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Sarah M
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| Posted: May 08 2008 at 1:08pm | IP Logged
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I did a really lousy job of observing the liturgical year this year. I am so inspired by the crafts and activities ladies here post and blog about. I have Catholic Mosaic and All Year Round, and the threads here (and on blogs like Dawn's) are a storehouse of plans, so I'm not short on ideas...It's just that the feast days seem to sneak up on me-- I always come up with my ideas about a week AFTER the feast has come and gone  .
How do you choose which feast days/festivals to celebrate in your home? It's just not possible to do it all, is it? My children are 6,4, and 2, and I'm thinking of maybe choosing two feasts/festivals to observe per month next year. Then I can plan them out in advance and really be prepared. Is this enough? What about months like May or December, when the feast days are abundant? Is it enough to choose just two?
I kind of think that if I keep the celebrations simple, then I'll actually do them- it's when I make them into grandiose events that I get overwhelmed and scrap the whole thing....
okay- just rambling now. Thoughts??
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Sarah M
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And one more question:
do you celebrate feast days on the feast day? Or do you relegate, say, Thursdays to liturgical crafts or whatever, and celebrate Thursdays regardless of whether the feast day/festival actually falls on a Thursday.
Good grief, do I even make any sense?! 
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websterm
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I'm anxious to read everyones ideas! Great question! I have a 2 yr old but he will grow  I did not grow up celebrating feast days unless it was a holy day of obligation. I want my children to truly know their faith.
Can't wait to hear everyones thoughts.
Sarah, how do like Catholic Mosaic? Easy to follow?
Marcia
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Maryan
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I start with the solemnities, then move to feasts, patrons saints, etc. And then I also explain the liturgical seasons.
Here's a list of the solemnties here
FYI, this May is packed... but next year it probablybe split between May and June due to the liturgical calendar.
If the solemnity is on Sunday, then we spend the week learning about it, so we're ready for Sunday.
I have a lot of little kids, so we just can't do a craft for every feast/memorial/solemntiy. So I choose, books or readings from the Bible, atrium type narrative presentations, songs, and FOOD!! IMO even just doing donuts on the feast day while we just read about the day shows the kids that we celebrate the liturgical year.
In a pinch, we may just simply read what Catholic Culture says about the feast or the saint of the day and look at their picture.
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Tina
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Sarah,
In the past we honestly did just the basics for celebrating the liturgical year, but ever since I attended the 4real Conference last year, I was excited about adding real celebrations to our week. We now do teatimes every week and my girls LOVE it.
This year, having been our first crack at it, I used books, the internet and other blogs for inspiration and ideas. I just went with the flow of the year, deciding each week which feast days to celebrate. But this summer I plan to be more organized for next year. I will just go through the calendar of feast days and pick the ones I want to celebrate and then make a tentative schedule for the year. I want to have holy cards for each saint, too, and a prayer. And I plan to have a craft for each one. Sometimes simple, and sometimes more complex. If I'm feeling extra motivated, I'll prepurchase and prebag supplies for at least the first 3 or 4 month's crafts.
The other thing I do to keep it simple is have fabric remnants in liturgical colors instead of whole table cloths. (We have two of each....one for our altar and one for teatime.) That way we just get the color we need and don't have to replace the whole tablecloth. It cuts down on laundering of them, too.
We read from the Children's Bible or a story from Catholic Mosaic. And the treats vary, too. Sometimes it's well thought out and ties into the "theme" and sometimes it's last minute and store bought. The kids don't really care, as long as it contains sugar .
As far as when we have our teatimes, I aim for the actual day, but that rarely happens, so I try to do it before. Always having it on the exact day is just too much pressure for me .
Hope this helps.
~Tina
mom to 3dd and 1 little guy
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JennGM
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Sarah, I've been out of town and then without computer connection but I've been itching to answer your question!
I just got to meet a veteran hsing mom yesterday, and we both agreed that it's easy to get overwhelmed in the liturgical year activities. I'm always saying choose a few feast days, keep it pointed towards the Liturgy of the Church, keep it simple, and always aim for the spiritual, interior growth. It's easy to get bogged down by activities and crafts and food and forget the spiritual side.
Remember that all these ideas are from different households. Not everyone is doing everything at every feast! There are different ages to the children, family needs (time and resources and capabilities), and different interests (do all girls like to celebrate soldier-saints, and vice versa, do the boys want a girly craft and tea party?). And many times the blogging is a way to help a mom brainstorm and plan. At least for me it never turns out exactly as planned!
