Easy November Liturgical Living Ideas!

by Kathleen West November 2, 2020

Welcome to November!

One of my absolute favorite months of the year actually, I LOVE thanksgiving with a burning passion, and there are so many amazing Catholic feasts to celebrate!

So here is your quick guide to Liturgical Living for this month. I’ve got a few simple ideas that you can use as a jumping-off point for your own creative celebrations orrr just pick one or two ideas to tackle this month.

I know there’s a lot going on what with Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas prep so give yourself some grace and don’t give up if your liturgical living plans aren’t as magical as you had hoped.

You can check out this blog post here where I share my favorite Liturgical living resources like calendars, books with TONS of ideas, and coloring page resources galore :)

November 1 - ALL SAINTS DAY

I’m sure your internet search has brought up exactly the same thing mine did: about a bazillion ideas for you execute for the perfect All Saints Day, but we don’t need to do everything to help our kiddos love the saints. Here are a few of my favorite ways to celebrate this day and help my girls connect with the saints that mean the most to our family.

Talk about the patron saints for each kid (namesakes, or family patrons) and say a little prayer to ask for their intercession!
Pick out a saint inspired item from our shop for Christmas ;)
Dress up as saints (or saint-bound (like Disney bounding where you wear something modern that relates to a character/saint)
Show saint imagery in your home and ask for people to share their own
Color a coloring page of your favorite saint(s)

November 2 - ALL SOULS DAY

Talk about family members and friends who have died. Share their stories and talk about our hope to see them again in heaven.
Pray for those who have died.
We take our girls to the local cemetery to pray for those who are buried there.
Add “may the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace” to the end of your prayers. (Adding this after your Prayer Before Meals is a great way to pray for those who have died year round!)

November 3 - SAINT MARTIN DE PORRES

Patron of: African Americans, Barbers, Hairdressers, Race Relations, Radio, and Social Justice

A little about St. Martin:

St. Martin was raised in Lima, Peru by his mother, his father didn’t acknowledge Martin as his son until he was 8 and shortly abandoned him again after he had another child.
As the son of an unmarried, black woman, he was raised in a low level of society. While his mother’s ancestry is not well known (She may have been African or Indigenous) We do know that she was a freed slave with dark skin, which Martin inherited.
He was a friend of St. Rose of Lima
He was trained as a barber-surgeon
When he was 15 he asked to enter the Dominican Convent in Lima. He began as a lay helper (people who were biracial weren’t able to become full members of religious orders at that time) but after 9 years they begged him to become a religious brother.
He could levitate, bilocate, cure people, and had a miraculous rapport with animals.
He raised money for young women to either join the convent or get married (have a dowry).

Ways to celebrate St. Martin’s Life:

Pray for St. Martin to intercede as our world as we work to end racism.
Try out a Peruvian Recipe for dinner

November 4 - SAINT CHARLES BORROMEO

Patron of: catechumens, catechists, and seminarians

A little about St. Charles:

He was incredibly smart, though some people didn’t realize this because he has a speech impediment.
He lived during the Protestant Reformation and played an important role in addressing some of the concerns that Martin Luther raised against the Catholic Chruch particularly the selling of indulgences.
He also played a role at the Council of Trent
He was extremely devoted to the poor and during the plague and famine of 1576, Borromeo tried to feed 60,000 to 70,000 people daily. To do this he borrowed large sums of money that required years to repay.

Ways to celebrate St. Charles’ life:

Pray for his intercession in studying/teaching, especially in studying theology.
Parents can pray for his intercession in teaching children about God and the faith.
During the pandemic, he is a great example for serving the poor and needy. Gathering items that your local food shelf needs or finding another way to serve the poor in your community is an awesome way to imitate St. Charles’ example.

November 11 - SAINT MARTIN OF TOURS

Patron of: poor, soldiers, conscientious objectors, tailors, and winemakers

A little about St. Martin:

He was born in what is now Hungary but raised in Italy when his father who was a soldier was stationed at a post in Northern Italy.
Both of his parents were pagans.
Because his father was a soldier, Martin was forced to enlist at age 15.

He became a Christian at age 18, and around this time is when he shared his cloak with the poor beggar on the side of the road.
At 23 he refused a pay bonus and requested to be discharged saying, “I have served you as a soldier; now let me serve Christ. Give the bounty to those who are going to fight. But I am a soldier of Christ and it is not lawful for me to fight.”
He was an exorcist
He became a monk and established one of the first French monasteries
The people of Tours demanded that Martin become their bishop (and tricked him into going to the church to become a bishop by saying they needed him to help a sick person).
He was strongly opposed to the death penalty. He begged for the emperor to not put a heretic to death, but his efforts caused him to be accused of also being a heretic

Ways to celebrate St. Martin’s life:

Gather clothes to donate to the poor.
St. Martin’s feast day (also called Martinmas) is celebrated around the world with candlelit processions, it would be so fun to do the same around your back yard.
Eat French or Italian food for dinner and read the story of St. Martin’s life.

