As my family tree is rooted in Argentina, I was elated to hear of Argentina's first saint to be canonized, Blessed Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero.
This remarkably humble priest was known for traveling extensively on his mule throughout Argentina to serve the poor and ill of his enormous parish. Always, he carried with him an image of the Virgin Mary, his Mass kit, and a prayer book.
Today, Pope Francis will officially canonize this "gaucho priest" ("gaucho" is Argentina's variation of the cowboy).
This downloadable 70-page PDF is packed with everything a child needs to celebrate the beloved Blessed Miguel Pro. Each section begins with a short lesson about Miguel Pro's life then features an engaging game, craft or activity.
Children will learn how to:
make a portable shrine for Christ the King and/or the Immaculate Conception
play the "Three Days With Miguel Pro" board game (board and cards included)
learn a Miguel Pro song based on a poem that he wrote for friends
have wordplay fun with crossword puzzles and word searches based on his life
paint and create wooden peg dolls of Christ the King
participate in a "God's Secret Agent" activity (similar to Secret Santas)
learn the Rosary in Spanish and English
sew a Blessed Miguel Pro softie doll (pattern is included)
create a felt banner (like the one shown on the cover)
color and play with a paper-doll play set of Miguel Pro and a Mexican family
Updated Oct. 28, 2011
Planning an All Saints Day party? Or just need an excuse to dress up like your favorite heavenly peeps and eat yummy treats? Me, too!
So, here's my Paper Dali guide to a fabulously fun and sweet All Saints Day Party. This post is packed with game ideas, ways to give Halloween candy a Catholic flavor, and ideas for using Paper Dali printables for a party.
Invitations
Pick pictures from the Saints archives, color them up, paste them to construction paper, and you've an inexpensive but creative invitation to send to friends.
Game Ideas
For the past few years, friends and family have gotten together to celebrate All Saints Day with a party. We meet at the park, and each family sponsors a "booth" (a table or just an area set aside for a game). Every family volunteers to facilitate a game and also bring prizes for participants.(Please note: We picked up these ideas through our reading of various online sites and books, so I'm not sure where credit is due. But thanks to the brilliant moms who came up with these ideas.)
St. Peter Fishing Booth
Each child tosses a mini play fishing pole and hooks a toy. You can use a kiddie pool for this. We've had a sibling hide on the opposite side of the booth and pin fun things to the hooks.
7 Deadly Sins Bowling Pins Game
Use a child's play bowling set, label each pin with a deadly sin, get a plastic ball and label it "grace" and then knock down as many sins as you can.
St. Therese Flower Toss
Display a photo of St. Therese of Lisieux. Each participant receives a rose (real, paper or otherwise) to toss to the picture. Whoever's rose is closest wins the prize.
Pin the Halo on the Archangel A sweeter version of "Pin the Tail on the Donkey," participants get to pin a halo on an archangel. (Feel free to use my St. Michael the Archangel drawingfor this game!)
St. Isadore Pumpkin Roll Each participant rolls a pumpkin from a designated starting point to a designated finishing line. Whoever gets there first, wins.
St. Christopher Relay Race Participants race from a designated starting point to a basket filled with baby dolls (i.e. "baby Jesus") then have to hurry back to the finishing line while carrying the baby doll on their shoulders.
Follow the Straight Path Race
Use some wooden blocks or beams for a fast-paced balancing game. Participants race across the straight path to get to the finishing line first. You can also do an alternate version and use a stopwatch to see which child has the best time across the beam.
St. Martin de Porres Broomstick Relay Race
Set up a starting spot and finishing line, then have the children push an object by using a broom (a symbol associated with St. Martin) to the finishing line. First one there wins.
Saints Ring Toss
Print out pictures of the saints then affix them to sticks then put them in the ground (like garden markers). Have a small hoop (a plastic embroidery hoop works) and the kids can decide which saint to put a hoop around. If they make it, they can get candy and a holy card related to that saint.
Party Food
You can get good ideas from Catholic Cuisine. The gals there do a fab job of creating yummy eats for liturgical feasts. Any post for a saint will do in a pinch for an All Saints Day party.
Take your regular Halloween candy and give them a Catholic flavor!
Here are some ideas:
Creepy Peeper Mix = St. Lucy Cupcakes
Our local dollar store had chocolate eyeballs for sale. I had to have them! They were the perfect cupcake toppers ... and we just called them "St. Lucy Cupcakes."
