Teaching Students with Catholic Saints
Iβve always found that the saints are a great way for students to connect with their faith. These are people who walked the Earth, served the Church, and are an example of how we are to be people of God. Saints have stories- stories that are relatable to students. Stories of hardship and love, rebellion and perseverance. Stories that students can see themselves in.
Here are three ways that you can incorporate the saints into your classroom:
Saint of the Month
I love having a saint of the month with my students. This gives us a focus each month on a patron saint whose feast day is during that month. While some of the saints are well-known, I also try to pick saints that are less popular. I think the variety of saints keeps students interested. With each saint we learn about their history, complete reflection questions, create a craft, and more.
Here are the saints that we use in my class:
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Patron Saint of Your Classroom
At the beginning of the school year you can have your class research different saints, and then vote on one to become the patron saint of your classroom. Having students do the research, and perhaps presentation on the saint they would like to be the patron saint, will give students ownership of their work and more meaning to the patron saint. You can create a little sign with your saint name, along with incorporating the patron saint into your morning prayer routine by saying βSaint ________, pray for us.β
Celebrating All Saints Day
All Saintsβ Day is such a special day in the church. It celebrates both us as the communion of saints and those who have the title of saint. With my students we turn them into saints by pairing their first name with the street they live on and have them write about themselves and their faith journey. For example, I would be St. Annie of Cullom. It is so important for students to see themselves as saints and to know that, just like the titled saints, they too can make a difference in their community.
Whether you spend 10 minutes or a whole week celebrating the saints, I hope you all have a wonderful time discussing these faith filled humans with your students!
Are you looking for more engaging Catholic resources? Learn more about my Seton Scholars Teacher Membership for Catholic Educators here.
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