November 13 - SAINT FRANCES XAVIER CABRINI

Patron of: immigrants, hospital administrators, and Impossible Causes

A little about St. Francis Xavier Cabrini:

She was the first U.S. citizen to be canonized

She moved from Italy to America to serve the Italian immigrants and was the prioress of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart.
She established an orphanage in New York and in 35 years she established 67 institutions dedicated to caring for the poor, the abandoned, the uneducated, and the sick.
As a child, she was always frightened of water, unable to overcome her fear of drowning. Yet, despite this fear, she traveled across the Atlantic Ocean more than 30 times
She died of Malaria in 1917 in one of the hospitals that she had founded.
Patron of Hospital Administrators, Immigrants, Impossible Causes

Ways to celebrate St. Francis Xavier Cabrini’s life:

Eat an Italian meal for dinner and read the story of her life.
Pray for those who are immigrants especially those who are seeking asylum or who have no family to help them.
Donate items to charities that especially help immigrants as they are settling into their new homes (Catholic Relief Services is one that comes to mind!)

November 17 - SAINT ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY

Patron of: bakers

A little about St. Elizabeth:

She was the daughter of the King of Hungary but chose a life of penance and asceticism. This choice endeared her in the hearts of the common people throughout Europe.
She had a heart for the poor and dedicated much of her time to helping the poor and sick. She fed hundreds of people every day.
After six years of marriage, her husband died in the Crusades, and Elizabeth was grief-stricken. Her husband’s family looked upon her as squandering the royal purse, and mistreated her, finally throwing her out of the palace. The return of her husband’s allies from the Crusades resulted in her being reinstated since her son was the legal heir to the throne.
She died at 24 and was canonized 4 years later! Wow!

Ways to celebrate St. Elizabeth’s life:

Make a loaf of bread! She was the patron of bakers and gave bread to hundreds of hungry people every day.
Help the poor/homeless/hungry, Ask your local food shelf what they are most in need of and donate those items!

November 22 - THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING OF THE UNIVERSE

This will be our first year celebrating this one! I’m planning to attempt a King Cake and we will crown our picture of the Sacred Heart with a paper crown and sing “To Jesus Christ Our Sovereign King”!

November 23 - BLESSED MIGUEL PRO

A little about Bl. Miguel’s life

Miguel was born in Guadalupe, Mexico. He was a trouble maker as a child, and was especially close to his eldest sister. When she joined a convent he began discerning his own vocation and joined a Jesuit novitiate.
He went to California for a time, but when the mexican government began criminalizing Catholicism in Mexico, he returned secretly to serve the people.
He would dress as beggars, street sweepers, police officers, and many other disguises to reach people who needed to be baptized, confirmed, married, or to hear confessions, give communion, or last rites.
He was arrested after an attempt was made to assassinate the president. He was then put in front of a firing squad, where he blessed the men about to kill him, and died with the now famous words, “Vivo Christo Rey”

Ways to celebrate Bl. Miguel’s life:

One of Bl. Miguel’s favorite treats growing up was a sweet bread called Cocol, making it today would be such a fun way to celebrate!

November 28 - 1st Apparition of Our Lady of Kibeho in 1981 (and the last apparition 8 years later(1989))

About Our Lady of Kibeho

This particularly apparition is the only vatican approved apparition in Africa.
Our Lady was first seen by Alphonsine Mumureke and later by Nathalie Mukamazimpaka and Marie Claire Mukangango (30 others also claimed to have seen visions of Our Lady during this time, but only these three were approved by the vatican.).
Mary’s message during these apparitions was particularly directed toward the local government. Members of the Tutsi tribe had been forced off of their land and were living as refugees. Mary wanted the government to allow them to come back to their homes and to strive for peace! Mary also taught Marie-Claire the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows (a prayer which goes back centuries!) during her first vision and asked for repentance.
Many people feel that Mary appeared to this girls as a warning of the Rowandan genocide which followed several years later.

Ways to celebrate our Lady of Kibeho:

Pray The Rosary of the Seven Sorrows together or meditate on pictures of each of Mary’s sorrows with your children.
Have a Marian Procession with an image of Our Lady of Kibeho around your yard or living room (or join in on one that is happening locally)
I’ve been wanting to add items inspired by this particular apparition for what seems like forever! When Abigail from Petronille Press first showed this design I dove into learning more about Our Lady of Kibeho and came to realize that I had actually heard Imaculee Ilibagiza (the women who survived the Rowandan Genocide by hiding in a bathroom with seven other women and who has now devoted her life to sharing the message of Our Lady of Kibeho) speak when I was in college. So now you can also celebrate by dressing up your little ones in something inspired by Our Lady or by wearing your own Our Lady of Kibeho scrunchie!

Source: Catholic Herald

November 30 - SAINT ANDREW

A little about St. Andrew:

He was St. Peter’s brother and one of the 12 apostles
He is the disciple who found the boy who had the loaves and fish in the story of Jesus feeding the 5000.
He preached in Greece and Turkey
Was martyred on an x shaped cross

Ways to celebrate St. Andrew’s life:

Start the St. Andrews novena today! (You can find more information on the St. Andrew Christmas Novena here!)
St. Andrew’s Day is a huge occasion in Scotland, it is traditional to serve Cullen Skink (a creamy fish soup) and Haggis (a savory pudding made from sheep’s lung, onion and oatmeal, among other things).

I hope that this post gives you some ideas of easy things that you can do to celebrate the saints with your families! And to make things even easier I've put together an awesome pinterest board with recipes, coloring pages and other ideas already pulled together for the saints included in this post!

Source that I used for the info on all of the saints: Catholic Online