Five Feasts!

Archangels, St. Jerome, St. Therese, and the Guardian Angels

This week, the Church commemorates five feast days that invite families to honor and reflect on the lives of the saints:

• September 29 – Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels

• September 30 – Saint Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church

• October 1 – Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

• October 2 – Holy Guardian Angels

• October 4 – Saint Francis of Assisi

The transition from late September into early October has always filled me with anticipation. As a child, these feast days captivated me; as an adult, they hold an even deeper resonance. Childhood admiration for the saints can resemble the fascination we once reserved for comic-book superheroes. Yet, as we mature, we recognize that superheroes are fictional, while the saints—authentic men and women of faith—share our humanity and illuminate a path we too can follow.

Living Acts of Piety begin within the family home, often through simple evening prayers. One of my first prayers was the bedtime rhyme:

“Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
Guard me through this starry night
And waken me at morning light.”

Soon afterward, I learned the prayer to one’s Guardian Angel:

“Angel of God, my guardian dear,
To whom God’s love commits me here,
Ever this night be at my side,
To light and guard, to rule and guide.”

This week offers a fitting occasion to speak with children about their guardian angels and to nurture their awareness of these spiritual companions. A common practice is to give one’s guardian angel a name—a simple gesture that personalizes the relationship and reminds us that God has entrusted each of us to a guide.

Sunday’s second reading underscores this call to active faith. Saint Paul exhorts Timothy:

“But you, man of God, pursue righteousness,
devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.
Compete well for the faith” (1 Timothy 6:11).

St. Paul’s words challenge us to desire these virtues earnestly, for our children inevitably perceive our deepest priorities through what we seek.

Spend these days and evenings with your children, teaching them about our faith and praying with them. Our Catholic faith is not handed down or given by parents to children; rather, it is developed through practicing it, modeling it, and striving to grow in a relationship with Christ. May our children see in us a love and hope that transcends this world and points unwaveringly to the life everlasting.