St. Thérèse of Lisieux of the Child Jesus (Oct. 1); The Holy Guardian Angels (Oct. 2); St. Mother Theodore Guerin (Oct. 3); St. Francis of Assisi (Oct. 4); St. Maria Faustina Kowalska (Oct. 5); Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos (Oct. 5); St. Bruno (Oct. 6); Blessed Marie Rose Durocher (Oct 6); St. John Henry Newman (Oct. 9); St. Denis and Companions (Oct. 9); St. John Leonardi (Oct. 9); St. John XXIII, Pope (Oct. 11); St. Maria Soledad Torres Acosta (Oct. 11); Blessed Carlo Acutis (Oct. 12); St. Callistus I (Oct. 14); St. Teresa of Jesus (St. Teresa of Avila) (Oct. 15); St. Gerard Majella (Oct. 16); St. Hedwig (Oct. 16); St. Ignatius of Antioch (Oct. 17); St. Luke the Evangelist (Oct. 18); Ss. Louis and Zelie Martin (Oct. 18); Sts. Jean de Brebeuf, Isaac Jogues, and Companions (Oct. 19); St. Paul of the Cross (Oct. 20); St. Maria Bertilla Boscardin (Oct. 20); St. John Paul II, Pope (Oct. 22); St. John of Capistrano (Oct. 23); St. Anthony Mary Claret (Oct. 24); Ss. Simon and Jude, Apostles (Oct. 28); Blessed Chiara Badano (Oct. 29)
HIGHLIGHTED SAINTS:
October 1 - St. Thérèse of Lisieux
The message of St. Thérèse is to do "little things" for God and others. She always focused on being fully present in each moment and making everything into a gift of love. She carried a string of ten beads in her pocket as a means of counting the good deeds that she would perform as a daily devotion to God. Everything she did was to achieve holiness and become a saint. Her “little way” of trusting Jesus to make her holy reminds us that it is the little things we do that keep God’s kingdom growing. Pray this novena. The parents of St. Thérèse, Louis and Zelie Martin, are also saints! Their feast day is October 18!
October 4 - St. Francis of Assisi
St. Francis is well known for his commitment to poverty, simplicity, and peace. He gave up all of his possessions and became one with the poor. Try to find little ways to live like St. Francis. Do something nice for animals: build a bird feeder, put out bird seed, walk your dog. Enjoy these coloring pages. For ways to celebrate the Feast of St. Francis, click here, or visit the St. Francis Pinterest board!
October 5 – St. Maria Faustina Kowalska
St. Faustina had a deep spiritual life. She received revelations where Jesus emphasized his mercy and forgiveness for sins acknowledged and confessed. Jesus instructed St. Faustina to have an image painted. The painting has two rays emanating from Christ’s heart representing the blood and water poured out after his death. Jesus also told her that the Sunday after Easter should be honored as Divine Mercy Sunday and instructed her on how to pray the chaplet of Divine Mercy. Sister Faustina is now linked to the annual feast of the Divine Mercy, the Divine Mercy chaplet or novena, and the Divine Mercy prayer. Enjoy this coloring page,
October 11 - Pope St. John XXIII
St. John XXIII made an amazing impact on the Catholic Church. As the pope, he was led by the Holy Spirit to consider the past, present, and future, and to take action. He believed the Church needed to speak with a stronger voice, to cooperate with science, and to help people to see the truth of God’s love. He opened the Church up to the world, in order to spread the good news of Jesus’ love in a way that made sense to people of the new century. John XXIII had a vision and hope. Honor the legacy of John XXIII by setting daily spiritual goals for your family.
October 12 – Blessed Carlo Acutis
Carlo Acutis was a Catholic Italian teenager, a gamer and computer programmer who loved soccer and the Eucharist. As a young child, he loved to pray the rosary, attend Mass, participate in Eucharistic Adoration, and weekly confession. He enjoyed learning about the saints, and visited the sites of Eucharistic miracles. Check out the official website and international exhibit cataloguing and promoting Eucharistic miracles. Blessed Carlo's research has provided inspiration about the Eucharist to Catholics from around the world! As a teenager, Blessed Carlo was diagnosed with leukemia. He died in 2006 at the age of 15, and was beatified on October 10, 2020. His feast day is October 12. His life and legacy continues to inspire young people everywhere.
