Monthly Resources

Why This Resource?

This resource is created for catechists, teachers, and families to help celebrate the Jubilee throughout 2025. It provides fun and meaningful ideas for how children can live out the Holy Year’s theme, “Pilgrims of Hope,” by:

• Learning: Understanding what the Holy Year means.

• Acting: Finding ways to be kind and helpful to others.

• Sharing: Coming up with creative ways to bring hope to those who need it.

By using this resource, we can all work together to make this Holy Year a time of special joy and faith for everyone!

January-PEACE

• Pray together the Peace Prayer
• Beatitudes: Focus on “Blessed are the Peacemakers” Matthew 5:9. Explain what Jesus meant by being a peacemaker and how children can live this out daily.
• Peace collage: Have children create a collage with images and words that represent peace to them. 

• Implement a “Random Acts of Kindness Week” to promote everyday acts of kindness that contribute to a peaceful community
• Create a community peace garden

• St. Teresa of Calcutta - “Peace begins with a smile.”

• Include prayers for the sick and homebound during family or class prayer time.
• Discuss the Corporal Works of Mercy, especially “visiting the sick and comforting the sorrowful, explaining how they can live this out in their daily lives.
• Children’s artwork: have children draw pictures or create cards that can be sent to homebound parishioners or nursing homes, adding a note of encouragement.

• Prepare and deliver care packages: can include crucifix or religious items, notes.
• Organize a group visit to a local nursing home-spending time or providing music for the residents.

• St. Peregrine - “We are all called to serve others, and in doing so, we can bring hope and healing to those in need.”

• Introduce the Divine Mercy Chaplet as a family or in the classroom, teaching that God’s mercy is always available to us.
• Practice an Examination of Conscience-Use age-appropriate guides based on the 10 Commandments or Beatitudes to help children understand what it means to sin and prepare well to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
• Forgiveness coupons: Have children make forgiveness coupons they can give to family members and friends when they forgive someone

• Attend a parish-wide reconciliation services during Advent and Lent as a family

• St. John Paul II - “Confession is an act of honesty and courage – an act of entrusting ourselves, beyond sin, to the mercy of a loving and forgiving God.”

• Celebrate a Holy Hour with children and families.
• Create a saints and heroes poster-have children research and create posters about saints or modern day heroes who embody Christian virtues.
• Plan a “Living Stations” with youth.

• Attend a parish-wide reconciliation services during Advent and Lent as a family
• Offer a “spiritual adoption” program that includes a prayer card with a name of a priest to be prayed for daily

• Blessed Carlo Acutis - “To always be close to Jesus, that’s my life plan.”

• Invite seminarians or religious to speak to schools/RE.
• Have children create “thank you” cards for priests.
• Host a “vocation fair” where children can learn from people who are living out various vocations.

• Offer a “spiritual adoption” program that includes a prayer card with a name of a priest to be prayed for daily

• St. Padre Pio- “It is difficult to become a saint.  Difficult, but not impossible!” 

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• Organize special prayer services or Masses focused on migrants and refugees.
•  Host a poster and art contest where students create works reflecting on the themes of migration, welcome and solidarity.
• Catholic Social Teaching: Facilitate discussions on the moral teachings of the Church regarding migration

•  Organize service projects such as assembling care packages or hosting clothing drives for refugee families

•  St. Frances Xavier Cabrini- “The measure of a person’s greatness is not in their possessions or their power, but in their compassion and their willingness to serve others.”

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• Introduce children to Catholic Social Teaching in regard to the dignity of all human life.
• Create greeting cards to be sent to local assisted living and nursing homes.
• Host an intergenerational event that brings children and elderly together such as dances, games nights, tea parties or a shared meal.
  

• Arrange for children to visit local senior centers or nursing homes.

•  St. Jeanne Jugan- "With the eye of faith, we must see Jesus in our old people—for they are God’s mouthpiece.”

• Include prayers for prisoners and their families in prayer services and Masses.
• Share Bible passages that emphasize mercy and justice such as Matthew 25:36 (“I was in prison and you came to visit me.”)
• Invite an individual who serves in prison ministry to speak to children.
  

• Partner with local prison ministry to create care packages.

•  St. Maximilian Kolbe- “The Cross is the school of love.”

• Have children learn about and discuss various Catholic traditions that are celebrated in families such as Christmas and Easter traditions.
• Organize intergenerational events for families to come together for activities, prayer and fellowship.
• Teach the importance of family prayer. Ask children to pray with their families such as grace before meals, evening prayers or the Rosary.
  

• Engage in family oriented service projects including volunteering together or participating in parish activities that support families in need.

• Need St. Info

• Facilitate a discussion on being made in God’s image.  Teach children to respect every person regardless of age, abilities or circumstances.
• Pray a prayer of life with your children/students.
• Create posters or collages that highlight the beauty and values of human life
  

• Engage in service projects that support life such as creating care packages for pregnant women in need, hosting baby bottle drives or donating to pro-life charities.

• St. Gianna Molla- “Look at the mothers who truly love their children: how many sacrifices they make for them. They are ready for everything, even to give their own blood so that their babies grow up good, healthy and strong.”

• Encourage children to pray for deceased family members and friends. Make it a family habit to include these prayers during family prayers.
• Celebrate All Saints Day and All Souls Day explaining the significance of these important days
• Create memory books or boards  where children can write down deceased loved ones and add drawings or notes about them. Encourage children to pray for them daily.
  

• Organize a prayer vigil or tree planting ceremony in honor of a deceased loved one.
• Volunteer in a charitable cause in honor of a deceased loved one.

• St. Elizabeth Ann Seton- “The accidents of life separate us from our dearest friends, but let us not despair. God is like a looking glass in which souls see each other. The more we are united to him by love, the nearer we are to those who belong to him.”

• Share Bible passages that emphasize caring for the poor such as Matthew 25:35-40 (“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty you gave me something to drink…”
• Make cards for care packages. Children can decorate cards with encouraging messages and assemble care packages.
• Have students act out in a skit the parable of the Good Samaritan to illustrate the importance of compassion and helping those in need.
  

•   Encourage children to plan and participate in a charity drive/Giving Tree/Jesse Tree

• St. Vincent de Paul- “Go to the poor, you will find God.”