Saintly Summer
St. Lawrence: Patron of Chefs and Comedians
Family Activity
Ask for St Lawrence to bless your family, and have a BBQ or picnic together.
Saintly Summer by Week
Week One - St. Hubert: Patron of Hunters
Feast Day: November 3
Patron Saint of Hunters
Saint Focus – St. Hubert: Catholic.org
Family Activity:
As a family, take a walk outside and see what wildlife you can spot. Extra challenge: “Capture” images of the animals you see on a phone.
Week Two - St. Fiacre: Patron of Gardners
Feast Day: September 1
Patron Saint of Gardners
History of St. Fiacre – Newadvent.org
Saint Focus – St. Fiacre- Catholic.org
Family Activity:
Plant something new in your garden, visit a botanical garden, or walk through your neighborhood and notice the gardens.
Week Three - St. Sebastian: Patron of Athletes
St. Sebastian
Feast Day: January 20
Patron Saint of Athletes
Why is St. Sebastian the Patron Saint of Athletes?
Family Activity:
As an athletic family, find time this week to play a game of tag, soccer, or basketball together.
Week Four - St. Florian: Patron of Firefighters
St. Florian
Feast Day: May 4
Patron Saint of Firefighters
How St. Florian Became the Patron Saint of Firefighters
Catholic Exchange – St. Florian
Family Activity:
As a family make thank you cards or bake some cookies and take them to the local fire station.
Week Five - St. Andrew the Apostle: Patron of Fishermen
St. Andrew the Apostle
Feast Day: November 30
Patron Saint of Fishermen
St. Andrew – the first one to be called by Jesus
St. Andrew the Apostle – Catholic Online
Family Activity:
Play the card game Go Fish.
Directions are here:
https://bicyclecards.com/how-to-play/go-fish
Make an Origami Fish:
https://www.origamiway.com/easy-origami-fish/
Week Six - St. Joseph of Cupertino: Patron of Aviators and Students
Feast Day: September 18
Patron Saint of Aviators and Students
St. Joseph of Cupertino – Catholic Online
St. Joseph of Cupertino – Teaching Catholic Kids
Family Activity
- Visit the local airport and watch the planes take off.
- Spend time making paper airplanes as a family.
Week Seven - St. Cecilia: Patron of Musicians
Feast Day: November 22
Patron Saint of Muscians
Who Was St. Cecilia – Catholic Women in Business
Family Activity
- As a family celebrate with music. Make instruments from things you find at home and strike up the band.
- Try making St Cecilia’s Candy: https://catholiccuisine.blogspot.com/2013/11/Saint-Cecilia-Candy.html
Week Eight - St. Bernard of Clairvaux and St. Ambrose of Milan: Patron Saints of Beekeepers
Feast Day: August 20 and December 7
Patron Saints of Beekeepers
Heading over the seas to the coast of France, St. Bernard of Clairvaux is the saint you will hear associated with bees. Similar to St. Ambrose, it was not direct work with honey bees that earned him the patronage of beekeepers, but his eloquence words, both spoken and written, that earned him the moniker “Doctor Mellifluus”or “The Honey-Sweet Doctor.” And here’s another buzz-worthy fact: St. Bernard’s feast day is August 20th, which just so happens to be National Honey Bee Day here in the U.S.
A 4th Century Roman Bishop, St. Ambrose is considered to be one of the most popular candidates for patron saint of bees and beekeepers, a title that may have been foretold in his infancy. As legend goes, when St. Ambrose was a child, his face was swarmed by bees, and though they didn’t sting him, they did leave a drop of honey on his face (there is also another version that states the bees swarmed in his mouth). This also signaled that St. Ambrose would be a great speaker and he was, in fact, later known as the “honey-tongued doctor” due to his eloquent preaching.1
Today you usually see St. Ambrose depicted with bees and/or beehives. And here’s a little fun fact from ChristianApostles.com, “[t]he Latin phrase for ‘honey’ is ‘Ambrosia’ or the food of the gods, thus the origin of St. Ambrose’s name.”
St. Bernard of Clairvaux – Catholic Online
Family Activity
Bake a honey cake as a family. If you need a recipe try this one
Week Nine - St. Hildegard of Bingen: Patron of Writers
Feast Day: September 17
Patron Saint of Writers
St. Hildegard of Bingen – Catholic Online
Family Activity
St. Hildegard is the patron of writers. As a family, write a story together about a time that you were together as a family. Maybe it was a vacation, a sacrament celebration or a birthday celebration. Don’t forget to illustrate your story.
Week Ten - St. Lawrence: Patron of Chefs
Feast Day: August 10
Patron Saint of Chefs
St. Lawrence – Catholic Online
St. Lawrence – Deacon & Martyr
Family Activity
Ask for St Lawrence to bless your family, and have a BBQ or picnic together.
Week Eleven - St. Thomas Aquinas: Patron of Students
Feast Day: January 28
Patron Saint of Students
St. Thomas Aquinas – Catholic Online
Family Activity
St. Thomas Aquinas is the patron saint of students. As school begins for the fall, pray for the students in your life; that they may grown in wisdom and faith.