This lesson is the companion lesson to the Link to Liturgy Lesson – Patron Saints.
ACTIVTIY – You Make Me Better
Make a List of your favorite Saints and a short line or poem to describe them. How do these people, Blessed, Saints, make us better.
Here is an example from the poem “You Make me Better”
Ambushed encircled on the Kansas planes
Blood stained feet on the street, yelling out, “Viva Christo Rey”
Sign the oath of supremacy of heads will roll.
Christ is your only spouse, they took your eyes, but not your soul.
You gave your flesh, threw it in the emperors face.
Stood out in the crowd, said out loud, “I’ll take that man’s place.”
Scared on the ground, Fear all around, you said, “I believe.”
Arrows pierced your flesh, and yet you still refused to leave.
Carried a fellow solider, deep into the enemies gate.
You honored your brothers following their heroic fate.
Returned to your people, thumbs beat to a pulp.
Trapped in a lie, with your life on the line, you held onto hope.
This short poem gives honor to twelve great patrons:
Here is a very brief biography of each patron and the year they lived:
Father Juan Padilla the first martyr of North America (1542) who was in expedition with Coronado and when the group decided to return to Mexico because of the dangerous natives Fr. Padilla pressed onward in order to bring Christ to all.
Blessed Jose Luis Sanchez a teenage martyr of Mexico (1928) who under the persecutions of the anti-Catholic government refused to deny Christ and His Church. He eventually was punished by having the skin cut off the bottom of his feet and then forced to walk to the cemetery and dig his own grave.
Blessed William Chaminade of France (1850) who during the French Revolution refused as a Catholic Priest to sign the oath of supremacy, which would have, mean denying his obedience to the Holy Pontiff in Rome.
Saint Lucy, virgin of the early Church (304) who refused to marry a wealthy Roman because she had promised herself to Christ. When he could not have her, he punished her by plucking out her beautiful eyes. Her eyes miraculously were restored.
Saint Peter Yu a teenage martyr of Korea (1839) who when whipped by the emperor threw his town flesh at the emperors face.
Saint Maximilian Kolbe the Franciscan Priest who died in Auschwitz concentration camp (1941) volunteered to take the place of a married man who was sentenced to the starvation chamber.
Cassie Bernall was the teenage in the Columbine shooting (1999) who refused to deny Christ when the gunman asked, “Are you Christian?”
Saint Sebastian, hero of the early Church (288) was shot full of arrows by order of the emperor Diocletian. Sebastian was Diocletian’s bodyguard by day but secretly helped Christian prisoners at night.
Servant of God Fr. Emil Kaupan, U.S. Military Chaplan and Priest from Kansas (1951) who died in a POW camp while serving in the Korean War.
The Seven Sons and Mother from Maccabees (2nd Century BC) all refused to deny their Jewish faith even thought they were tortured and killed in front of each other one by one, the mother watching all her sons died.
Saint Isaac Jogues, the North American martyr (1646) who returned to France after ministering to the Indians, who had beat his thumbs to a pulp. He refused to stay comfortable in France and even though he knew he would be further persecuted, He returned to the natives of North American in order to share with them the Gospel.
Suzanna (Book of Daniel) was caught in a trap and threatened her life. Instead of lying or sinning to save her life she kept the commands of God.