Gummy Snakes = St. Patrick
Hershey's Kisses = Blessed Miguel Pro (Miguel Pro loved Mexican chocolate, so you can use any chocolate and Blessed Miguel would be the perfect patron saint for it!)
Candy Rings and Necklaces = Any Catholic king or queen (Think St. Wenceslaus, St. Margaret of Scotland, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, etc.)
Candy Pumpkins and Candy Corn = St. Isidore the Farmer
Candy Fangs = St. Appolonia (the patron saint of dentists)
Sweethearts (or any Valentine's Day candy) = St. Valentine
Swedish Fish = St. Peter
Red Hots = St. Florian (patron saint of firefighters)
Pumpkin Carvings
After reading this devotion for pumpkin carving (yes, really), I thought it was cute enough that it made me want to carve a pumpkin ... and talk about good things while doing so. You can find some Christian-themed pumpkin carving patterns at:
In addition to just printing out mysaints paper dolls and coloring pages for, well, coloring, you can also use them for different All Saints Day party decorations and activities. Print them out to:
Create invitations, signs and table settings.
Wrap candy bars with them.
Decorate paper bags for trick or treating.
Cupcake toppers.
Holy cards.
Prizes (Just tape some candy to the picture!)
Saints Crafts from Paper Dali
I also have a few saints-related crafts for you, too:
Hope your All Saints Day celebration is glittery fun and yummy with dashes of the holy, too. And if you're still hankering for some All Saints Day celebration ideas (or just feel like being a looky-lou), check out the great ideas from various bloggers atCatholic Icing's All Saints Day Link Up.
Today is the feast day of Blessed Miguel Pro, a beloved Mexican saint (and in a tie for first place in my heart with Maximilian Kolbe). So, let's celebrate!
Presents to Share
First, here are some little presents for you:
It's a triptych. You can print it out on card stock first, then cut it and fold the outer panels in toward the bigger picture. You can decorate the outside of the triptych as you wish. Then just prop up the triptych wherever you'd like ... I hope in a place of prominence on such a lovely day!
And if you're new to Paper Dali, you might not have this printable:
Blessed Miguel loved Mexican chocolate ... or any sweets for that matter. Use the card below to invite someone to your Bl. Miguel Pro party or just as a cute gift for his feast day:
Music & Treats
Now, let's cue up some music, and start this party! This song is "Las Mananitas," a traditional birthday song, but it's Miguel's heavenly birthday, so it'll work. (The clip is from a Pedro Infante movie.)
And we'll have something yummy to eat before I share a story. Do you like it? It's tres leches cake. You can make your own tres leches cake, cinnamon-espresso churros, or flan. Yes, we're all about sweets today because Miguel loved sweets. If you don't have time to make something elaborate, you can just go the easy route, too. (I won't tell. I'll be ducking into our local Mexican supermercado, too, so who am I to judge?)
Now that we've done a craft, heard some music and ate a Mexican treat, let's watch this fabulous, informative and eye-catching presentation about Miguel Pro. (You'll need Windows Media Player to see it ... and the image of a martyred Bl. Miguel might be a bit hard for little kids to see. Or not. It depends on your child.)
Did you see it? What do you think?
Our Friend Miguel
I'll share a little about the reasons that we love Bl. Miguel Pro so much here at Paper Dali.
The story of Blessed Miguel Pro begins just like it does for so many little boys. He loves his family, he likes to play and sing and goof around. He even gets into trouble ... quite regularly. Miguel, however, ends up becoming deathly sick at some point, and through the prayers of his family, God's goodness and the intercession of Mary, he miraculously pulls through it. His first words? "I want some cocol." Because, you know, being deathly ill makes you crave chocolate as soon as you're feeling good.
Blessed Miguel is such a lively person. He has this gift for storytelling, for being just funny and sweet. He plays tricks on his friends, gets involved in wordplay, dances, puts on plays, and even goes through a rough period in school (which isn't kind to Catholics).
But his life isn't ideal. His family is involved in the mines, so he knows first-hand about the hardship of the poor and struggling. His parents teach him about charity. So often does Miguel go to help out that the miners themselves start using his nickname, the Little Miner.
And when President Calles in 1917 begins his anti-Catholic provisions, the Catholic people in Mexico become deeply persecuted.
