November

Save room for dessert! Let's have some fun with our meal... choose as many activities as you like to round out your household's faith adventure this month!

Saint Focus

St. Cecilia

Read this article to find out more about St. Cecilia.
https://www.loyolapress.com/catholic-resources/saints/saints-stories-for-all-ages/saint-cecilia/

Activities to celebrate St. Cecilia
https://www.reallifeathome.com/easy-ways-to-celebrate-saint-cecilia/

Are you a musical family? Does someone in your house play an instrument?  Have a concert to celebrate St. Cecilia!
 

Our Catholic Traditions

Thanksgiving Litany

A form of prayer that Catholics often pray is called a litany. In a litany, the leader invokes a person or petition, and the people answer with a recurring response. At Thanksgiving, this is an appropriate prayer form to use as we recite the many things we have to be thankful for. Here is a simple prayer you can use at your Thanksgiving table that concludes with a litany of thanks.

1. Each person at the table takes a turn being the leader and naming something they are thankful for.
2. The rest of the group responds, “Lord we thank you.”

Liturgical Year Connections

Sunday, November 29 is the beginning of Advent and a new liturgical year in the church.  Add this Advent prayer to your prayer space and use it throughout the month.

Advent Prayer

We long for You Lord.

Come, Lord Jesus.

We await Your coming in glory.

Come, Lord Jesus.  

We ask to watch with patient joy.

Come, Lord Jesus.

We pray for Your Spirit.

Come, Lord Jesus.

For the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory are yours, now and forever.

Amen.
 

Just for Fun

Recipe

Bishop’s Wine
(In honor of St. Nicholas Day, December 6)

2 Bottles of red wine, or sparkling grape juice
1 orange, studded with cloves, and quartered
1 strip of lemon peel
1 cinnamon stick
¼ tsp each: allspice, ginger
2-4 tbs sugar to taste

Pour wine into a saucepan or crock pot. Add orange, lemon peel, cinnamon, and spices. Cover and simmer until hot. Add sugar to taste. Serve hot.

Learn more about St. Nicholas at https://bustedhalo.com/questionbox/where-did-st-nicholas-come-from%E2%80%A8

 

Faith in Action

This month we celebrate family and what spending time with family and friends means to us. While our holiday gatherings may be different this year, they can still be meaningful. There will be many family members who we will miss gathering with this Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving cards activity. As a family take an afternoon to write and mail cards to those family members and friends who you will not see.  Send a note that says, “thinking of you” or "wishing you the best” or “sending hugs from our house to yours." 

Want to spread even more joy? Contact our parish Pastoral Care Associate, Sara Krohnke, at (515) 987-4597 or skrohnke@stbonifacechurch.org for names and addresses of parishioners who would enjoy a “Happy Thanksgiving” card.

 

October

Save room for dessert! Let's have some fun with our meal... choose as many activities as you like to round out your household's faith adventure this month. 

Saint Focus

Carlo Acusti 

Carlo Acusti was born in 1991, and was only 15 years old when he died of leukemia. Carlo was a teen like any other, who especially enjoyed technology and was a budding web designer. From a very young age, Carlo had a deep and joyful faith, and his influence has continued beyond his physical death. He will be  beatified this year. For more information, visit St. Carlo Acusti
 

Patron Saints of the Environment

In late May, on the anniversary of the publication of Laudato Si, his encyclical on the environment, Pope Francis announced a year of reflection on the document. There are several patron saints of the environment. For more information, visit Patron Saints of the Environment
 

Our Catholic Traditions

All Saints and All Souls Days

During the months of October and November, Catholics and other Christians remember the saints, both those officially named as such by the Church and those who live with God in Heaven, but have not been officially recognized. The customs surrounding our society's celebrations of Halloween have their roots in the celebrations of All Saints Day and All Souls Day. Here are many resources that help us to recognize those connections and celebrate these special people of faith. Click on one or more of the below links for more information.

Video about the Saints
Praying with the Saints Blog
Catholic Halloween Answers
Top Ten Movies about the Saints
Steps to Becoming a Saint Infographic

Remember Your Family's Ancestors in Faith

Make an "Ancestors in Faith" Family Display

Create a display for your home of mementos of significant religious events in your ancestor’s history. (Current mementos could be included too.) Framed pictures of some of these events would also add a nice touch. Examples include: a godparent’s rosary, Grandpa’s Bible, Grandma’s wedding veil, (or a picture of the wedding day), baptismal certificates, a great-aunt’s prayer book, etc.

Place the items on a table in a room where family gathers regularly. (This could also be done in conjunction with the Memory Box activity below). 

Create a Family Memory Box

Gather photos of relatives and friends who have died. (Go through old family albums and/or ask relatives if they can scan some of the photos they might have.) Purchase a nice photograph box (wooden or cardboard), label the photos with the names of the people pictured and the date or event (as best they can). Place the box in on a home altar or in an honored place.

On All Soul’s Day, gather the family around a table, take the photos out one by one, and tell stories about the person(s) pictured. Allow the youth and other children to tell stories too if they knew the person. After each set of stories, light a candle for that person. (This could also be done in conjunction with the “Ancestors in Faith” display idea above.) 
 

Liturgical Year Connection

The Rosary

In October, we observe the Memorial of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary on October 7, and the whole month is designated as the Month of the Rosary. The Rosary is a rich prayer that calls us to meditate on key events in the lives of Jesus and Mary. 

