Our Lady of Guadalupe {Free Block Print!}

 Happy Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe! (and Gaudete Sunday!)

“Am I not here, I, who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Do you need

anything more? Let nothing else worry you, disturb you.”

—Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego, December 12, 1531

Our Lady of Guadalupe one of my favorite Marian apparitions, and one of my favorite images that I created in my block carving Names of Mary series last year.

Today on Instagram, Stephanie Weinert shared a beautiful reflection on her sweet son Beckett and OLG's connection to care for the unborn. In honor of Beckett and to encourage prayers for Our Lady's intercession, I'd like to share a free print of my OLG carving with you. I hope that you display it in your home and when you see it are reminded of the dignity and worth of each individual person made in the image and likeness of God.

Click here to download the pdf so you can print your own 5x7" image:

Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe:

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mystical Rose, make intercession for the holy Church, protect the sovereign Pontiff , help all those who invoke you in their necessities, and since you are the ever Virgin Mary and Mother of the true God, obtain for us from your most holy Son the grace of keeping our faith, of sweet hope in the midst of the bitterness of life of burning charity, and the precious gift of final perseverance. Amen.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pray for Us!

And if you are interested in more info on Our Lady of Guadalupe, the apparition has a whole chapter in my book Through the Year with Mary! Complete with a kid friendly explanation, full color artwork with discussion prompts, reflection questions, a prayer, and a connection to Jesus, the goal of the book is to help you have good conversations with your kids! 

Click here to find in from my publisher the St. Paul Center or here to find it on Amazon!

Through the Year with Mary Giveaways!

It's launch week for Through the Year with Mary! I'm so excited that my new book will be arriving in time for Christmas and so you can use it to walk through the new year with your kiddos! You can read more about the book, including what early reviews said about it, back in this post. You can order your own copy from my publisher or on Amazon (affiliate link).

I'd like to celebrate with you by offering a set of Marian themed giveaways. You can enter here on this blog post simply by leaving a comment with the item you'd be most excited to receive and your email address. You can also gain more entries over on Instagram!

Giveaway #1 

This giveaway features items all made by me! :)
-A signed copy of Through the Year with Mary
-An original Miraculous Medal inspired embroidery hoop 
-Set of seven original 5x7" block prints featuring titles of Mary
-New Eve block printed canvas zipper pouch
(Winner chosen and contacted 12/8/21, US addresses only)

 

Giveaway # 2

This giveaway features a collection of lovely Marian goods for both adults and kids to help you celebrate Mary all year long. Some of these items were sent to me by their creators and some I've purchased, but regardless I'd love for you to go visit their websites or shops and follow them on social media.

-A signed copy of Through the Year with Mary

-Five prints of different Marian titles from Jordan Avery Art

-Set of Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary Blocks from Almond Rod Toys 

-Hand painted Immaculate Heart of Mary Wood Slice and Mary's Garden Statue from In The Loft of Sue Dow 

-Two sets of Marian temporary tattoos from Just Love Prints 

-Holy Family Print from Providential Co  

-Marian stickers from Studio Senn 

-Hail Mary Print from Sweet Little Ones 

-Marian Titles vinyl sticker from The Simple Saints 

(Winner chosen and contacted 12/10/21, US addresses only)

Giveaway #3

-Winner can choose from a signed hardcover copy or an ebook version of Through the Year with Mary

-A set of 31 Marian coloring pages from Catholic Paper Goods. This digital download is perfect for using as a companion to the Marian Feast Day stories in TTYWM. I provide the stories, prayers, and art, and Shari gives you a coloring page for kids complete while or after listening! Along with the picture, they include the title and Feast Day date right on the coloring page.

(Winner chosen and contacted 12/12/21, Open to international winners if ebook chosen)

Bonus Activity Book

And while the preorder window is closing, I'm leaving this awesome activity book open for you to download for free. Just click on this image and fill out the form to get your download.

Thank you for your support of my writing projects! I hope and pray that both Through the Year with Mary and Through the Year with Jesus are a blessing to your homes and classrooms for many years to come.

Remember, you can enter here on this blog post simply by leaving a comment with the item you'd be most excited to receive and your email address. You can also gain more entries over on Instagram!

Advent Activities for Home and Classroom

Happy Solemnity of Christ the King! If you'd like some music to celebrate, here's a playlist for your prayer and enjoyment: Christ the King Music Playlist

And that means it's almost time for Advent! The wonder, the hope, the light- and the focus on a newborn King come to save us. Here is a collection of free ideas, activities, and printables to help your family and classroom enter into the Season. 

(Just a reminder- you are always welcome to share these resources with your classroom or parish-  I'm happy to be of help! When possible, I always appreciate a link back to the original blog post or a mention of looktohimandberadiant.com.)

