Sunday, April 27, 2025

May Radiant Roundup: The Papal Conclave, The Blessed Virgin Mary, and May Saints

 

Here are a ton of activities for the month of May! We continue the celebrate of the Easter Season for the entire month, and celebrate the Blessed Virgin Mary. We will also experience the historic Papal Conclave as Pope Francis' successor is elected. Click below for resources to support your home and classroom all month long!

The Papal Conclave
Activities for before, during, and after the Conclave, which will begin between May 6th and May 11th:
The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Easter Season (continues until Pentecost on 6/8)

️️️5/1- St. Joseph the Worker
St. Joseph Idea Collection* (all ages)
St. Joseph Mini Study (junior high & up)
St. Joseph Clickable Activity Menu (all ages)

5/8- Fulton Sheen's Birthday

Teaching with Fulton Sheen Curriculum* (all ages)



5/10- Saint Damien de Veuster of Moloka'i

5/11- St. James the Less and St. Philip
5/14- St. Matthias

5/13- Our Lady of Fatima
Our Lady of Fatima Block Print*

5/15- St. Isidore the Farmer
Angelus Print*- use this as a tool for praying for all farmers and agricultural workers!

5/16- St. Simon Stock
St. Simon Stock & Brown Scapular Unit* (4th-6th grade)


5/29 or 6/1- The Ascension
A great day to celebrate the Four Marks of the Church!*

Or to learn about the differences and similarities between the Ascension and the Assumption!

5/31- The Visitation
Magnificat Prayer Card
My Soul Magnifies the Lord Theme (all ages)



Books about Mary for Catholic Kids


Books for May


May Books for Catholic Kids- The Conclave, May Saints, and the Blessed Virgin Mary

May Catholic Kids Book List
Below are a few favorite titles that fit well with devotions and feast days this month! This list contains Amazon Affiliate links, which means if you click through and make a purchase, I earn a small commission at no cost to you. I'd also love to encourage you to shop directly with the publisher or with your local bookshop, or try to request these at your local library! I'm sure I've missed some books that would be great for this month, so feel free to add your own recommendations in the comments! You can find my giant list of Catholic Kid Books by topic here.

Papal Conclave
Will begin between May 6th and May 11th

Books about St. Peter:

Read about other Popes:

Feast Days this Month
5/1- St. Joseph the Worker

5/15- St. Isidore the Farmer


5/19- St. Celestine V

5/26- St. Philip Neri



Book Lists By Month:
Click on the images below for book lists organized by feast days and devotions for each month:

Thursday, April 24, 2025

We Have a Pope! Resources for Kids Before, During, and After the Conclave



As we continue to mourn Pope Francis as a Church and prepare for the election of his successor, here are some activities to help kids pray and learn before, during, and after the Conclave!

Before the Conclave:

  • Pray for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis
  • Learn more about the life and legacy of Pope Francis
  • Prepare and learn what to expect during the conclave
  • Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit
Activities: (click on images or links below to access each activity/post)

Pray for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis:




Read my book We Have a Pope. 
We Have a Pope is a picture book that shares with kids the legacy of the Papacy beginning with St. Peter, the central role of the Holy Spirit in guiding the Church, and step-by-step of what happens during a Conclave. It's the perfect resource for this time!
You can learn more about it, see some inside views, and read reviews in this post:




How does the Pope guide the Church? Read more about the Barque of St. Peter with this coloring & info page: (Art by Kortnee Senn)


During the Conclave:

  • Pray for the election of the new Pope and guidance of the Holy Spirit
  • Learn about the process of a Papal Election
  • Pray for all Cardinals during the Conclave
  • Learn more about the history of the papacy and the popes of the past 2000 years
  • Read about the papacy in the Bible

Activities:

We believe that the Holy Spirit is guiding the Church and leads the Papal Conclave. The Cardinals will invoke the Holy Spirit throughout the process, and we can pray along with them!

(Art by Kortnee Senn)


Display this "Come Holy Spirit" art print as a reminder to pray for the conclave:

Try this "Any News?" Activity Page, matching some of the languages spoken by people waiting to hear the news of the new Pope:

Learn about the legacy of a few of the past 266 Popes with these Papal Trading Cards:
(Art by Kortnee Senn)

After the Conclave:

  • Celebrate the election of our new Pope!
  • Learn about the new Pope, his history, and his new coat of arms
  • Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit over the Church and the new Pope's leadership

Activities:

You'll be seeing the Papal Insignia and Vatican City Flag everywhere- what do the symbols on this image mean? Learn more from this info page and then color one yourself to decorate with: 
(Art by Kortnee Senn)

Make a Papal Miter (video & directions) You can make small ones like this, or use wrapping/butcher paper and create one big enough to wear on your head!

Make a Habemus Papam mini poster or hang up these Papal banners:


Print, color, and frequently pray this kid friendly Prayer for the Pope:
(Art by Kortnee Senn)

Who are the Swiss Guard, and what do they do? Click here for these coloring and info pages: 
(Art by Kortnee Senn)


After the election, I'll update this post with more resources about our new Pope!


If you still need a copy of We Have a Pope, you can order it at the following links. Depending on when you are reading this, we are out of stock in some places, but more copies are on their way! Books will be shipping out asap.

The Life and Legacy of Pope Francis

As we continue to mourn Pope Francis as a Church and prepare for the Conclave to elect his successor, here are some activities to help kids learn about the life and legacy of Pope Francis. 

You can also find prayer cards and coloring pages to pray for the repose of his soul in this post.

  









You can find my book We Have a Pope at the St. Paul Center or on Amazon (affiliate link)


And you can find all of my pope activities in this post: