’s book, Francis: The Poor Man of Assisi by Tomie dePaola (New York: Holiday House, 1982). This book also relates the story of the stigmata of Saint Francis. The stigmata at LaVerna is a symbol of our willingness to share the passion of Jesus. The nativity scene that Saint Francis erected in a cave on a hillside near the town of Grecchio has become a universal Christmas custom, emerging from it is the symbol of an Incarnate God who intimately shares our life. The Umbrian hills and Rieti Valley in all their natural beauty and with all their hidden hermitages symbolize the solitary soul united with the Creator in and through the created universe. Umbria is sometimes called “the land of saints” for it was home to Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi (August 11), Saint Rita of Cascia (May 22) and Saint Benedict of Norcia (July 11).
Refer to the following websites for more information about
-the wolf of Gubbio
-the crèche at the cave of Grecchio
-the stigmata at LaVerna
Children love Francis for his connection with the animals. Using that as a starting point, lead them to respect creation, to imitate Jesus, to turn selfishness into sharing, to make peace with others, and to value prayerful encounters with God.
Thanksgiving Day (November 23)
Every religious tradition encourages gratitude. Even though Thanksgiving Day is a US
national holiday, many people choose to come to church as if this were am actual holy day, and rightly so. Recognizing that all we have is gift leads us back to the source of all our blessings. Children know how to be grateful. Directing gratitude to God is a natural step in spiritual development.
Use the symbols of the season to create categories for gratitude:
-cornucopia for plentiful food
-bright colored leaves for nature’s beauty
-pilgrims for religious and political freedom
-turkey for God’s creatures
Use these same symbols as reminders of those in need of our help and our prayer:
-cornucopia for hungry people
-colored leaves for ecological concerns
-pilgrims for immigrants and refugees
-turkey for humane treatment of animals
Giving Thanks Every Day
When we help children find reasons to celebrate ordinary days as well as holidays, we raise their awareness of how special life is in all its colors. When they embrace the simple, yet heroic, ways of St. Therese and St. Francis, they grow more inclined toward gratitude for life. Every day becomes a day to give thanks.
Joliet Franciscan Sister Karen Berry is the director of a family program of religious education at Saint Francis Parish in Tucson, AZ. She is a freelance writer for Catholic magazines and the Diocese of Tucson newspaper, The New Vision. Her book Prayer Services for Parishes is published by St. Anthony Messenger Press.
| Title | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Book Softcover | |||
| 6133 | Gather the Children Year A, Third Edition | $21.00 | Add to Cart |
Offers assistance for adults who proclaim God's word to children from pre-school through grade six, with activities ranging from story-telling and singing to gesture, drama, group readings and art projects.