Growing Up Catholic Faith Activities Faith Activities on Saints

Each title in this eResource series includes dozens of short, faith-filled, catechetical activities. We include catechist lesson plans, activity pages, and editable, step-by-step parent instruction pages—all reproducible. Use these resources for whole family events, in the classroom, or as send-home activities. These titles are new editions of books that originally appeared in the Enriching Faith series from Twenty-Third Publications. Buy the whole series as a discount bundle here.

18 saints • 55 activities

These engaging and creative activities help students of all ages celebrate the saints. From Apostle Crowns to Good Deeds Glasses, each hands-on project illustrates a Scripture story or Catholic teaching that in turn reflects the life and work of a saint.

At the heart of each chapter is a story about a saint, told on two levels: for younger (ages 8 and under) and older (ages 9 and up) learners. But that's only the beginning. Brimming with craft ideas, games, maps, writing projects, and more, each chapter of this indispensable resource makes the saints accessible to everyone, no matter their age or learning style. Easy-to-follow directions and project templates make planning a snap. And because they're adaptable to any environment or curriculum, these activities are perfect for the classroom or for parish events such as intergenerational gatherings. This is one resource you'll want to use for All Saints Day, and all year, too!

This resource helps you teach, engage, and inspire students about some of the Church's most fascinating saints:

• Saint John Neumann
• Saint André Bessette
• Saint Marianne Cope
• Saint Angela Merici
• Saint Scholastica
• Saint Katharine Drexel
• Saint Julie Billiart
• Saint Catherine of Siena
• Saint Damien Joseph de Veuster
• Saint Benedict
• Saint Kateri Tekakwitha
• Saint Dominic
• Saint Edith Stein
• Saint Peter Claver
• Saint Pio of Pietrelcina
• Saint Isaac Jogues
• Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini
• Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne

Most of us enjoy stories. We enjoy hearing stories about friends and relatives. Stories teach us lessons we don’t even know we are learning. We also enjoy telling stories about our friends or about ourselves.

The stories of the saints contained in this book call us to reflect on the blessings we receive from the lives of these holy men and women. All of the saints laughed, cried, worked, played, believed, doubted, hoped, and despaired—but through it all they “acted with justice, loved tenderly, and walked humbly with their God” (Micah 6:8) in the ordinary everyday events of their lives.

Some of the saint stories deepen our courage and help us find a voice to speak out against injustices. Other stories propel us toward volunteering to help those in need. Still, other saint stories encourage us to take risks or create new paths as we too try to act with justice, to love tenderly, and to walk humbly with God in the ordinary, everyday events of our lives.

This book can be used in several different ways. First of all, at times catechists need to work with small groups of children—what can the other children do while the teacher is working with a small group? The catechist can set up two or three learning stations, and the children who aren’t working directly with the catechist can learn about the saints through these independent activities.

Another way to use this book is to set aside a couple of class times. Divide the class into small groups and have the students rotate through the different centers. The catechist can facilitate learning through asking questions and assisting students as they create the different projects.

A third way to use this book is to create an intergenerational evening focused on the saints. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and parishioners can be invited for a two-hour session focusing on the saints. All of the centers can be set up in advance, and people can rotate through the different centers.

Another possibility is to create a “Saint Museum.” Each student prepares a short talk about one of the saints and dresses like that saint. Saints are placed around the room, and when visitors stop in front of the saint, the saint begins talking about him/herself.

Finally, for the students in grades three through six, the catechist can take the saint stories and put them together one after the other to create a readers’ theatre for the students. These can be performed for the younger students, parents, or other guests. Readers’ theatres are great because the catechist doesn’t need props, costumes, etc; only scripts are needed. The story is told using vocal expression.

Note that the step-by-step activity instructions are designed for use in whole family events, but you can reference them for classroom use or easily adapt the editable fies for use in other settings.

This book can comfortably be used in a variety of ways, which allows it to meet the diverse needs of both teachers and students. Be creative! Use this book as a springboard to deepen your students’ knowledge and love for the saints. May these holy men and women pray for us as our hearts find a home within their stories.

Previously published by Twenty-Third Publications (ISBN 9781585959082).