Bl. Miguel Pro continues, however, in his vocation. He undergoes tests (both spiritual, physical and intellectual) to become a priest. He has the reputation for being funny ... to the point that the priests at the seminary wonder if he can take his vocation seriously. While he waits to discuss his vocation with the head of the seminary, he is already being put through a test. First, they make him wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And, oh, yes, wait some more. And then, as he waits, he gets to "overhear" from other students about how hard and grueling the entire seminary is. He is given every opportunity to flee, but he doesn't. He knows his calling.
It's this same mix of perseverance, single-mindedness and even humor that make Miguel such a favorite here. Though he was constantly in danger of being caught for the crime of being a Catholic priest, he continued to celebrate Mass, administer the sacraments, and reach out to help the poor and hungry and lonely. If he had to dress like an old lady, a fancy-pants gentleman, a mechanic or, in one case, even as a policeman, so be it. He seemed to thrive in the circumstances.
One of our favorite stories is when Miguel was heading to celebrate Mass at a "secret" location. Apparently, it wasn't a very good secret, for the police officers were there, waiting for this renegage priest to show up. Somehow, Miguel had gotten a police uniform, which he wore to the house. He told the police officer outside the door, "I heard that there's a priest going inside. I'm going to check it out!" And then, he went in, performed his priestly duties, and then came outside once more. When asked about the priest, he answered, "There was a priest inside the house. But now, he's not there!"
His encounter with a communist is recounted in Ann Ball's book. It's funny and wise, just as Blessed Miguel Pro was. When the communist tells Miguel that he believes in sharing, Miguel says he does, too. When the communist describes the urge to help the poor, Miguel chimes in that he feels the same way. And when he is shown a threatening weapon, Miguel says he has the greatest weapon of all ... and he takes his rosary from his pocket to show the man.
When Miguel Pro is caught and then executed, he shows the same clarity and poise that marks every story about him. He forgives those who are about to kill him, he says a prayer, and he does not remain silent but cries out a triumphant, "Viva Cristo Rey!"
This final cry has been an inspiration to countless people. And in my own life, I find myself often referring to that shout amid the strange, upside-down world we live in. He was a radical and a rebel because he cared about the poor, the homeless, abandoned children, because he lived his life to the fullest in service of others ...
May this post inspire you to learn more about Miguel Pro ... or if he's already your friend, too, may it increase the fondness you already have for him.
"We must pray without tiring, for the salvation of mankind does not depend on material success nor on sciences that cloud the intellect. Neither does it depend on arms and human industries, but on Jesus alone." (Mother Cabrini)
Thanks for your prayers for my wisdom-teeth extraction. The surgery itself was pain-free ... though the surgeon was surprised by my teeth. "What long roots you have! I've never seen such roots! And with hooks at the bottom that hooked onto the nerves! Those teeth did NOT want to come out. Wow!"
Wow, indeed. While I'm convalescing inside painkiller bottles, here's a darling, colorful and all-around fantastic post from Xhonane of Familia Catolica. I always love the creative stuff that she does in general, but it's an extra dose of happiness for me when my paper dolls are used.
Paper Dali got a little mention in Susan Brooks-Young's article at OCP about Saints Online. Give it a read and find other places online for learning about saints with your children. Then come back here for more coloring pages about saints. Just visit the tags in the right sidebar for the list of fun.
And for visitors from OCP, enjoy some milk and cookies as a welcoming treat. (Yes, regular visitors and friends can have some, too. ♥ )
Edited to add: I would have also included Patron Saints Index (the original and best online source for saints), Faith-filled Days, Family in Feast and Feria, and the other sites mentioned in my Resources tab (right under the blog header). If you have recommendations, be sure to let me know by leaving a comment.
Special note: If you have small children, you may want to read a more child-friendly version of Saint Maximilian's life. The version in this post is grittier and deals with themes that might be too much for the younger set.
St. Maximilian Kolbe
priest, editor, publisher, martyr
A prisoner was missing. Despite the high walls, the electrified fences and sentry towers, someone had attempted to escape Auschwitz, the most infamous death camp of Nazi-controlled Poland. The other prisoners of Bunker 14A stood at attention, motionless with fright, from dawn until noon as the prison guards and their vicious bloodhounds searched ruthlessly for the prisoner who had not answered at the dawn roll call.
