In the October Online Activity you read about the “communion of saints”. In the month of November we celebrate the feast of All Saints. This is a day to celebrate the lives of all those who have been officially recognized by the Church as Saints. Learning about the lives of the saints helps us to understand the way in which we are called to live our lives. The saints challenge and inspire us, showing us what to be and do. The saints were not perfect people – they struggled in life, just as we do, but they were able to turn their struggles into positives and to live faith-filled lives in both word and deed.
Take some time this month to explore the life of a saint. You can find a list of saints at
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/saints/patrons.asp
Some possibilities of ways to choose a saint include:
- Think about yourself. Do you have a hobby or a job? Do you love sports or
animals? Are you afraid of anything? There are patron saints for all of these things!
- Use your name. You might be named after a saint. Don’t be discouraged if there
isn’t an exact match. Remember that many modern names are derivatives of older
names (Gina=Eugenia; Luis/Louis=Aloysius). Also, many girls’ names are
derivatives of boys’ names (Marcia=Mark; Josie=Joseph). Finally, some names that
seem very different are really variants of each other. Some examples include:
- Hannah, Ann, Nancy
- Gretchen, Margaret, Rita, Peggy
- Alexander, Sandy, Sasha, Lexy
To search for a saint this way, click on “BY NAME” under the “Patron Saints” header.
- Is there already a saint that inspires you? If a saint inspires you, stick with him/her –
no other reason or connection is necessary!
Once you have chosen a saint, answer the questions or complete the statements in this online form:
November Online Activity
Saints by Our Side