Welcome to the next edition of Saints of the Week! Today, I have 7 Saints for you to share with your students and children. Their Feast Days fall during the week.
This week’s saints and feasts are:
- 10/5 – Bl. Francis Xavier Seelos
- 10/6 – Bl Marie Rose Durocher
- 10/7 – Our Lady of the Rosary
- 10/8 – St. Pelagia the Penitent
- 10/9 – St. Denis and Companions, Martyrs
- 10/10 – Blessed Angela Truszkowska
- 10/11 – Pope St. John XXIII
Each Saint will have the:
- dates of birth and death (when available)
- patronage
- Link to their resource or story page
- associated virtues
- virtue challenge and/or simple ways to celebrate the feast
- liturgical color
Along with the virtue, I will add a suggested virtue action for you to suggest to your students. I will also include the liturgical color for the day. You can use this as a catechetical teaching moment to discuss the different liturgical seasons and vestment colors.
I tried to choose Saints from different countries, time periods, and with various vocations. Feel free to swap out other favorite Saints this week if you wish! This is just a guide that follows the Liturgical Year Feast Days. Please let me know if you would like any other resources for these guides, and I will try my best to add them for you. I kept these guides very open-ended so that you can tailor them to your students, and check out the suggested discussion questions below.
Be sure to visit this post for more information on our Saints of the Week Guides. And, if you’re new at Amazing Catechists, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter (in the sidebar) so that you never miss an issue of Saints of the Week!
Discussion questions:
- What do you think a day in the life of this saint was like?
- What difficulties or challenges did this saint face? How did he or she overcome them?
- How did the saint exhibit virtue in his or her life? How can we work to imitate this virtue?
- What else can this saint teach us about living a good life and how to grow closer to Christ?
10/5: Bl. Francis Xavier Seelos (1819-1867)
Feast Day: October 5
Liturgical color: Green
Patronage: against cancer
Quick Facts:
- Born in Germany
- was one of 12 children
- Named after St. Francis Xavier who also inspired him to become a priest
- was part of the Redemptorist Order
- many people came to him for Confession
- loved working with children
- met President Abraham Lincoln, asking for seminarians not to be sent to war
- was a mission preacher in the US
- worked with yellow fever victims in Louisiana where he dies of the illness himself
Virtue: Poverty, humility, charity, zeal
Virtue Challenges:
- Do a humble act of charity today: donate to a food pantry, work in a soup kitchen, or visit the elderly or sick.
- Receive the Sacrament of Penance.
10/6: Bl. Marie Rose Durocher (1811-1849)
Feast Day: October 6
Liturgical color: white
Patronage: against bodily ills, against loss of parents, against sickness, sick people
Quick facts:
- 10th of 11 children
- Born as Eulalie Dorocher
- born and died in Canada
- Took the name Marie Rose when she joined the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (she also helped found this order)
- this order of sisters serve as teachers
Link to Divine Office (see “About Today”)
Virtues: Humility, charity
Virtue challenge: Learn about the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy, and choose one to carry out this week.
10/7: Our Lady of the Rosary
Feast Day: October 7
Liturgical color: white
Quick facts:
- Our Lady came to the aid of Christian soldiers in the Battle of Lepanto
- Later, Pope Pius V instituted a feast in thanksgiving to Our Lady of Victory
- Eventually, Pope Gregory XIII changed the name of the feast to Our Lady of the Rosary to emphasize the power of Mary’s intercession in times of trouble.
Link to Divine Office (see About Today)
Simple ways to celebrate the feast:
- Pray a decade or more of the Rosary today.
- Other ways to celebrate
10/8: St. Pelagia the Penitent (c. 400)
Feast Day: October 8
Liturgical color: green
Patronage: Actresses
Quick facts:
- was a dancer and actress living an unchaste life
- heard a sermon by St. Nonnus of Edessa which inspired her to repent and change her life
- she lived as a hermit to live out the rest of her days
Virtue: Poverty, chastity
Virtue challenge: Make a resolution to end one bad habit this month.
10/9: St. Denis and Companions, Martyrs (Died c. 258)
Feast Day: October 9
Liturgical color: red
Patronage: against frenzy, against headaches, against hydrophobia, against migraines, against rabies, against strife, possessed people
Quick facts:
- first bishop of Paris
- imprisoned by Roman governor
- martyred with St. Rusticus and St. Eleutherius
- one of the 14 Holy Helpers
Link to Divine Office (see About Today)
Virtues: Courage, faith
Virtue challenge: Stand up for someone or something this week, even if it’s hard.
10/10: Blessed Angela Truszkowska (1825-1899)
Feast Day: October 10
Liturgical color: White
Patronage: Against sickness, exiles, and sick people
Quick facts:
- Born and raised in Poland
- helped the poor, aged, and homeless with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul
- she later founded the Felician Sisters
- Quote: “Help all without discrimination, friend and foe alike. Everyone is our neighbor.” – Mother Angela Truszkowska
Virtue: Piety, charity, justice
Virtue Challenge: Bring joy to someone today with a smile, card, drawing, or simple act of kindness.
10/11: Pope St. John XXIII (1881-1963)
Feast Day: October 11
Liturgical Color: white
Patronage: Papal delegates
Quick facts:
- born to peasants
- wrote a 5 volume biography on St. Charles Borromeo
- served in WWI in medial corps and as chaplain
- 261st pope
- promoted social reforms for the working class
- encouraged dialogue with other faiths
- called the Second Vatican Council
Virtues: Justice, charity
Virtue challenge: If you get a chance, share your faith with someone who has a different faith than you do.