Hours passed. No food, no water was given. With fear in their hearts, the 600 Bunker 14A prisoners waited. And waited. The Nazis would punish 10 of them in place for the one who had escaped. All had seen it happen before, to other bunkers. And while the day continued in agonizing slowness, the prisoners' fear was palpable. Men fell from exhaustion, fright, weakness. The guards kicked and dragged them away.
Finally, Commander Fritsch screamed at them. The prisoner had not been found. He randomly began choosing men to be tossed into Block 13 without food or water until they died. After he ordered the fourth prisoner to step forward, a sob broke through the silence. "Please, not me!" criedFrancis Gajowniczek.
From the testimony of Francis Gajowniczek: "I knew Fr. Kolbe personally only during the summer of 1941, the day that he offered his life for me ... The Lagerfuhrer, Fritsch, commandant of the camp, surrounded by guards, approached and from the rows began to choose ten prisoners to send to death. The Fuhrer also pointed with his finger at me. I stepped out of the row and cried that I desired to see my children again. After an instant, a prisoner stepped out of the line, offering himself in my place ..."
From the testimony of another eyewitness, Dr. Nicetas Francis Wlodarski: "After the choice of the ten prisoners, Fr. Maximilian stepped out of line and, taking off his cap, he stood at attention before the Commandant. Surprised, and directing himself to Fr. Maximilian, he said, 'What does this Polish pig want?' Pointing his finger toward Francis Gajowniczek, already chosen for death, Fr. Maximilian replied, 'I am a Polish Catholic priest. I am old. I want to take his place because he has a wife and children.' It seemed incredible that Commandant Fritsch had taken Gajowniczek from the group of the condemned and had accepted the offer of Fr. Kolbe, instead of condemning both of them to the starvation bunker. With such a monster, that would have been possible."
The starvation bunk became a place for prayer and singing. Despite their inevitable death, the prisoners were consoled by Papa Kolbe, who urged them to sing hymns to God. An eyewitness to this said the bunker became like a church, for it resonated with songs and praise.
After two weeks, the Nazis could wait no longer for death. Papa Kolbe was killed with an injection of carbolic acid.
Witness to Love The example of Father Kolbe's life and his sacrifice has touched millions of people. Any online search will bring a wealth of information. Because this is a blog, however, I will share my own story. Papa Kolbe was canonized the year that I received the sacrament of Confirmation. The bishop, Cardinal John O'Connor, spoke about the life of a Polish priest, Maximilian Kolbe. In his homily, the cardinal wove the beautiful story of the troublesome little boy who was forever irritating his mother who grew up to be a wordsmithing holy friar. He loved words and wrote and published periodicals and newspapers to strengthen people in their faith. His life was filled with tiny sacrifices of love, moments of grace, and suffering through which joy prevailed. Even in the death camp, Papa Kolbe smuggled the crumbs from his meal to celebrate Mass in a bunker. Despite death all around him, he spoke of life and love and forgiveness to his fellow prisoners. No one heard him ever complain.
At 12, I listened to the story, transfixed. Papa Kolbe was unlike any other saints to me at the time. There were photographs of him. People who knew him were still alive. And, like me, he loved words and writing! I named myself after him then --- the Maria from his own middle name. His example of uncomplaining service and untiring love encouraged me, as a preteen, to try and be a good student, an obedient child and faithful servant of God.
Though I eventually strayed from the path for a few years, I later found my way back home. And St. Maximilian Kolbe regained his position as my hero.
Now, as an editor, I often ask for him to pray for me, so that I may do a good job, that I will do my work with love, that I will not complain.
Whenever I read about his life, I become encourage to live out my vocation with sweetness and joy. Who am I to complain about laundry? How can I grow irritated by messes? How can I get lose my temper over a dropped quart of milk? I need to hold everything up to the light of eternity and keep life and its suffering and sorrows in perspective.
My hero was in a death camp and grew in faith and holiness. With God's grace, I pray I can grow in faith and holiness in suburbia.
As part of the Paper Dali 7 Saints Series, I present the newest saint paper doll/coloring page for you. (Please note: Be sure to download from the links below the image, not the image itself, lest you end up with a tiny paper doll pic.)