October 15 - St. Teresa of Avila
St. Teresa of Avila, also known as St. Teresa of Jesus, is a Doctor of the Church. She was a woman “for God,” a contemplative, a woman of prayer, discipline, and compassion. Read her biography, enjoy this coloring page, and check out some fun facts, learn how to draw St. Teresa, and other activities!
October 18 – Feast of St. Luke, Apostle
One of the four Gospel writers, St. Luke was also believed to be a physician. The next time you need to visit the doctor, thank him or her for their service. Celebrate this feast by reading with your family from St. Luke's Gospel (or pick a few stories for younger children). Enjoy this coloring page. Here are 18 Ways to honor St. Luke in your family.
October 22 – St. John Paul II
St. John Paul II was born 100 years ago and was one of the great recent popes. Throughout his papacy, he remained close to the Blessed Mother, and desired to be closer to Mary and her Son. He had great devotion to the rosary, which prompted him to form the Luminous Mysteries. His motto was “Totus Tuus” (“Totally Yours.”) Ask your parents, or grandparents, what they remember about him. Marriage and family held a special place in the heart of St. John Paul II. Read JPII’s Advice For Families and learn about the Theology of the Family. Enjoy this coloring page, check out the Pinterest boards, and thank God for the gifts we have received through the intercession of this great saint!
October 28 - Ss. Simon and Jude, Apostles
Both Simon and Jude were ordinary men who were chosen by Jesus to teach others about God's love, and to "make disciples of all nations." Learn more about these Apostles and others who share saintly feast days here.
October is Respect Life Month
Every October, we consider more deeply why every human life is valuable, and we reflect on how to build a culture that protects life from conception to natural death. The USCCB offers digital and print resources to help your parish celebrate Respect Life Month, and resources to educate and engage parents and families in acts of kindness and charity based on Catholic Social Teaching. The Archdiocese of Dubuque also provides family resources for Respect Life Month.
Respect Life Sunday
Help your family to Build a Culture of Life with a monthly prayer guide and Respect Life Action Guides in English and Spanish.
October 2 – The Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels
Pray a Guardian Angel Prayer as a family. Enjoy baking an angel food cake, or complete an angel craft, and learn more about what the Church teaches about Guardian Angels.
October 7 - The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary
The rosary helps us to meditate on the great mysteries of our salvation as we honor Mary, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. Through the mysteries of the rosary, we focus on Jesus --- his birth, life, death, and resurrection. Mary invites us to join her in pondering these mysteries. Pray a single decade or the entire rosary with your family each evening this month, enjoy a rosary activity, or pray along with these videos for the Glorious, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. Or pray a Rosary for Parenting Littles! Check out the Archdiocesan Pinterest boards for more ideas!
World Mission Sunday
This year's World Mission Sunday theme is "Hearts on fire, feet on the move." (Luke 24:13-35) Pope Francis was inspired to choose this theme by the story of Jesus and the disciples on the road to Emmaus after the Resurrection of Jesus. Read the pope's message here. Learn about and pray with the Church's many missionary saints such as St. Katherine Drexel and St. Teresa of Calcutta, St. Kateri Tekakwitha and St. Théodore Guérin.
Keeping Halloween Holy
Halloween is a holiday rich in history and meaning (much of it religious), making it a great opportunity to combine fun and learning about values for our children. Read more about the Catholic origins of Halloween. Use the holiday as an opportunity to teach your kids about All Saints Day and All Souls Day. Consider picking a Catholic-inspired Halloween costume. (Check out these adaptive Halloween costumes for persons with disabilities!) Celebrate your Catholic faith by promoting Family Values on Halloween.
From the Archdiocese of Dubuque Pinterest Boards: www.pinterest.com/dbqarch
Check out these October Pinterest topics focused on the family - the Domestic Church!