Saint Storyboards
Saints are heroic men and women that lived long ago and are found today in our midst, for all of us are called to be saints! A saint is a person who is considered holy, sanctified or consecrated by means of having lived a life of great charity and heroic virtues. Saints are genuine role models for us that loved God and others and they took risks, sometimes even at the cost of their life. Saints are imperfect. They were subject to doubt, fear, losing their way. But in the end, with the help of God’s grace and their own courage and free will, they triumphed over the obstacles and temptations that might otherwise have kept them from attaining a state of true holiness. The Catholic Church has designatedfour steps to be officially recognized as a saint:
1)A person is declared Servant of God, meaning that a Bishop is placed in charge of the initial investigation of the person’s life.
2)A person is declared Venerable. This is a deceased person recognized as having lived a life filled with heroic virtues by a collection of testimonies and documents.
3)A person is declared Blessed, or “beatified.” At this stage, in addition to a life of heroic virtues, one miracle acquired through the individual’s intercession is required.
4)A person is declared a Saint, or “canonized.” Proof of two miracles is required, though a Pope may waive these requirements. Martyrdom for the faith does not usually require a miracle.*
Your Saint(s): / Day you will Present:1)Research your assigned Saint using RELIABLE online resources (not wiki!) Some good places to look:
Books:
- Loyola Kids Book of Saints by Amy Welborn(good outline of saints lives, might find more details)
- Loyola Kids Book of Heroes: Stories of Catholic Heroes and Saints Throughout History by Amy Welborn
- All Saints: Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our Time by Robert Ellsberg (Organized by Feast Date)
- Voices of the Saints: A 365 Day Journey with Our Spiritual Companions
2)Create a poster (large than 11x17 sheet of paper) including the following important facts:
1)Name of Saint/ Year they lived and died (if known)/ Where they lived or did their ministry
2)Who or what they are the patron saint of
3)What was their biggest impact to the Church (what ministry did they do, did they write or teach anything important, what miracle did they preform, what virtues did they live out)
4)One story about the saint life that you can share with the class
5)One fun fact about your saint that you found interesting
6)At least three images, symbols, or drawings related to your saint
3)Share your poster. You will have about 2-3 min to present the information during class time. You may bring notes to reference or just refer to your poster if you wish.
We will be hanging these up in the room throughout the year, so be neat and creative!
* (Adapted from: McCullough Ph.D., L.E. “Foreword.” A Catholic Child’s Illustrated Lives of the Saints. Melville: The Regina Press, 2002).