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Becky Parker
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| Posted: Jan 03 2013 at 7:41am | IP Logged
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For several years I was really big on celebrating the Liturgical Year. Every feast had a craft, special meal, or something to honor it. It was a lot to do, but I think my older children have a real love for the Catholic Faith. Then I guess I burned out. I cut way back. Now, the feast is mentioned at our morning prayer time, and we go to Mass if it's a solemnity, but that's about it (except, of course, feasts like Christmas and Easter). My kids learn Catechism, the Bible, and we read books about the saints, but I'm not sure they see the joy in the Catholic faith like their older siblings do. Our life was much fuller when we celebrated the liturgical year. So I would like to get back to it, but maybe try to keep a balance.
I am wondering how you celebrate the various feast days. Special meals? Special meals, crafts, Mass, ... the works? Just a reading about the saint? ...
I'm also wondering when you celebrate? In the morning? At prayer time? In the evening when dh is home?...
Since we are in the Year of Faith, I really want to rekindle a zeal in my children, as well as in myself, for our wonderful faith.
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Becky
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: Jan 03 2013 at 8:25am | IP Logged
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Just to clarify. I know there are many many Liturgical Year Planning and ideas threads. I don't need the what so much as the when. I'm just trying to think of a way to bring these things back into our routine. If I don't make them part of the routine, they either don't happen or they consume the whole day. Hope that gives a better idea of what I'm asking for.
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Becky
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cathhomeschool
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Becky, I could have written your post. I'm in the same boat. So what has been working for me the last couple of months is that I'm easing back into it. I have given myself permission to buy goodies that tie into a feast instead of having to make them from scratch. I focus on dessert for now because it is easier. We have the dessert after dinner once everyone is together. (Because of activities we don't often eat dinner together.) If I have a picture book or blurb about the feast day, we read that earlier in the day. If I have a statue, decoration or a craft from my big kids that ties in with the feast, I place it in a prominent location in the dining room and point it out to the kids. We're participating in more of the church and community celebrations. We are taking them to Daily Mass some days during vacation. It is a far cry from where we were, but it's more than nothing. I hope to add more to the meals, especially desserts that the kids can help with decorate. They always liked that.
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Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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JodieLyn
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I try and look at what things I can do that don't add onto the day.. like having corned beef on St. Patrick's day.. I have to fix something for dinner after all.
I add a dessert (like vanilla ice cream with blue sprinkles, maybe whipped cream - I can stop on the way home and grab this, no prep time) to the extra days we're required to attend Mass.. like the Ascension.
Reading a special book/story can be enough to make it stand out.. even just special coloring pages that come out during school make it a special day.
And I try and pay attention to days that are special to our family. Just because a feast day is important, it doesn't make it important to my kids, St Florian is hardly spoken of but as patron of Firefighters he's important here.
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jawgee
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| Posted: Jan 03 2013 at 4:56pm | IP Logged
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Could your older kids like to take a bigger role, or would they want to?
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Monica
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Jan 03 2013 at 6:38pm | IP Logged
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I am looking to get back ways to celebrate without food. Feast days come up fast and furious, and we can't have a special dessert every night 
But we have only four in the house- so we don't have the man power to eat everything up before the next feast comes 
I really like reading a special book or doing a craft. Sometimes I even just pull out the right painted wooden saint to spend the day with us in a special place of honor. Sometimes we eat by candlelight in honor of a saint or a special feast.
If I can find a movie to tie in, that works. There are a lot of nice religious puzzles that can be worked on throughout a liturgical season. Or start a collection of religious artwork to be put out for different feast days and seasons- just displaying a calendar page or a print works. The Costco photo center has lots of religious pictures, and 8x10 prints are under $2.
We have a St. Joseph statue that comes out around his feast day, one for Our Lady of Guadelupe, etc. Oh- and lots of grocery stores have saint candles that you can buy for $2 and light for the feast day.
Or you could have blue milk in honor of Marian feast days (you can buy natural dyes for this). Or form a habit of wearing blue on those days. Or use a special set of blue napkins.
These are all easy things that I find I can do, even at the last minute, with my family without too much stress or preparation. I don't like it when a major feast slips by me, but they still do.
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: Jan 04 2013 at 7:28am | IP Logged
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These are all great suggestions! I'm so "all or nothing" I forget that it's the simple things the kids usually enjoy the most.
Janette, the daily Mass is already on my New Years Resolutions list. We have not done a good job of getting there this year. It would be especially meaningful if I tied it into a specific feast day. I also like the idea of pulling out a craft from the big kids. I have candles that they made with Mary on them and some with St. Martin. I'll have to remember that. Really, those candles were super easy to make too....
Jodie, icecream (or any dessert at all) with sprinkles would be a huge treat here! I also like the idea of focusing on saints that are important to your family. I didn't even realize there was a St. Daniel until a couple of years ago. My son was thrilled. I'll have to find out more about him so we can do something to acknowledge his feast day.
Melinda, your idea makes me think I could also change the wallpaper on our family computer to something depicting the feast day. And we can certainly wear blue on Marian feast days! Great idea!
And Monica, part of my problem is that my older kids have become less enthused about the various saint's picture books I have. Letting them, especially my dd, plan a special meal or do a craft, or even read a book to my littles is a great idea! Maybe I'll even put the whole ball in her court and see what she comes up with.
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Becky
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: Incorporating Liturgical Year