First up, here is a "schedule" of suggested Advent activities for each week, perfect to add to a classroom newsletter or parish bulletin. The links all send the reader to free resources, like videos, printables, and music playlists. Or you are welcome to pull ideas from this and send them individually! 

Or here is an editable version that you can tailor to your students/program:

And now here are some links to individual activities or resources. Some of these are new, and some are old favorites- so sometimes they will just open straight to the resource, and others will send you to the original blog post with all the details. You can also look under the Liturgical Year Tab above for a list of past posts.

Weekly Advent Reflection Slides for Google Classroom (include videos, art, Scripture, Lectio Divina, and prayer)

Sacred Art for Advent and Christmas- This set of Google Slides contains 20 pieces of sacred art for the Season, as well as steps for Visio Divina for older and younger kids. Perfect to pull up on a big tv, smart board, or projector!

Printable Advent Wreath Candles in English:

And in Spanish: (and I forgot, they are in Dutch too!

Booklets for families on praying with the Advent Wreath, celebrating Saint Feast Days in December, and an overview of the new Liturgical Year:

Advent Family Traditions: There are about ten different cards like this highlighting various traditions celebrated during Advent.

Advent Song Playlist:

Advent YouTube Video Playlist- wide range of videos for little ones up to high schoolers.

Advent Jeopardy  and a second Advent Jeopardy game here ( There are a few different games for Advent and December Saints are available if you search "Jeopardy" over in the search bar, but some of them need some reformatting, fyi. They don't always transfer well to Google Slides! Best option is to download and use in PowerPoint.)

What Advent Looks Like Coloring Page

What Christmas Looks Like Coloring Page (or use the whole Liturgical Year Coloring Book)

O Antiphons Bible Study and Creative Project (Google Slides for Google Classroom)

O Antiphon Coloring Book (and mini version for Ornaments or decorating)

Seeking Our Savior Detective Journey in English:

And Spanish:

And there are tons more, especially projects for Christmas and Epiphany in this list of links!

May this Season draw all of us closer and closer to the Light of the World!

Favorite Books for Catholic Kids- Growing List!

Hi! This list had undergone a major update! Please click here or on the image above to be redirected to the most recent list, with hundreds and hundreds of great books for Catholic kids!

All About Relics, Q&A on Saints, and Tons of Activities for Halloween, All Saints, and All Souls

Through the upcoming celebration of All Hallows Eve, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day, we remember the close connection of the entire Mystical Body of Christ. On All Saints Day, we celebrate all the holy men and women who have gone before us, now gathered before the throne of God praying for us. All Souls Day then invites us to pray for those who have died, completing the connection between the Church Militant, Church Triumphant, and Church Suffering. These special days are so valuable to share with kids, and I have some activities to help!

All About Relics Activity Book

First up, a couple of new resources that I created in cooperation with the St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Shrine in New York. These two activity books are only available on their website, but are totally free for you to download and use! Both designed at a middle school level, they aim to help kids understand the important connection we have with the Saints.

Kids are typically fascinated by relics. Why do we have them? Is this just a weird Catholic tradition? Can they be found in the Bible? Discover all that and more in this All About Relics Activity Book: (Once at the cabrinishrinenyc.org site, click on the "download pdf" button in the gray bar at the bottom of the viewer.)

Q & A: Saints Activity Book

Why do we ask the Saints to pray for us? How can they hear us if they are dead? What's the difference between worship and veneration? All this and more is included in the Saint Activity Book. You can see a couple of sample pages below:

All Saints Day Pennants 

I originally made these Saint pennants for my students celebrating their Confirmation Saints, but then saved and tweaked the files, and printed them 1/4 the size to make the little mini Saint pennant banner pictured above. The collection has 50 pennants and there is more info below about how to make your own if a favorite Saint isn't included.

Click here for the full size pennants (2 per page), 

Click here for the medium size (4 per page),

And click here for the minis (8 per page):

If you would like a banner for a Saint you don't see, or would like to change colors, etc., I've also got this editable version:

And also black and white coloring pages:

If you are looking for some other resources for this weekend or going into the month of November, here are a few suggestions:

Catholic Connections to All Hallows Eve:

Saintly Friends Bingo:

Saint Scavenger Hunt
This Saint scavenger hunt is fun for all, but great research for kids preparing to choose their Confirmation Saint. It has lots of tasks for discovering Saints they have things in common with (name, birthday, interests) as well as getting to know "random" Saints. There are tons of links to sources to help with the search for different topics. My students really like this one! I have a similar version on paper here.

All Saints Day Art Project

One of my all time favorite art projects over the years! And it is super easy to adapt for various ages.

Make your own Litany of the Saints cards:

And Prayer for the Faithful Departed cards for All Souls Day:

And more! Just check under the Saints Tab above for tons of other ideas and printables. Happy All Saints Day!