This link explains how to pray the Rosary, including a diagram, with links within the article to the mysteries and all the prayers. A bonus is that for most of the prayers, there is an accompanying video showing how to sign the prayer. There are links to classroom activities at the bottom of this page, some of which could be adapted for home use. 

This short video explains the importance of the Rosary. 

Rosary Apps

iPhone

• Laudete (many kinds of prayer, including the Rosary)
• Holy Rosary -- AMDG 
• Rosary Pro

Android

• Laudete (many kinds of prayer, including the Rosary)
• Catholic Rosary Quick Guide
• Family Rosary's Mobile Rosary

For Fun

Watch a movie! 

October is a great month for the household to watch the movie, Coco, together. Coco is a beautifully animated movie that tells the story of a family in Mexico as the annual Dia De Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, observance nears. There are great connections to be made between the customs surrounding Dia De Los Muertos, Halloween, and All Saints and All Souls Days. For a thoughtful review of the movie from a Christian perspective,
click here:  Coco Review 

Make some popcorn (or make up the recipe below) and sit back to enjoy the show! Don't forget to talk about what you watched afterward. 

Recipe

Holy GORP

When we read the Acts of the Apostles and Paul’s letters, we see that Paul spent a lot of time traveling -- on foot and by boat. That must have made him hungry! Mix up a snack mix for your household to munch on as you read, watch the videos, and talk about Paul’s travels. These ingredients are foods that Paul might have eaten. 

Ingredients
Nuts and dried fruit -- were staples in the Middle East during early Christian times, and still are today
Goldfish crackers -- people in the Middle East still eat a lot of fish, but who has ever put real fish in a snack mix?? Ewww…
Mini pretzel twists -- OK, so pretzels came after Paul’s time, but the twisted ones symbolize arms crossed in prayer, and we know that Paul prayed a lot

Directions
Mix all ingredients and store in an air tight container. Enjoy within a week of mixing. 
 

September

Focus on a Saint:

September 21 - St. Matthew

The Feast Day of St. Matthew is September 21. Matthew was a tax collector, and in the time of Jesus, most tax collectors cheated people and were shunned. In calling Matthew to be one of his apostles, Jesus taught that he came to serve everyone, including sinners. Find Matthew 9:11-13 in your Bible and read about Jesus calling Matthew yourself. Matthew is the patron saint of accountants, actors, bankers, bookkeepers, tax collectors, and taxi drivers.​

St. Matthew Resources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKlpNLRadAo
 

Our Catholic Traditions

The Cross

September 14 was the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. To discover more about this feast: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/exaltation-of-the-holy-cross/ and https://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/2020/09/pop-up-catechesis-whats-in-your-trophy-case/

The cross is an important symbol for Christians because it reminds us of the love Jesus has for us, a love so great that he gave his life for us. Crosses come in many shapes and sizes, and are used in many decorative ways. But it is important to remember that the cross is a symbol of sacrifice, and that we are called to sacrifice for others like Jesus did.

A crucifix is a cross with an image of Jesus on it. Sometimes that image is of Jesus' crucified body, and sometimes it is of Jesus' resurrected body. A cross is just that -- the cross symbol alone, without an image of Jesus.

This feast day is a good day to practice making the Sign of the Cross with young ones. Here is a simple cross craft that could be fun to do together.

https://www.momontimeout.com/stained-glass-cross-easter-craft/
 

Our Catholic Traditions

Michelmas

September 29 is the Feast of the Archangels -- Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. Before the liturgical calendar of the Church was revised in 1969, September 29 was simply the Feast of St. Michael. In Europe, many customs and traditions for celebrating the day, known as Michaelmas, developed. Perhaps your household can use some of these traditions to mark the feast day this year.  Here are some traditions to consider:

• One custom is to roast a goose, with carrots, for the main meal of the day. Since goose is harder to come by in the United States, why not roast a chicken with onions and potatoes and carrots?
• Legend says that when Michael drove Satan out of Heaven, Satan fell into a thicket of blackberry bushes and cursed them. A custom arose that said all the blackberries had to be harvested by Michaelmas, before the devil could curse them. Have some blackberry preserves on your breakfast toast, or make a blackberry dessert to go with your evening meal.
• Place a St. Michael holy card or another image of St. Michael in your prayer space.
• St. Michael is the patron saint of soldiers, doctors, grocers, and the police. Thank those people in your life who work in those professions, and wish them -- as well as the Michaels in your life -- a happy feast day!

Liturgical Year Connections

September 29 marks the Feast of the Archangels, Gabriel, Michael, and Rafael.

Adults and teens might want to hear a podcast about the three archangels here.

Below is a traditional prayer that parents might want to help their young children learn. ​
Include a Guardian Angel prayer.

https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saints-michael-gabriel-and-raphael/
 

For Fun

Movie review of Surfer Girl
September’s "for fun" is a movie review.  The movie Soul Surfer is a wonderful family movie about strength, determination, faith, and family love.  The movie is based on the autobiography by Bethany Hamilton.  Bethany’s story is of determination and faith after she loses her arm in a shark attack and is determined to get back to being a competition surfer.  It can be found on Netflix or Amazon ($3.99). 
 

Recipe

Happy Family
Our recipe for this month is Happy Family. Join us in making stir-fry for your family meal before faith formation.  You can try a favorite stir-fry recipe or we challenge you to send a picture of your favorite recipe to Amy Slick and she will share it on the church social media pages.  
https://iowagirleats.com/broccoli-beef-recipe/