This past week the faculty and staff had the opportunity to go on a retreat led by Fr. Ed Riley, during which we focused on the importance of devotion to Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist. One point Fr. Riley made that really struck me was how we approach sainthood. We admire and venerate the saints through icons, prayer, and devotionals; however, for many of us this is the stopping point. While teaching our children the importance of past saints, we need to shift our attention from admiration of saints to the imitation of saints. As All Saints’ Day approaches, I thought this was the perfect occasion to ask my students about their favorite saints and how they could start imitating the saints in small ways. Here are some of their responses:
-“I can be like St. Teresa by helping the poor.”
– “Two of my favorite saints are St. Rose and St. Anne. I like St. Anne because she was kind, and she is also my patron saint. I can imitate St. Anne by being kind, and I can imitate St. Rose by being humble.”
– “One of my favorite saints is Mary Magdalene because she was a sinner, but she repented and became one of the best-known and holiest saints. I can follow in her footsteps by repenting for all of my sins. Even though I am human, and therefore sinful, I can try.”
– “I can be like the saints by praying everyday…I already do that though.”
– “My favorite saint is St. John the Evangelist because he was one of Jesus’ favorite apostles. I can imitate him by reading the book in the Bible he wrote.”
-”My favorite saint is St. Benedict because he gave up his home and things to the poor, and became a hermit.”
This All Saints’ Day let us all commit to imitating the great saints of Heaven!
Author: Katie Boren, 4th Grade Teacher
