Pre V2, children were taught the value of having a patron saint -- the saint they were named after. They were instructed to study that saint and always remain close to the saint, that because they and the saint shared the same name, that saint would always be there to protect them, to hear their prayers and plead before God for them, etc. It was a MAJOR DEAL.
Then, for All Saints Day, the child was to dress up like the saint and be prepared to give a short explanation of the saint's life and how/why they achieved holiness.
It was no game or play or entertainment. It was a VITAL part of religion class. There was no choosing this or that saint. Who you were named after was YOUR special saint like it or not. If you had no saint, then you got to pick one to your liking. This did not discourage devotions toward other saints but rather it instilled in the child the importance of having a patron saint and that they, too, could become a saint just like their patron saint did if they did God's Will all their life like their patron saint did.
The saints were MUCH MORE appreciated then than they are now. The children were taught that their goal was to become a saint because a saint is someone who glorifies God the most in this life and that is what we are born for.
"The saints were MUCH MORE appreciated then than they are now."
I suspect you'll find at Our Lady of the Angels Academy that's still going on.
Children are like sponges: they soak up everything that's around them....
But that's a great point, nipr. Catholic children can learn a lot about the personal
relationship they will always have with their patron saint. And it is really a sad
thing for them to not know anything at all about him (or her).
Most children have more than one, because you have the saint whose feast day
is your birthday, and the saint of your day of Baptism. Then you have your first
name, and your middle name. One of the two should be a saint's name, but they
could be both Christian names, so that would give you 4, perhaps. Demanding
that every child always has the same saint seems a bit oppressive. Are they
then prohibited from learning about other saints too? What if Fr. only knew about
one saint: how would he be able to guess the names of all the others? Eh?
Some of the children at OLAA usually dress up as their own saint, but the way
they've been doing this under Fr. Ward has been, it's supposed to be a guessing
game where everyone is surprised. So if a child comes in every year with the
same costume, nobody would have to guess. There is also the little monologue
or act that the child recites by memory, and perhaps includes some movements,
and that is hopefully the principal clue for the saint's ID, rather than just the
costume. I saw one girl dragging a chain, with an anchor, and holding two
arrows, a palm branch, a lily, and a spear. She didn't have to say much!
There was one little boy who was dressed just like a priest, in the same style as
Fr. Ward's clericals. And the boy, about 5 years old, after he did his own
presentation, came to stand next to Fr. in the middle aisle guessing saints' names,
but he also started to imitate Fr's gestures. The observers thought it was pretty
amusing, but Fr. seemed to be distracted from watching the children on the stage.
Fr. had to endure a lot with these shows, but I encouraged him to persevere
because there is just about no single thing that will endure as a lifelong lesson for
these children as will their involvement with this project. He seemed to appreciate
the encouragement.
I asked him if it was difficult to guess the saints, and he told me that it's usually
not so hard, because the children do a very good job, but when they are a saint
who is not found on the Calendar, it can be rather challenging. The whole point
wasn't to stump Father, but to help him call out the name correctly, for they chose
three "winners," and they were usually among the saints that Fr. had called
correctly.
The saints were MUCH MORE appreciated then than they are now. The children were taught that their goal was to become a saint because a saint is someone who glorifies God the most in this life and that is what we are born for.
There is a haunting truth in this -- mostly regarding public schools, but also in
most religious schools these days. (But I think OLAA is an exception.) Any child
who talks to his friends at school about 'his saint' would be ridiculed, to be sure.
And it begins with the teachers. Teachers are prohibited from mentioning religion
as a teaching, but that's just an excuse, because they mention all manner of
FALSE religion as a teaching, without consequence. It's only their mention of
doctrines of the TRUE religion that gets them punished.
(Vaguely reminds me of Fellayism!!)
This is part of the consequences of Modernism. It's an 'a-theistic' principle in
action. It is manifest in many different concepts and ideals, from personal outlook
to historical revisionism, from political affiliation to family authority. It covers all
of human existence, and it demands that you keep your religion quarantined
inside the 'church' walls on Sunday - if you're Catholic, that is, or if your religion
smacks of Catholic doctrine - and don't you dare let your faith evoke words or
actions from you outside of that Sunday confinement!
Our political leaders are perfect examples of this. Joe Biden comes to mind.
But like I said, it only applies to Catholic doctrine, because any false religion can
have its false doctrines paraded on Main Street and that's called 'multiculturalism.'
It's a new-virtue.
Billboards can promote condom use, abortion, voting for sodomites or same sex
'mariage,' Islam is a 'religion of peace,' ... on and on. But just try mentioning the
Social Kingship of Jesus Christ, and see how far you get. Oh, no, that 'offends the
Jєωs.'
That makes you an '
αnтι-ѕємιтє,'
and you KNOW there is nothing worse
than that! Try telling that to Saint Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles!
It's always interesting to see a child trying to imitate St. Paul. The problem is, he
usually is carrying a sword, and that gives it away too quickly. But you have to
pay close attention to what he
says.
Topic: All Saints Day costume and impersonation program for children (Read 2355 times)