Holy Week is such a beautiful time to draw closer to Jesus in preparation for His death and resurrection. However, it’s sometimes difficult for kids to grasp the concepts of what is happening during the week and when. That’s why I’ve complied a list of Holy Week activities for your Catholic kids, to help them with hands-on understanding!
Here are Holy Week activities to celebrate with the whole family!
On Friday before Palm Sunday: Start the Our Lady of Sorrows Novena with my Meditative Prayer Journal for Holy Week (use code 50off for a 50% off discount and print out a copy for everyone in your family. Walk with Our Lady of Sorrows together this Holy Week!) Spring 2020 deal
Fold your palms branches into the shape of a cross (some churches are still leaving them in the church for you to pick up, even if your city is on lockdown!)
I’d also like to recommend my brand new children’s book: Sam the Guardian Angel. It’s perfect for this time in our life (as an Easter basket gift too)! There’s a two-page spread that talks about what to do if you can’t receive the Eucharist, which is speaking to many of us right now. It talks about how to pray the Spiritual Communion prayer and why. I hope this book blesses many families! You can find it at Tan.
Holy Week is a beautiful time for Christians preparing for Jesus’ Passion, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. To keep your focus on the holiness of the week, here are Holy Week Classical Catholic Art Bookmarks for you to print for free.
Be sure you can print in color because the images are vibrant. These images are perfect for homeschoolers, Sunday School, and small gifts for your kids on Palm Sunday. It will help you/ your kids to remember the important points of the week and keep striving for those good things, while learning about important artwork from the masters!
In addition to featuring artwork from Giotto, Leonardo Da Vinci, Diego Velazquez, Fra Angelico, and Giovanni Bellini, the bookmarks have a quote on the back written by Pope Gregory the Great, perfect for memorizing, copywork, and to reflect on throughout the week.
Below are the images used on the bookmark. Be sure to print the artwork on one side and the quote on the other side. If possible, laminate these so they can last longer!
If you’re interested in celebrating the Catholic liturgical feast days with recipes, here’s on you can make a couple times per year! The Blood of Christ French Cherry Tart or Clafoutis can be made to celebrate the Passion of Christ and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I would also consider this as reason to celebrate any of the Sorrows of Mary as they come up in the daily readings.
Image: By Popo le Chien – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72433955
Why exactly would a Cherry Tart make me think of blood and the Passion of Christ? Wait until you make it. As you pull the pit out of each cherry, the juice stains your fingers and it really looks like blood.
It’s a delicate, beautiful thing and I 100% recommend it. My kids even got into it and it was so touching. (Plus, it’s delicious!)
As you pit the cherries, I recommend listening to some Christian, meditative music and imagine Christ’s blood washing over you, sanctifying your sins. This one is upbeat but perfect for what you’re trying to do here.
Pit the cherries by using a straw or chopstick. Insert the straw into the cherry and push the pit out into a seperate cup. Your hands will get red so wear gloves or get messy and into the moment!
Preheat the oven to 350 F, generously butter bottom and sides of 8 or 9 inch baking dish (mine was 8.5 inch bottom), sprinkle with granulated sugar and tap to spread the sugar evenly onto the bottom and sides while tilting the pan and rotating.
Arrange the cherries in circles to cover the bottom of the dish and set aside.
Mix the eggs, sugar, salt and extracts until well blended. Mix in melted butter (make sure it’s cooled).
Add flour and mix until completely free of lumps , then add milk and mix until well combined and smooth. The batter should be really thin, just make sure it’s smooth and well blended or it might turns out egg-smelly.
Immediately pour the mixture over the cherries and bake about 35-50 minutes until puffed and golden brown (mine was done after 42 minutes, but baking time might vary depending on baking dish you use and the sort of cherries you use).Be careful not to overcook or it will taste rubbery!!! The top should be golden and set around the edges but still slightly wobbly at the center.
Let it set for a few minutes, dust with powdered sugar and serve lukewarm, room temperature or cooled (as you prefer). It cuts easier when cooled to room temperature. You may need to dust more powdered sugar immediately before serving if it seeps into the clafoutis.
Keyword Christ, Lent
Would love to hear about your efforts on this dish! Share them with me on Pinterest here!
Let’s abstain from meat this Lent with some delicious, tried and true recipes from yours truly! Here are 21 vegetarian recipes for Lent that are sure to have your tastebuds kicking in delight!
I’ve been a vegetarian for over a decade and have tried all of these recipes. They’re delicious and I’m sharing them with you! I hope you have a tasty time giving up meat!
Without further ado, here are 21 Vegetarian Recipes (tried and true!) for Lent each Friday! Get your drool on!
