St. George - Red

St. Andrew - Blue

St. David - Yellow

St. Patrick - Green

 Nursery - St. Nicholas

St Nicholas had rich parents and was an only child. He was very religious from being a young child. His parents passed away when he was very young so he was brought up by his uncle, who was a bishop. Throughout his life, he’s believed to have performed many miracles. For example, on a pilgrimage to Egypt, he foresaw a terrible storm aboard the ship. It was because of his prayers that the storm subsided. Also, his prayers saved the life of a sailor who’d fallen from the mast. Another miracle involved St Nicholas at a time of great famine. He is said to have made sure that a delivery of wheat originally meant for the Emperor became enough to feed an entire town of hungry people.

Saint Nicholas was also famous for giving a poor man three purses of gold coins, which meant his three daughters were able to marry.

St. Nicholas is known as the protector of children. The story goes, he rescued three children who’d been captured by an evil butcher and brought them back safe and sound to their parents. This story also feeds into many of the Christmas customs around Santa Claus.

When he died in Myra, he was buried in the cathedral. A relic called manna grew in his grave. Manna was said to have special healing powers.

Feast date – 6th December

Reception - St. Francis

As a young man, Francis liked to have a good time. His father was rich. But once, when he was sick, Francis heard our Lord calling him to leave the world and follow Him. Francis began to visit the hospitals and to serve the sick. He used to say, "When one serves the poor, he serves Christ Himself."

Francis put on the clothes of a poor shepherd and began to preach to the people about peace with God, peace with one's neighbour, and peace with one's self. He looked on all people and things as his brothers and sisters because they were all created by the same God.

Francis took twelve young men to Rome with him, and the Pope gave him permission to start a new religious order, the Franciscans. He also helped St. Clare to start the order known as the Poor Clares.

Francis had a vision in which he saw Jesus hanging on the Cross. The marks of the five wounds of Jesus were left in his hands, his side, and his feet, which remained with him all his life.

When Francis became very ill, he prayed, "O Lord, I thank You for the pains which I suffer." He died October 4 1226

St Francis of Assisi's feast date is October 4th

Year 1 - St. Valentine

St. Valentine was a kind-hearted priest who lived in ancient Rome. Legend has it that he secretly married couples when it was forbidden to do so. He believed in the power of love and wanted to help others find happiness.

Long ago, during the rule of Emperor Claudius II, love was considered a crime for soldiers. The Emperor believed that unmarried soldiers fought better in battles. But St. Valentine disagreed. He thought love made people stronger and happier. So, he continued to marry couples in secret.

Unfortunately, Emperor Claudius found out about St. Valentine’s actions and put him in prison. Even in prison, St. Valentine showed kindness and healed the jailer’s daughter, who was blind. Before his execution, he sent her a note signed, “From your Valentine,” which started the tradition of exchanging heartfelt messages on Valentine’s Day.

Feast day – 14th February 

Year 2 - St. John Paul

Pope Saint John Paul II was born Karol Wojtyla in the small Polish town of Wadowice. During World War II, when the Nazis invaded Poland, Karol secretly studied for the priesthood in an underground seminary established by the archbishop of Krakow. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1946. In 1964, Father Karol was appointed archbishop of Krakow; just three years later he was made a cardinal. In 1978, Cardinal Wojtyla was elected Pope, the 264th in the Church’s history. He took the name John Paul II. He began his papacy on Oct. 22 by telling the world, “Be not afraid”; his life showed everyone that to change the world, we must “cast into the deep for a great catch.”

From the start of his papacy, Pope John Paul II made evangelization a key part of his mission, and made pastoral visits to all parts of the world.

Pope John Paul II died April 2, 2005, and he was declared blessed on May 1, 2011. He was declared a saint on April 27, 2014 along with Pope John XXIII. His feast day is October 22.

Year 3 - St. Cecilia

St. Cecilia was born during the second century to a very rich family. When she was young, she married a man named Valerian. Husbands and wives get to share a very special gift when they are married. However, St. Cecilia wanted to save this gift for Jesus alone. On the night of Cecilia’s wedding she told Valerian she was saving the special gift for Jesus and that her guardian angel was protecting it. Her husband wanted proof by seeing her angel.

“After you convert and are baptised a Christian you will be able to see my angel,” Cecilia told him.

Do you think he converted? He DID and was then able to see her guardian angel!

