Collection: Digital Downloads

Print these outlines to accommodate extra painters for the St. Luke icon painting activity in the October 2023 liturgical box.

Traditional Catholic prayers, Bible passages, songs, and devotions for the month of the Sacred Heart!

Luke 8:1-3 tells us that Mary Magdalene was healed by Jesus of seven evil spirits. As a reminder of that, we like to include 7UP on our feast day table. And, because my mom was raised in the South, I know that an excellent way to include more 7UP at a party is with a traditional Southern 7UP pound cake. This recipe is adapted from a 7UP company promotional recipe pamphlet, published in 1953.

I was pretty excited to learn that there was in fact a traditional pastry meant to be eaten on Good Friday, and considered so Catholic that their sale was forbidden by decree of Elizabeth I (not a fan of Catholics). When I first looked up the recipe, they seemed awfully sweet and tasty for such a somber day. However, my love of tradition won out and now, I actually think their deliciousness adds to the mortification of having them for a collation. We WANT to eat ten of them, but we only eat two (and they are small). If you prefer, you can omit the icing cross and instead cut a cross into the top of each bun before baking.

You can go out for Japanese food, but today’s also a great day to try making it yourself at home! Homemade sushi can feel intimidating, but this easy sheet pan recipe is foolproof. Plus, it’s a fun activity for kids! Don’t like imitation crab? Feel free to substitute with cooked fish, shrimp, or even beef (as long as it’s not a Friday)!

Another option for a warm spiced beverage on a cool day is mulled cider. Putting it together at home is simple and tastes so much better than pre-made! One spice bag will flavor up to 8 quarts of mulled cider in one batch. Just keep the ratio of one part orange to three parts apple juice.

Your calendar medallions for the month of March!

Any type of tea bag or a combination of teas can be used. Traditional Southern sun tea is usually made with a black tea blend, like Lipton. Herbal teas are also great, though. I’m partial to Raspberry Zinger, myself.

Enthrone the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts in your home for the month of June with this Diptych! Simply cut out, fold, and place in a spot of honor. The prayer on the back by Saint John Eudes is perfect to pray throughout the month too!

Use this digital download to help your family have a conversation about things you think should be changed around your home on the feast of St. Catherine of Siena, on April 29th!

Use this download for the entire month of August!

These fun platters can be made to any size, for a few or a crowd. My first exposure to them was when a friend brought a couple to a party we hosted, and they were a bit hit. They can be made with any red/orange/yellow fruits and veggies you prefer.

The legends about St. George and the dragon date back to the thirteenth century. The story goes that there was a pagan city called Silene, which had a lake that was inhabited by a terrible, venomous dragon. One day, when he happened to be passing by, St. George picked up a princess who had been chosen as an offering to the dragon so it wouldn’t destroy everything in sight. But, when the dragon dared to show its head, brave St. George made the sign of the cross and smote the dragon with his spear, Ascalon, and threw the dragon to the ground. So today, enjoy these metaphorically slayed dragon noodles, and remember the importance of calling on Christ in your most trying times. He will always come to your aid!

Pretzels are more fun when you have something to dip them in! While your pretzels bake, throw together this quick and tasty sauce featuring two main ingredients: beer and cheese. Historically cheese and other animal products were given up during Lent, but—perhaps surprisingly—beer was traditionally part of a Lenten diet. Some orders of monks fasted on beer only, with the express permission of the pope! This recipe combines the two into a tasty (and meat-free) Lenten snack!

St. Josephine is the patron saint of Sudan, one of the world’s top exporters of peanuts. So why not make Sudanese peanut macaroons? These delicious little bites taste more like meringue than a French macaroon, and capture the sweet and salty history of St. Josephine’s life as a child forced into the slave trade. The horrors she endured are all true. But it’s also true that she found peace and happiness for the last fifty years of her life, through God and forgiveness and service to others and her Catholic faith. St. Josephine, pray for us!

Apparently, in many European countries, the traditional dinner for the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, was a whole suckling pig. To remind us of motherhood? I guess? That sounds very dramatic, and I’m sure it would make quite an impression on my kids if I were to pull one of those babies (literally) out of the oven while everyone is hanging out watching football. Maybe one of these years I’ll give it a try. In the meantime I think a corn dog is a reasonable approximation!

Ossi di Morto, or “Bones of the Dead” are traditional Italian cookies, typically baked for Hallowtide.

A breastplate is a heavy piece of armor covering the chest to protect from injury. In this case, it is a symbol for divine protection. This prayer is traditionally sung on Saint Patrick’s Day and is a powerful hymn of hope for God’s help in adversity. Christ be with us!

Work your brain with this word search featuring words from St. Monica and St. Augustine's story!

Decorate for the month of the Sacred Heart with this banner which includes all of the Hearts of the Holy Family!

The month of November is dedicated to the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Use this page to write down the names of friends and family members who have passed away, and remember them in your prayers all month long!

This prayer was composed by Pope John Paul II and included in Ecclesia in Oceania, a post-synodal apostolic exhortation published in 2001!

Use this digital pattern to create beautiful embroidery to celebrate the feast of the Most Holy Trinity!

Saint Anne is one of MANY patron saints of lacemaking, which, I guess, seems complicated enough to warrant that. These cookies, on the other hand, are pretty straightforward. And quite tasty. Almond flour is available in the baking aisle of my local grocery store, but can also be created by pulsing sliced blanched almonds in a food processor until they make a crumbly flour. Lace cookies can be enjoyed as is, or, after cooling, brushed on the bottom with a coat of chocolate.

