Family Feast Day Fun…June Edition

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? Ord Time II          *Home altar color? Green

Upcoming Feast Days: 

June 7- Corpus Christi: Although we celebrate the institution of the Eucharist as the true Body and Blood of Christ on Holy Thursday, this is a separate day to rejoice in this special Catholic gift apart from our Lenten sorrows. A perfect day to, if you don’t already, be sure in mass to point out the moments of Transubstantiation to your little ones, watching their awe and being inspired to remember that rightful awe ourselves. Most parishes typically do a Corpus Christi procession during or immediately following mass. If we do this year, make sure to jump in line! Later, try a monstrance craft.

June 12- SOLEMNITY of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: This is a Solemnity that ALWAYS falls on a Friday. And as it is a Solemnity (the highest kind of feast day), this means that the usual call for Friday abstinence from meat (which is year-round, not only during Lent) does not apply and it is a MEAT Friday! Any meat will do, and making a big deal about it being a Meat Friday is always fun. Homemade pizza is easy to make look like the flaming and thorn-crowned Sacred Heart of Jesus. Or go big and enjoy steak with a coloring page.

June 21- Father’s Day: Love on your fathers and spiritual fathers/godfathers, and also our priests!

June 24- Nativity of St. John the Baptist (Solemnity): John the Baptist is the only Saint who gets their birthday celebrated in the liturgical calendar (other than Jesus and Mary), as a feast day is typically the day that Saint died. But St. John the Baptist gets this extra one. This is due to the traditional belief that he (on top of Jesus and Mary) was born without original sin since he recognized the child Savior in Mary’s womb even while he was in Elizabeth’s womb and “leapt with joy” (Luke 1:41), fulfilling the prophecy of the angel to Zechariah, “He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.” (Luke 1:15). Some celebrate him by trying out edible insects and honey…we have yet to venture there ourselves, but go for it if you dare! We usually engage in water play outside, for John’s baptisms, and a honey dessert or snack would do nicely.