If you're planning to study St. Ignatius (or any saint), I recommend using these fabulous free saints study sheet from the wonderful That Resource Site. Saint Ignatius was a priest, too, so you may want to take this opportunity to study church articles (hat tip: That Resource Site again!).
“Let nothing disturb thee,
Nothing
affright thee.
All things
are passing.
God never changes.
Patient endurance
attains
to all things.
Who God possesses
in nothing is wanting.
God alone suffices."
(St. Teresa of Avila, 1515-1582)
"Nada te turbe;
nada te espante.
Todo se pasa;
Dios no se muda.
La paciencia
todo lo alcanza.
Quien a Dios tiene,
nada le falta.
Solo Dios basta."
(Santa Teresa de Jesús, 1515-1582)
St. Teresa looked nothing like the above drawing. (In fact, neither do I. ) The praying gal and the prayer, however, can be downloaded as a bookmark in English or, if you prefer St. Teresa's language, in Spanish. It's my little gift to you.
en castellaño:
Este mes me ha sorprendido con una tormenta de dificultades e incertitudes. La oración me ha salvado de ansiedades asi que la estoy compartiendo con ustedes.
Santa Teresa de Jesús no era nada como el dibujo. (Pues, yo tampoco soy asi). Sin embargo, puse el dibujo y oración en un marcador. Es un regalito para vos.
"Holy Joseph, chosen by God to be the guardian of Our Lord Jesus Christ and spouse of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, receive the offerings of our hearts and listen to the prayers we humbly address to you today." (Archbishop Kazimierz Majdanski)
In celebration of St. Joseph's day, here's a St. Joseph paper doll from the Paper Dali archives. He's from the early days of drawing, however, despite that, he's one of the most popular ones here.
You can also make a St. Joseph peg doll: (Directions and image taken from my St. Joseph's Altar post.) St. Joseph Doll
Materials: green felt
brown felt
white felt
beige felt
toothpick
paint
black yarn
1. Paint the face as you would like. Do this first, so as it dries, you can work on the following steps.
2. Cut a half-circle of green felt.
3. Cut a strip of brown felt.
4. Cut two small triangles of green.
5. Cut two beige circles.
6. Warm up the glue gun.
7. Put dots of hot glue on the wooden body of the doll. Quickly, drape the green cloth over it and make sure it covers the body.
8. Put dots of glue on the brown strip then drape it diagonally over the green. (See picture above.)
9. Put a drop of glue on the wide part of the green triangle. (The green is the sleeve. The beige circle is the hand.)
10. Do the same for the other green sleeve and beige hand.
11. Put a drop of glue on the top of the green sleeves and press them against the body.
12. Take a strand of yarn, put glue on it, then drape it under St. Joseph's face to form a beard. (I didn't put it on his face because, in case I made a mistake, I didn't want to have glue bits all over it.)
13. Cut black pieces of yarn in the same length, enough to be hair.
14. Put glue on the wooden head then press the black yarn on it. Be careful not to burn yourself!
15. Trim the "hair" at the length you'd like.
16. To make the lily, just cut a small half-circle of white felt. Glue one edge of the circle to the top of the toothpick. Swirl it around until it looks like a lily. Then put a drop of glue on the toothpick and press it against St. Joseph.
In researching Bl. Miguel Pro for my project, I came across this little treasure: (The song is in Spanish, but it's more about the images anyway. Due to the one or two images of a martyred Miguel, you may want to preview this before sharing it with your children.)
On this lovely Friday, Evann is hosting the first annual St. Joseph's Altar Blog Fest today. (For any non-Catholic visitors, this altar is not for the worship of St. Joseph, but it is a visible dedication to him. The objects and pictures to remind us of him and to ask for him to pray for us to our Lord. We only worship God.♥ )
In honor of Saint Joseph, we set up a little altar for him during March. The upper shelf of our small bookshelf provided a perfect place to put items that remind us of this quiet, strong and faithful example: I'll go over a few of our special items, if you please ... The San Damiano cross is above the altar, for it is the Lord who reigns supreme. And because it is Lent, there is a purple cloth around him. And because it was on sale and the only purple I could find, the cloth has polka-dots. I have since come up with the idea of the white symbolizing purity and the red symbolizing his most precious blood ... It works.
