Liturgical Living at Home for Families: March Edition (Lent)
Feast day and liturgical season traditions help our kiddos understand the Faith in their everyday space in their everyday life. The symbols and colors of the Church during each liturgical season can be brought home in many ways. Foods, activities, crafts, the options are vast.
*What season? Lent *Home altar color? Violet
Continue your Sacrifice Beans and helping each other with your chosen Lenten promises.
Upcoming Feast Days:
March 7- Sts. Perpetua & Felicity: African Romans and two patronesses of pregnancy/babies, as they were pregnant/breastfeeding while in captivity. Heroically martyred, check out the former’s memoire. They initially were set on by a rabid bull, so any beef dish would apply for dinner, and girls can have a fancy hair day based on St. Perpetua’s fantastic hair quote!
March 15- Laetare Sunday: Throughout Lent our liturgical color is purple, and we like to wear purple to Sunday masses. But the 4th Sunday is designated “Laetare” for “rejoice”. It is getting closer to Holy Week, and the catechumens preparing to enter the Church on Easter vigil receive special blessings this day. So on Laetare Sunday, “we wear pink”.
March 17- St. Patrick: The patron of Ireland (though English by birth) was a crucial presence when it came to Ireland turning from their pagan ways. Shamrock crafts, for how he taught the trinity, are a great activity for the day. Corned beef and cabbage and green desserts are also fun for the menu. Blast your sea shanties and Irish hymns for added ambiance!
March 19- St. Joseph: St. Joseph, being the holy spouse of Our Lady and foster father of Our Lord, gets a SOLEMNITY for his day. Meaning it is a day of obligatory celebration, we may take the day off from our Lenten promises. A super fun tradition is from Italy, who at some point in history adopted dear St. Joseph as their patron, began the tradition of pouring their pasta noodles directly on the table and eating with their hands. We add parmesan cheese or breadcrumbs as “sawdust” for his carpentry and enjoy whatever other Italian treats we can.
March 22- Passion Sunday: The Sunday before Palm Sunday is when Passiontide begins. All the crucifixes and statues in the church are suddenly covered in purple fabric! It’s very noticeable to little ones especially, meant to increase our longing for the Lord and for the celebrations to come. To reflect this at home, we do the same. Years ago I picked up a yard or 2 or purple fabric at the store and cut it into pieces. So after mass this day we go home and start covering. Not ALL of the statues, but all of the most obvious ones around the house, especially the crucifixes.
Remember, at home it is YOUR Domestic Church. Customize for YOUR family.
Check back for Holy Week traditions later in March!
Feel free to email me for specific tradition questions, Lindsay @ aldridge0222@gmail.com.