Scrambled egg tacos. Seriously the simplest thing ever- just add salsa, cheese, avocado, and any veggies you want!
Easy Tuscan Bean Soup. Add some crusty bread and a leafy green salad and you’re set!
Healthy Creamy Vegetable Soup. I’ll divulge the secret… the zucchinis make the soup creamy, not actual butter and cream!
Breakfast for dinner. Fry some eggs and make pancakes or waffles!
Egg Foo Yung. Add shrimp to make this heartier and double the sauce recipe for next week!
My favorite black bean burger recipe. I seriously make enough to eat this every day of the week! Add some chipotle mayo and the world is good.
Make a naan/ flatbread pizza. I use the naan from Aldi and put garlic, mozzarella, feta cheese, and tomatoes on it when I’m feeling too lazy to cook!
Asian salmon in foil. I make this year-round for my family. It’s a winning recipe!
Oven blackened tilapia– one of the least expensive fish now has a recipe you’ll crave! 😉
Crab bisque. Rich and creamy; I make this for Christmas Eve too!
French Onion Gnocchi Casserole. It’s so rich that my husband can only stand it once per year, but I make sure it graces our table every Lent. I love this so much!
Best Lentil Soup. I’ve made a lot of lentil soups and I concur that this one is the best!
Greek spinach pie. I tried this once at a farmer’s market and made a dozen trying to find the right recipe to replicate it… this is it. You’re welcome!
Crockpot ravioli lasagna. This is the recipe I give people when they ask what crockpot meals I make my family!
Tuna noodle casserole. You can’t go through Lent without opening a can of tuna. This is my husband’s favorite tuna recipe!
I hope these vegetarian recipes help to keep you and your family filled this Lent and ease the burden of thinking up what to make this meatless Friday!
Lent is a wonderful time of the year: a time for reflection and sacrifice, a time to start over and focus on your prayer life, and a time for Friday fish frys! It’s right around the corner but you’re scratching your head… what should you give up this year? Chocolate’s been done before! Here are 101 Creative Ideas to Give up for Lent!
Get up earlier to read scripture and pray
Focus on the positive instead of the negative!
Don’t complain! Bite your tongue and offer it up.
Give up doing your hair before church…Consider veiling!
Fast from social media, the modern day “chocolate” that Catholics give up for Lent
Forgo Condiments. (Think Mayo-less deviled eggs)
Enjoying nap time: when your kids go down for a snooze, keep moving and get stuff done!
Go to weekly confession
Put your phone on vibrate except for certain times of the day
Only drink water
Cut the sweets!
Eliminate screen time one day per week
For one hour per day, turn off all the lights and screens (but maybe not the heater if it’s necessary!)
Just as you can give something up for Lent, you can also take something on. This is a great option for those who want to stretch themselves and show God through their charitable actions how much they love Him this Lent.
Are you throwing a Valentine’s Day Celebration this year? How about throwing a Catholic St. Valentine’s Day Party for your family and friends? “Catholicize” your Valentine’s Day Celebration to truly celebrate St. Valentine’s feast day and learn about your faith while doing crafts and having goodies!
St. Valentine was a martyr in the third century and is patron of Love, Young People, and Happy Marriages. He celebrates his feast day on…. February 14th (of course)!
In this post we have:
Recipe ideas for Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day craft ideas
St. Valentine’s Day Party activity ideas
Books on St. Valentine
Catholic Valentine’s Day Valentine Printables
Other Valentine’s Day Party Ideas (decor, favors, etc)
First of all, you’ll want to get your family excited for the upcoming feast day! Catholic Icing has this cute countdown chain which has a biblical verse about Love printed on each link. You can purchase the download right here (just two dollars!!).
Learn about St. Valentine through excellent stories about him!
Valentine’s Day Books
Catholic Valentine’s Day Valentine Printables
Other Ideas
Throw a ‘care package party?’ Have guests bring equal numbers of various sanitary/ living supplies (toothbrushes, travel sized tissues, toothpaste, non perishable snacks, etc.). Have the kids assemble these care packages in gallon sized ziplocks and (of course), include a handwritten Valentine of some sort. Divide up the bags among guests. Bags can be kept in the car and handed out to people in need as you see them in your community.
Finally, everyone likes to take home a favor at the end of a party… How about this sweet Valentine that uses scripture AND chocolate? Have you ever thrown a St. Valentine’s Day Party?
(see our Pinterest board for more Catholic Valentine’s Day Ideas)
Want to share ideas with other readers? Comment here or on our Facebook post!
Are you prepping for your taxes or looking for somewhere to donate your money? We’ve compiled a great list of Catholic Charities you can donate and tithe to with a good conscience!!
