For All The Saints & Praying For Souls

This year our homeschool group didn't have an All Saints Day party as we usually have in the past. While it was a bummer not to be able to celebrate all of these holy men and women with other families, the day at home ended up being what we needed.

Literally, I was scouring online Halloween day trying to find unique and EASY brilliantly clever ideas to make the feast of All Saints special. There was a ton out out there, but I picked just a couple quick ideas.

We started off with a few rounds of Pin the Halo on the Saint and my kids thought it was a hoot.

A little bit of Saint trivia/Saint quotes and my kids were just a bit stumped. And they thought they had the day off from school, ha!

Next, we worked on saint puppets on paper bags. I found super helpful templates over at Catholic Icing. My kids really enjoyed picking out their Saints they were going to make and their attire. Even though Lily and Jonah are getting older and not as into crafts, then still enjoyed this project.


Jonah's choices:

St. Nicholas

St. Francis of Assisi

And Lily's:

St. Agnes

St. Clare

Lastly, for lunch I attempted PB and Jelly 'stigmata' sandwiches. Almost epic fail. But the kids got the drift and commended my effort. In case you can't see it, it's a cut out hand with jelly for the stigmat part.

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On Friday, All Souls Day, members of our homeschool group gathered at a local cemetery to pray the rosary. A bit chilly, but we walked as we prayed so that helped to keep us warm. I always like to look at the dates, family names and designs etched in the stones as I walk through a cemetery. Many of them are so beautiful and there is so much history written within them.

One of the mom's in the group had her brother, a local parish priest, come and 'flag' the grave sites of priests who were buried there. We were able to walk and pray the rosary while stopping at numerous priests' gravesides. It really was very memorable and I think it made the prayers so much more meaningful.

With such unique feasts that we can delve into as Catholics, we get to so fully engage in the richness and beauty of our faith. Don't you think?

What treasures and graces there are for us to keep unfolding as we go through life. Equally so, what gifts we get to pass on to our children for years to come.