The Feast of All Saints

I'm finding it so hard to keep up with three blogs!  I haven't posted any of our fun activities for so long, but had to get this one in as we begin the month of November!

Our school celebrates the Feast of All Saints with a parade and party.  Bug's class wrote reports about their saints and then presented them the day of the parade while in costume.  It was fantastic that I was able to slip away from my own class to take a peek at her as she was presenting...



St. Philomena!

All the classes processed in a parade through the junior high wing of the school and into the gymnasium for parents. 

There were some great costumes this year and it's always so much fun to see who the kids will choose (and to learn why they chose them!).

St. Philomena, Pray for Us!



And may all the Saints of Heaven Pray for Us!

Daughters of Light: We Celebrate St. Philomena

Although the celebration of the Feast of St. Philomena has technically been removed from the liturgical calendar, we still planned a nice day of remembrance for her, as she is so near and dear to our hearts and since her removal from the calendar was in no way ever meant to deny external devotion to or veneration for her. We didn't, however, know just how we would fit in a celebration for Philomena and Clare, who traditionally holds August 11th as her feast day! So we compromised...We spent August 10th with St. Philomena and planned activities for St. Clare on August 11.

We found a beautiful image of St. Philomena on-line, which we printed, along with pictures of an anchor and bow & arrow (symbols of her martyrdom) and the angels that ministered to her during her torture and imprisonment. The girls used fancy scissors to cut the images, colored them and added them to the main page (red for martyrs, of course), hanging the anchor and arrows in mobile-style. The girls each chose her own wording as an invocation to St. Philomena.

Bug's Prayer: Patron Saint of Youth, Pray for Us

Birdie's Prayer: Powerful with God, Pray for Us

The finished products looked beautiful hanging on the girls' bedroom doors.

And, of course, we ended our day by praying the St. Philomena chaplet, using the beautiful hand-made chaplets created by our dear friend Diane.

The Saint Philomena Chaplet is made of 3 white beads (for her virginity) and 13 red beads (for the 13 years of her life before her martyrdom). The chaplet consists of the following prayers:

The Apostles' Creed: To ask for the Grace of Faith.

Three Our Father Prayers: To honor the Holy Trinity and in Thanksgiving

Thirteen Prayers to Invoke the Intercession of St. Philomena

Hail, O holy St. Philomena, my patroness after Mary my Mother, as my advocate with thy Divine Spouse, Jesus, intercede for me now and at the hour of my death. St. Philomena, beloved daughter of Jesus and Mary, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

In Conclusion:

Hail, O illustrious St. Philomena, who shed so courageously your blood for Christ! I bless the Lord for all the graces He has bestowed upon you during your life, and especially at your heath. I praise and glorify Him for the honor and power with which He has crowned you, and I beg you to obtain for me from God the graces I ask through thine intercession. Amen.

Beloved St. Philomena, Daughter of Light, Pray for Us