The husband was raised in Chicago, and our family spent a couple years living there. Portillo’s Hot Dogs is a popular local restaurant chain famous for hot dogs, beef sandwiches, and . . . cake shakes. This is—yes—a milkshake into which is blended a whole piece of chocolate cake! Portillo’s moist chocolate cake is made in-house with a box mix supplemented with mayonnaise. It sounds crazy, but it tastes amazing. And since mayo is just eggs + oil, it’s not really all that off. The association with Blessed Alvaro del Portillo is mostly just a coincidence of names, but it’s also a Chicago thing. Blessed Alvaro visited Chicago in 1988, famously leaving behind a pair of shoes that were saved by a priest at the residence and, after Blessed Alvaro’s beatification, cut up into tiny pieces and attached to holy cards. I don’t know if anyone in Chicago took him out for a hot dog and a cake shake during his visit, but one can hope!

St. Catherine was born and raised in Siena, a city located in Tuscany. Her life and legacy are deeply intertwined with the region, and she is considered the patron saint of Italy, alongside St. Francis of Assisi. Although we can neither confirm nor deny that St. Catherine’s mom prepared this very meal for her 25 children, we can still enjoy this simple yet flavorful creamy Tuscan sauce with bread, rice, pasta, or creamy mashed potatoes in her honor to celebrate today’s feast!

All the saint of the day images for the month of April!

Simple and sweet, these ice cream sundaes are a tasty way to celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday. We use red and blue fruit and/or sprinkles to represent the rays of love and mercy that emanate from the heart of Jesus. I think vanilla ice cream makes for the prettiest presentation, but my kids prefer more exciting ice cream flavors. Fresh or frozen berries will work.

These tasty flatbreads are quick and easy and make an excellent side for curries and any meal that needs a “pusher.” They’re great with dips or folded and filled with sandwich fixins. They are relatively flat, but allowed to rise (chametz again). A more authentic addition to a Passover meal would be store-bought or homemade matzo bread (more like crackers).

Saint Katharine Drexel was born in 1858. She was a wealthy Philadelphia socialite before renouncing the world and dedicating her fortune to the founding an order of nuns devoted to the service of black and Native American people in the American southwest and Haiti. Philadelphians Pat and Harry Olivieri are credited with inventing what’s now known as the Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich in the early 1930s. Mother Katharine lived to the ripe old age of 96 and died in 1955, but I don’t have any information about whether she ever enjoyed a Philly Cheesesteak herself.

Green herbs and Irish cheese make these scones perfect for the feast of St. Brigid, St. Patrick, or any Irish saint. Making the butter yourself from heavy cream also gives you the buttermilk you need for this recipe. Stopping the homemade butter process just a tiny bit early saves the step of grating or chopping butter for the mixture and makes a really lovely scone dough. But you can also use frozen chopped or grated homemade or store-bought butter.

On (or around) the feast of Epiphany we like to throw one last Christmas party, because it’s still Christmas! We encourage novelty Christmas accessories for the occasion. Because the Three Wise Men are traditionally understood to have come from different continents: Europe (Melchior), Asia (Caspar) and Africa (Balthasar), I like to serve various international “parcel”-type finger foods, so that our dinner spread is as universal as our Catholic/catholic faith.

On (or around) the feast of Epiphany we like to throw one last Christmas party, because it’s still Christmas! We encourage novelty Christmas accessories for the occasion. Because the Three Wise Men are traditionally understood to have come from different continents: Europe (Melchior), Asia (Caspar) and Africa (Balthasar), I like to serve various international “parcel”-type finger foods, so that our dinner spread is as universal as our Catholic/catholic faith.

On our baptismal days, our souls become as pure as clean, white snow. Of course, Jesus was already perfectly pure, but His baptism was still a momentous event. This fun, white drink is a yummy reminder of the effects of the gift of baptism! Make it to celebrate the Lord’s baptismal day, but keep it in mind for sacrament parties, too!

Hot mulled wine is also known as Bishop’s wine or Bisschopswijn after Saint Nicholas, third century bishop of Myra. It’s deliciously warming, and perfect for a December evening with family and friends. One spice bag will flavor up to 8 bottles of wine in one batch.

They are heavily spiced, sweetened with currants or raisins, and marked with a cross on top. We bake them each year and take them to the cemetery with us on All Souls’ Day, to exchange with friends who meet us there to pray for the dead.

This recipe is almost the same as the one I use for Saint Bartholomew Skinned Chicken and Biscuits. It also makes a lovely chicken pot pie filling, by the way. Recipes called Chicken à la King (or the like in other languages) have appeared in cookbooks since as early as 1665, mostly without specific recipes, so there’s no way to know if they are similar to what we now know by that name. There’s also no indication that anyone but me associates the dish with the feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. But there’s also no indication that they don’t . . . In any case, this is a lovely comfort food dish, great for cool evenings, and beloved by my kids and nieces and nephews. It can be served over noodles, rice, biscuits, or even waffles!

This soup is a longtime fall family favorite passed along by Gramma Tierney. It’s great for Halloween and All Saints parties, lunch or a first course on Thanksgiving, and any time during pumpkin season.

Inspired by St. Teresa’s writing on the interior castle, this historical English dessert, traditionally called “Castle Pudding”, is steamed in the microwave for a quick, tasty dessert, perfect for the fall!

These pastries are a very impressive (and tasty) way to honor St. Therese. The trick is to slice the apples as thin as you possibly can. The thinner the slices are, the easier they roll into pretty roses. It's a little bit fiddly - but the perfect thing to offer up in the name of St. Therese's "Little Way".