While her husband was watching, her angel crowned Cecilia with roses and lilies. After Valerian became a Christian, his brother did too. The three of them worked for God the rest of their lives.

Cecilia preached to anyone willing to listen about Jesus and converted many to Christianity. Valerian and his brother spent their days burying the recently martyred men and women. (If the government found out you were Christian, you were killed or “martyred.”) Eventually, Valerian and his brother were discovered to be Christians and killed for it. Later, St. Cecilia also was caught and killed.

St. Cecilia is considered the patron saint of music. It is thought that she sang in her heart during her wedding, asking Jesus to be able to keep her special gift for him.

Feast day: Nov. 22

Year 4 - St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Theresa, who was often called the Little Flower, was born in Normandy in France. She had four older sisters and her parents were Louis and Zelie Martin. Theresa was a very lively, lovable little girl and her father called her his 'little queen'.

Yet she could also be too sensitive and irritable. In the story she wrote of her life, she tells how the Infant Jesus helped her overcome this weakness.

Theresa wanted very much to enter the Carmelite convent where two of her sisters were already nuns. But since she was only fifteen, they did not let her.

Theresa felt sure that Jesus wanted her to spend her life loving him alone. She kept praying and asking the superior to let her join the convent. She even dared to ask Pope Leo XIII himself to grant her heart's desire and finally she was allowed to enter.

Although she was only fifteen, 'Obedience, prayer and sacrifice' were her duty. She had a thirst to suffer for love of God.

Theresa had the spiritual courage of a real heroine. "May Jesus make me a martyr of the heart or of the body-or better, both!" she wrote. And she meant it.

In winter she suffered from the bitter cold and dampness of her plain bedroom. There were other kinds of sufferings, too. Whenever she was made fun of or insulted, she would offer her pain to her beloved Jesus. She would hide her hurts under a smile. She told Jesus to do with her whatever was his will.

Sister Theresa tried hard to be humble. She called her great belief in God her 'little way' to holiness. She always had a burning desire to become a saint.

The Little Flower died on September 30, 1897.

"O Jesus, my love, my vocation, at last I have found it. My vocation is love!

St Theresa of Lisieux's feast date is October 1st

Year 5 - St. Maximilian Kolbe

Maximilian Kolbe was born Raymund Kolbe on 8th January 1894 in Poland. His life was strongly influenced by a vision he had of the Virgin Mary when he was 12 years old.

As a priest, Kolbe worked for the conversion of sinners and enemies of the church. He travelled around Poland, promoting Mary and set up a religious printing press. Later, he founded monasteries in Japan and India.

Kolbe returned to Poland in 1936 due to his poor health. When World War Two broke out, he was one of the only Franciscans to stay in the monastery and he opened up a hospital for those who had been injured. He also provided shelter for refugees. Kolbe refused t sign paperwork that he would be recognised as a German citizen and when the monastery was shut down he was arrested.

After 2 months in the concentration camp at Auschwitz, some me were chosen to be starved to death. Kolbe was not one of them, but he took the place of a man with a family. After 2 weeks, he was the last person still alive and he was given a lethal injection. It is said that he calmly raised his arm and awaited death.

Feast day – August 14th

Year 6 - St. Oscar Romero

Ciudad Barrios, San Salvador is the birthplace of Oscar Arnulfo Romero, born on the 15th August 1917, in a Catholic family of ten children. When Oscar was 14 years old, he knew that he wanted to be a priest. When he was ordained priest, he returned to San Salvador, where he was assigned to be a parish priest and later appointed rector of a Seminary. He engaged with other organisations to provide food and shelter for the poor, visiting prisons and organising structured catechism classes. He was a good speaker and people flocked to hear his homilies where he emphasized the struggle of the poor for their human rights. Romero was made Bishop in 1970 and Archbishop of San Salvador in 1977.
While San Salvador continued to experience violent conflicts, Archbishop Romero continued to beseech the Army to cease the terror and respect the human rights of those who did not have the voice or strength to resist.

People followed his Sunday homilies that were broadcast nationwide. His life was threatened, his radio station bombed ( and rebuilt!), but he never gave up. His last sermon was on the 23rd March 1980, when in strong terms he pleaded with the army to ‘stop the repression,’ to stop killing people. The following day Archbishop Romero was shot and killed at the altar as he was saying Mass in the chapel  of the Hospital of Divine Providence.

 Feast day – 24th March

Year 5 prayer table

Year 2 prayer table

Year 1 prayer table

Nursery prayer table