The Saints

 

I absolutely LOVE the saints. On a personal level, they’ve served as powerful witnesses and motivators throughout my own journey of faith. But as a teacher, I’ve seen them transform the lives of my students.

Some of the best athletes modeled their games off of the all-time greats. In that vein, I believe teachers can serve as “Holiness Coaches” simply by introducing students to the the lives of the saints. These men and women of holiness will in turn inspire them, challenge them, and finally, remind them that (with God’s help) we too, can be saints!

Featured on this page:

Getting to Know the Saints: St. Thomas Aquinas

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“This is an excellent resource! My students enjoyed listening to and reacting to the twelve anecdotes about St. Thomas that were presented in this lesson. The accompanying note sheet really helped reinforce the anecdotes and their lessons. The plan was easy to follow and provided additional insights not only on the saint himself but also ways to help the students connect to Thomas and the way he lived his life.”

– Peter P.

St. Thomas Aquinas is one of the most popular saints of the Catholic Church. A Doctor of the Church who was as smart as he was holy, Thomas’ life and thought continues to impact the Church and the world today.

But just who was this “Dumb Ox”? And what can his life teach us today?

In this lesson your students will get to know St. Thomas Aquinas in an incredibly unique way – not through a boring biographical timeline, but by way of story. 12 stories, in fact!

Utilizing a short portion of a talk given by the renowned Catholic philosopher Peter Kreeft, these 12 stories about Aquinas will stick with your students and provide springboards for some awesome class discussion. 

St. Thomas Aquinas… PRAY FOR US!

Getting to Know the Saints: St. Thérèse of Lisieux

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“My students really enjoyed learning about St. Thérèse of Lisieux. The students were pretty competitive in guessing the fill-in-the-blanks as we progressed through the slides. Thank you for a wonderful resource on St. Thérèse of Lisieux!”

– Theresa O.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux is one of the most popular saints of the Catholic Church. Nicknamed “The Little Flower”, you could say that Thérèse never did anything really earth-shattering or even remarkable (at least not compared to some other big-name saints), yet she is now known and loved all over the world. 

Just who was The Little Flower? And what can her life teach us today?

In this lesson your students will get to know St. Thérèse of Lisieux and have time to ponder how they can live out “The Little Way” in their own lives. 

In my own experience, Thérèse has been a game changer for my students. Her “littleness” (normal-ness) resonates with them. After all, Thérèse dealt with wild emotions, doubts, and even bullying (from nuns in her own convent!). And yet she found a path of holiness in “The Little Way” which every person (little kids on up!) can easily apply to their own lives. I hope and pray that your students experience the power of The Little Flower as well!

St. Thérèse of Lisieux… PRAY FOR US!

Steps to Sainthood: How a Person is Declared a Saint

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“I looked for something to teach the saints that would really make it clear it is not an easy process, but there are steps. This activity was engaging and fun for the students and really got the point across. One student told her mom on the way home, ‘I learned more today than I have in all my years in school.'”

– Dorothy F.

Enjoy this fun and visually attractive way to explain the process of how a person is declared a saint the Catholic Church. A full presentation with smooth transitions and builds so all you have to do is click and speak. Complete with guided notes for your students and capped off with a very fun and informative video from Busted Halo (already embedded in the presentation).

Saint Video Project

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“Game Changer! Thank you for sharing this wonderful project!”

– Kathy H.

This Saint Video Project comes fully loaded with incredibly detailed instructions, examples, and guides. Originally used as a way to have my students research and share their Confirmation saint, this project can also easily be used in the context of any Religion class. 

There are 10 steps to the completion of this project:

  1. Researching the lives of 10 different saints in search for a “top 3” that impress and inspire the most.
  2. Narrowing the saint search from 3 finalists to 1.
  3. Completing Saint Video Research assignment.
  4. Completing Saint Video Project Script.
  5. Double and triple checking pronunciations of people, places, etc. in video script.
  6. Gathering/downloading/creating high quality images, video clips, props, etc. that will be needed for the video.
  7. Creating the first draft of the video.
  8. Completing 2 peer video reviews.
  9. Making final changes to video project based on feedback from 2 peer reviews.
  10. Uploading final video project, then viewing all videos and taking notes on them during class.

Plan to Be a Saint

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I bought this resource to use at the beginning of January when my 7th & 8th graders return from Christmas break and it is a game changer. It helps them develop the lifelong skill of a mission statement. It is better than New Years’ Resolutions in that they determine a mission statement after looking through some provided examples and then brainstorm ways to live out their mission statement. They set goals and identify heroes (either personal or saints) that they can emulate. It provides great opportunity for self-reflection. Love this resource!!

– Shelly C.

Do you want your students to take their faith more seriously? Want them to live more intentionally and with a focus on things that really matter in life? Then check out this assignment.

Inspired by a holy friend and mentor, Plan to Be a Saint is designed to help your students prayerfully discern the kind of saint God is calling them to be and then create a vision for how they can work towards a life of true holiness and purpose. Not only is this an assignment that students really enjoy, but it has the possibility of being incredibly life-changing for them as well.

This assignment asks students to:

  • Come up with a personal mission statement that defines who you are and how you will live.
  • Create a list of positive “I” statements which describe you as if you were already the best version of yourself.
  • Set short and long-term S.M.A.R.T. goals that can help motivate you and lead you in the direction of being who God is calling you to be.
  • Think of 3 heroes (on earth or in Heaven) that possess qualities or characteristics that you would like to imitate in your own life.

Stories and examples (along with 9 pages of extremely detailed, step-by-step notes on exactly what to do and say throughout this multiple-day lesson) will help you teach and explain the grand scope of this assignment. Plan to Be a Saint can be used in connection with New Year Resolutions, the season of Lent, the close of a school year, lessons on Jesus/saints/discipleship, or any time you want your students to pull back a bit to reflect on their lives and do something that will draw them closer to God and the saints He wants them to be.