Ok… some of them aren’t exactly “Catholic,” but they’re Catholic-approved because, as Catholics, we need to make sure charities we donate to will use the funds for good. It is important to avoid charities that partner with or promote a pro-abortion agenda.
Here’s a list of charities you can support this season with a clean conscience both here in the United States and abroad.
Love without Boundaries
Want to sponsor a child in need? Love Without Boundaries can match you with a child in need based on what you’re able to give on a monthly basis. Your donation will go directly to supporting their health and education. https://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/
Chalice US
Chalice US is a Catholic child sponsorship program. You will be matched with a child in need from one of 15 different countries. In addition to empowering families in poverty, they strive to spread the love of Christ. https://chaliceus.org/
Cross Catholic Outreach
Cross Catholic Outreach is another child sponsorship program that boasts a 4.76% overhead to cover their operation expenses. The rest goes directly, to helping children in need in 29 different countries in the name of Christ. https://crosscatholic.org/
Little Flower Project
Is compassionate care for our most fragile a passion of yours? Check out Little Flower Project. This is a family operated non-profit works to provide care for children in China who have been abandoned due to complex medical issues. http://www.littleflowerprojects.org/index.html
Unbound
Founded by lay Catholics, Unbound seeks to live out the call of the Gospel to serve the poor and marginalized. They have missions in 18 different countries and you can pick a child to sponsor through their website. https://www.unbound.org/?source=logo
St. Bernard Project
Founded in 2006, Zack and Liz were inspired by their work in the post-Katrina recovery efforts. Now recognized nationally as a leader in disaster recovery, their goal is to ‘shrink the time between disaster and recovery.’ https://sbpusa.org/
Covenant House
Right here in the US, Covenant House operates homes for homeless youth. More than just a meal and a bed, they provide a safe and structured environment to foster independence. Their mission is guided by ‘absolute respect and unconditional love.’ https://www.covenanthouse.org/
25% of our US military is Catholic, yet only 8% of the chaplains are Catholic Priests. Your donation can support Catholic media outreach to those serving our country in the military. https://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/military
Maggie’s Place
Want to support pregnant and parenting women in need right here in the US? Maggie’s Place has 7 homes that provide guidance, structure, and encouragement to young mothers. https://www.maggiesplace.org/
Holy Family Hospital
Holy Family Hospital serves women and infants just 1,500 steps away from the birthplace of Christ. That’s right, in Bethlehem! Women of the Holy Land come to this hospital for prenatal care, delivery, and postnatal care. The hospital also houses a NICU and provides regular gynecological care for women of the Holy Land. https://birthplaceofhope.org/
Founded by families who have first hand experienced the devastation of a prenatal diagnosis, Embracing Grace provides peer support for families (including siblings) as they carry their pregnancy to term. They also assist with birth planning, securing hospice care, and burial services when needed. http://embracinggraceva.org/
Little Sisters of the Poor
The Little Sisters of the Poor take a fourth vow of hospitality. They live this vow through service to the elderly poor, giving a home and care to those in need. The ‘summit’ of their vocation is accompaniment of the dying. http://www.littlesistersofthepoor.org/
Sisters for Life
Founded in 1991, the Sisters for Life are one of the newest communities of our Catholic Faith. Besides the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, they take a fourth vow to ‘protect and enhance the sacredness of human life.’ https://sistersoflife.org/who-we-are/who-we-are/
Lastly, don’t forget to check out the Catholic Charities organization in your diocese to see what they have going on to see how you can support! Just Google “Catholic Charities and (your nearest major city)”
Do you know of any other charities that are morally accepting for Catholics to donate to? Please comment below!
Get started on the right foot everyday with these inspirational Christian mobile phone backgrounds designed to inspire and encourage you in your daily living!
Want to download these wallpapers? Just click on the image and you can download it on this website or it will bring you to another website where we found it. Get inspired and pin this page for the future!
Here’s a collection of some surprising nuns who put the UN in UNordinary! Read on for proof that God calls a wide variety of women to the religious life.
Psst! This list of Catholic women are excellent role models for the kids in your life! Pin / bookmark / share this page to spread the good news!
Here are 11 Surprising things nuns do that you wouldn’t think of!
Beauty Queen
Meet Esmeralda Solís Gonzáles from Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico! In 2016, Esmeralda won the title of Queen in her hometown. Despite the fame and glory that came with the title, she says the ache to discover her vocation remained like a ‘little thorn.’ In March 2017, Esmeralda became a postulate with the Poor Clare Missionary Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. In an 2017 interview with Catholic News Agency, she says “I was very happy with everything I had, but it does not compare with the happiness that God now places in my heart.”