Beneath the San Damiano cross is a drawing that I made specifically for Saint Joseph's Day. The Holy Family is gathered together having a little something to eat, and a young Jesus is talking to them about marvelous things. One of my gifts to you on this special day is a printable of my drawing. You can download the PDF of it, if you'd like. Here's a close up of it:
And below it is our little altar. The shoe box craft comes courtesy of Evann. The printable pictures and explanations of them can be found at the St. Joseph's Altar blog. We also have a vase of lilies from our backyard, a children's Bible, and a St. Joseph soft doll.
Here's a close-up of the soft doll. He's a bit rumpled, probably from tossing and turning from all those crazy dreams.
And because I had a little wooden peg, felt and a hot glue gun, I made a small Saint Joseph peg doll to add to the altar. He was easy and fun to make, and I am quite happy with how he looks.
As my second little gift to you, here's a quick tutorial on making the peg doll above:
St. Joseph Doll
Materials: green felt
brown felt
white felt
beige felt
toothpick
paint
black yarn 1. Paint the face as you would like. Do this first, so as it dries, you can work on the following steps.
2. Cut a half-circle of green felt.
3. Cut a strip of brown felt.
4. Cut two small triangles of green.
5. Cut two beige circles.
6. Warm up the glue gun.
7. Put dots of hot glue on the wooden body of the doll. Quickly, drape the green cloth over it and make sure it covers the body.
8. Put dots of glue on the brown strip then drape it diagonally over the green. (See picture above.)
9. Put a drop of glue on the wide part of the green triangle. (The green is the sleeve. The beige circle is the hand.)
10. Do the same for the other green sleeve and beige hand.
11. Put a drop of glue on the top of the green sleeves and press them against the body.
12. Take a strand of yarn, put glue on it, then drape it under St. Joseph's face to form a beard. (I didn't put it on his face because, in case I made a mistake, I didn't want to have glue bits all over it.)
13. Cut black pieces of yarn in the same length, enough to be hair.
14. Put glue on the wooden head then press the black yarn on it. Be careful not to burn yourself!
15. Trim the "hair" at the length you'd like.
16. To make the lily, just cut a small half-circle of white felt. Glue one edge of the circle to the top of the toothpick. Swirl it around until it looks like a lily. Then put a drop of glue on the toothpick and press it against St. Joseph.
St. Patrick's Day often gets beat up to the point of not being recognized. An online search for Saint Patrick's Day yields recipes for cabbage, tips on which bar offers green beer, and oodles of coloring pages of leprechauns and their pots of gold. Sure, you can study those things as part of Irish lore, but I'd rather not study those things on the day that we celebrate Patrick's life. Especially considering his life was about teaching truth.
Geography:Locate Scotland on the map. (Patrick was born in Scotland, probably Kilpatrick). Locate Rome (to point out that the Romans' reach stretched all the way to Britain. They were in charge of that area at the time.) Locate Ireland. (He was kidnapped by a raiding party at fourteen and taken to work as a slave in Ireland. Later, he escaped, but then returned back to Ireland due to a dream he had. He, as a bishop, preached and converted most of the people to Catholicism.)
Writing: Write your own version of an Irish blessing.Practice penmanship with the following traditional Irish blessing: "May the road rise to meet you, May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine upon your ace, the rains fall soft upon you fields, and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand." Write a brief report about Saint Patrick.Pretend to be Saint Patrick. Write a journal entry about your time either as a slave, on the ship or as a bishop. Reading:
"Patrick, Patron Saint of Ireland" by TomieDePaola (Good for the littles)Look up other Irish saints: Brigid, St. Kevin of Glendalough, St. Columba, St. Brendan
Older kids can read thislong bio. (It's a bit dry, but informative.)
DVD:Watch "Patrick, Brave Shepherd of the Emerald Isle." Art:
Print the paper doll above.
Make heart shamrocks. (Use green construction paper, draw and cut three hearts. Arrange and glue them to sheet as a clover. Saint Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Trinity. Label each leaf Father, Son and Holy Spirit.)
Use green construction paper and your imagination to create an Irish saints booklet. (You can use the printable lapbook pages here.)
Read about Irish saints, draw a picture of them (or download one from the Internet. Use Google image search ... carefully) and write a sentence about each one for your own Irish saints booklet.