I don't think there's a stock answer. You decide what works for you. Get a calendar of the liturgical feasts, choose the ones you want to focus. Figure out a skeleton plan -- prayers (Collect prayer of the day, Mass and communion, novenas), book or reading material, pictures, music, food or craft or activity. Bigger feasts might be more involved, while the others are minimal.
Dawn gave a fabulous speech at the 4Real Conference last summer. That's what Tina is referring to about tea times. Dawn has Thursday (?) as the day to work in the feasts of the week and prepare for Sunday.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Sarah M
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| Posted: May 15 2008 at 12:08pm | IP Logged
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Okay, so this is what I've come up with. Jenn, I think your advice to keep it simple needs to be tattooed to my forehead. Or maybe above the kitchen sink, where I'm more likely to see it . I'm going to plan 1-2 months in advance, and just aim for a special treat (Tina, you're right, as long as it has sugar, it *does* do the trick!!), a candle and a prayer, a simple craft or a coloring activity. How's that? Not included on this list are baptism days, which we are actually pretty good at observing. Also, December is pretty packed, but I'm okay with that because I have no trouble giving up on "school" entirely during Advent to concentrate on more important things.  The hardest part of making this list was deciding which ones to leave out. I want to do them all! Hopefully the ones I chose will offer the kids a good taste of the liturgical year without me getting overwhelmed, anyway. Let me know what you think...
December: ADVENT & CHRISTMAS
St. Nicholas
Immaculate Conception
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Winter Solstice
January: Mary, Mother of God
Epiphany
February: Candlemas
Our Lady of Lourdes
Ash Wednesday
March: LENT
St Patrick
St. Joseph
Spring Equinox
April: EASTER
St. George
May: May Day
St. Paschal
The Visitation
June: Summer Solstice
Midsummer's Day
July: The Holy Twins
Parents of the BVM
August: Transfiguration
Assumption/Queenship of Mary
September: Birth of the BVM
Autumn Equinox
October: Guardian Angels
Our Lady of the Rosary
All Hallow's Eve
November: All Saints Day
Martinmas
Thanksgiving (not a feast day, I know, but a feast nonetheless  )
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NavyMom
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Sarah,
I love your list, although it is a lot, it is a good list. I am wondering why you are including Winter and Summer Soltice, Spring and Autumn Eqiunox? Are these just for fun or is there Catholic significance that I am not aware of?
Also, what is Martinmas?
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Sarah M
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The Winter/Summer Solstice and Spring/Autumn Equinox observances and Martinmas are just for fun- no Catholic significance there. Just seasonal celebrations I want to get in.
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JennGM
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I like it, Sarah. It seems very doable. And many times after you get in a rhythm, you can add or subtract depending on family life. Not every feast has to be presented in the same way, but if your list is to help you focus particularly on these days I think you won't be too bogged down.
Just don't beat yourself up when you can't do it all. Keep blinders to other people's ideas on when things are tough at your house and don't contract Liturgical Craft envy!
And to answer one of your other questions, I think many of us have admitted to celebrating a feast after it happens, sometimes before. Since Time is all present before God it seems realistic!
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Anne McD
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Sarah,
I picked this book up last year and, um, haven't done anything yet  . . . but it is great, and is simple to use! It covers the big feast days, has something to read to the kiddos to explain what the day means, has a couple of simple craft ideas, and if all else fails, has reproducable coloring pages when you want to at least get them to do SOMETHING that has to do with the feast!
I just have to use it . . . !!
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Anne
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Katie 6
William 3 1/2
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and baby on the way! 10/14
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Tina
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Sarah,
I like your list so much I just might have to "borrow" it for next year , if you don't mind. I haven't gotten that far in my planning yet, but you are motivating me to get started!
~Tina
mom of 3 girls and 1 little man
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Elizabeth
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Martinmas, like Michaelmas, is a Catholic feast. Lots of ideas for celebrating Catholic-style here. Scroll down past Veteran's Day:-)
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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JennGM
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Good point. I don't have a link, but the Birth of St. John the Baptist and Midsummer's Eve are intertwined.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Elizabeth
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Also, Ember Days are usually right around the start of each season. Susan wrote about it here. There's a traditional explanation here
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Tina
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I am a bit ashamed to admit that I never heard of ember days . I am a cradle Catholic raised by a devout Catholic mom, and went to Catholic school for a few years and never was this mentioned (that I can remember, anyway). I have so much to learn .
~Tina
mom to 3 girls and 1 little man
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: Seeking a realistic liturgical plan