How about twin sisters who found God was calling them to the same religious community? This past November, Sister Mary Clare and Sister Mary Robert celebrated 70 years as Franciscan Sisters. They entered the convent just one year apart from each other and spent most of their 70 years teaching children. In a joint interview, they said they “would not trade their vocation for anything.”
Florentine nun, Plautilla Nelli, lived during the Renaissance but because she was a woman, her talent was largely unrecognized and her paintings mostly stayed within the convent in which she lived. In the 1990s, a non-profit called Advancing Women Artists Foundation funded the 4 year restoration of a beautiful life size depiction of the Last Supper. The painting is finally on display in the church museum of Santa Maria Novella.
Have you heard of the beautiful prayer The Litany of Trust? Perhaps you have a copy of it printed somewhere in your home. It was composed by Sister Faustina Maria Pia who is part of the Sisters of Life community in New York. In her ministry, she was often approached by strangers who were angry with God or thought God was angry with them. She ached for a way to show them the Love Christ has for them in a tangible way and so she wrote the Litany of Trust and now has prayer cards to hand out to those she encounters on the streets of New York City.
You can read what her big brother has to say about how this prayer came about and the actual prayer and read more about her/ the prayer in her newest co-authored book: Our Friend Faustina.
Do nuns ice skate? Sister Catherine Holum does. Or rather she did: in the Olympics in 1998. After placing 6th and 7th in two speed skating events in the Winter Olympics, she retired from the sport, and after a few twists and turns, found herself at World Youth Day in Toronto. It was there that she remembered a call she had heard in Fatima as a teenager. God wanted her to be a sister. In 2003, she entered the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal community. She shares with others, “Do not be afraid of whatever God has in store for your life. Whatever he has created you to be, he is going to fill you with the most joy and happiness that you’ll ever experience.”
I bet you’ve heard of the actor Bill Murray. Did you know he is one of nine children? And that he was raised Catholic? And that one of his sisters is an Adrian Dominican Sister? She travels with her one woman show all about St. Catherine of Siena.
On June 5th, 2016, Pope Francis canonized Sister Maria Elizabeth. Born in Sweden and raised as a Lutheran, St. Maria Elizabeth became Catholic at the age of 32, largely due her contact with those of the Catholic Faith while serving as a nurse in New York. She went on to found her own religious community in Sweden dedicated to the care of the sick. During WWII, her homes became a safe haven for Jews and others sought by the Nazis. Her dying words were “Go to Heaven with hands full of love and virtues.”
Ursaline nun, Sister Cristina of Sicily was prompted to compete on the popular TV show The Voice by the words of Pope Francis asking priests and nuns to ‘come out’ of their churches and convents and spread the word of God. Surprising everyone, she won the entire competition with 60% of the vote and then closed the finale by leading the audience and judges in the Lord’s Prayer.
Did you catch the episode of Chopped where Sr. Alicia Torres won, taking home 10,000 dollars for Our Lady of the Angels Mission? She is part of a new community called the Franciscans of the Eucharist. Members of the community have dedicated their lives to Eucharistic Adoration and service of the poor in Chicago. Sr. Torres has no formal culinary training but says, “The Lord gave me this talent. I believe the kitchen is my canvas where I get to express myself creatively.”
In 2010, The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist made a memorable appearance on the Oprah show during the final season. Their show proved to be the third most popular of the season and in 2015, when Oprah’s crew returned for an update, five women shared that the 2010 appearance of the Sisters on the Oprah Show had prompted their “Fiat” to God.
Many religious communities strive to be self-sustaining through the sale of products made on site. The Benedictin Nuns of the Abbey of Regina Laudis support themselves through a dairy farm. Mother Noella, who entered the abbey in ‘73 and then went on to earn a Ph.D in microbiology in the late ‘80s, is the head of cheese production. Examining the fungi that help create the various cheeses under a microscope sparks wonder and Mother Noella claims it to be ‘very sacred’ as it “puts you in touch with God’s creation.”
Sr. Theresa Aletheia Noble is a former Atheist who came back to the Faith and is now a Daughter of St. Paul. Raised in a very Catholic home, Sister questioned from a young age how a loving God could allow suffering. Her skeptical nature caused her to question everything and as a teenager, she decided God doesn’t exist. She became part of the ‘punk rock scene’ for several years. After a powerful encounter with the Eucharist, she realized that the Church of her childhood was True.
Sister wrote a book on inviting loved ones back to the Church.
Watch her story on the Journey Home:
From cheesemakers to singers, chefs and beauty queens, there is no one type of woman God calls to the religious life. Could Christ be calling you or someone in your family to be His beloved bride?
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