Why should St. Valentine corner the market on passing note cards? St. Patrickdelivered plenty of messages himself ... and even wrote an autobiography and a beautiful prayer. (Hear the beloved "Breastplate of St. Patrick" sung.) Here's a page of St. Patrick note cardsfor you to use in celebrating his feast day. And, really, who needs a pot of gold when you've a gold pot of love and this guy sending you a blessing?
You can put it in a lunchbox, tuck it next to plate of yummy Irish food, have it accompany a gift of Irish cookies or soda bread, etc.
And if you've a little extra time, print out last year'sPaper Dali St. Patrickto color, too.
p.s. Yes, the prayer says, "Bind to myself" ... You just want to say "Bind myself to," don't you? ;)
Placing This Site Under His Care Blessed Miguel Pro holds a special place in my heart. With his wonderful sense of humor, playfulness, creativity and deep strong faith, Blessed Miguel Pro is like a spiritual brother to me. And I place
Paper Dali under his patronage.
I first discovered Blessed Miguel in a little Mexican bookshop in Los Angeles years ago and picked up Ann Ball's book "Blessed Miguel Pro: 20th Century Mexican Martyr." I had not known there was a Catholic persecution in Mexico, wrongfully assuming it's always been highly pro-Catholic. And it just pulled me in. I'd never read of such an outrageously funny, brave and devout person saint like him before. And now here I am, placing a site under his patronage and spreading the word about him.
Read About Bl. Miguel Pro
If you do not know about this marvelous Mexican priest and martyr, I encourage you to read about him and get to learn more about him. A good starting point for almost all things Miguel is theBlessed Miguel siteonce maintained by Ann Ball (may she rest in peace) and now under the direction of Lawrence LeLeux and Father Ray Bucko.
A few months ago, I read anotherAnn Ball book dedicated to Miguel Pro. She wrote it for her grandchildren to know and love this saint as much as she does. The book is called "Jose Finds the King" (Behold Publications). Right now, I'm working on a project inspired by this lovely book. If you've not read it before, do put the book on your reading list.
Paper Dali Miguel Pro
On this site, Miguel has been Paper Dali-fied. You can find him and a few drawings of his disguisesthat he wore during his underground work in Mexico. In this photograph on the left, you can see Bl. Miguel Pro dressed as a dandy. I love his expression here and his nonchalant stance. The best part of the picture, though, is that a policeman is passing him in the background. Wanted by the police for his being a Catholic priest, Miguel looks amused by it all.
On Paper Dali, Blessed Miguel Pro is one of the more popular saints. (He's only a little behind St. Joseph and St. Juan Diego.) Every now and then, I receive emails from people who are having fun with his little set.
De Todo Un Poco (A Little of Everything) This video montage shows pictures spanning Bl. Miguel's life, his martyrdom and relics of his adventurous, loving life.
Author Ann Ball's site has a page dedicated to this "merry Mexican saint." Though she is now with the angels, a priest friend continues running her site and spreading the word of Blessed Miguel Pro.
The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe hasa page dedicated to the martyr Miguel Pro. The site is in Spanish, but even if you do not speak Spanish, you will enjoy seeing the rare images of Miguel Pro's belongings, including the sweater that he wore, the pocket watch he had, etc.
Download black and white PDF of Blessed Miguel Pro.
And we'll have something yummy to eat before I share a story. Do you like it? It's tres leches cake. You can make your own tres leches cake, cinnamon-espresso churros, or flan. Yes, we're all about sweets today because Miguel loved sweets. If you don't have time to make something elaborate, you can just go the easy route, too. (I won't tell. I'll be ducking into our local Mexican supermercado, too, so who am I to judge?) 
St. Joseph Doll
I'll go over a few of our special items, if you please ... The San Damiano cross is above the altar, for it is the Lord who reigns supreme. And because it is Lent, there is a purple cloth around him. And because it was on sale and the only purple I could find, the cloth has polka-dots. I have since come up with the idea of the white symbolizing purity and the red symbolizing his most precious blood ... It works.
One of my gifts to you on this special day is a printable of my drawing. You can download the PDF of it, if you'd like. Here's a close up of it:
As my second little gift to you, here's a quick tutorial on making the peg doll above:
You can put it in a lunchbox, tuck it next to plate of yummy Irish food, have it accompany a gift of Irish cookies or soda bread, etc.
ns). Right now, I'm working on a project inspired by this lovely book. If you've not read it before, do put the book on your reading list.
... and please do NOT offer my works as downloads from your site.
