A Chasuble Matching Game for BigBoy

Once I opened up my super simple option for a Forest Father, I fully intended to stuff him in the craft closet and save him for later. Well... it just looked so cute sitting there next to Fr. Dowling that I couldn't bear to. So, I came up with this idea for BigBoy who will be graduating from Pre-K to Kindergarten this fall here at Frassati Academy. I made matching chasubles for the little Fr. Robert (BigBoy chose that name and since he is Fr. R's namesake, I couldn't refuse him) and placed them in a box. The larger ones are trimmed with ribbon but the smaller ones are mostly felt and glitter glue. (I looked at the chasubles that our beloved Cistercians wear for mass and tried to model mine after theirs since that is what my kids see regularly. They are mostly very simple.)

Updated to add: These were almost no-sew to put together. I glued the smaller ones and some of the more delicate ribbons on the larger ones. The trim on the larger ones was either glued or tacked down with simple hand sewing. And since felt does not need to be hemmed, you can just cut it and go!

My idea is that every morning, the big kids will take turns looking up the liturgical colors of the day and place the appropriate chasuble on Fr. Dowling while BigBoy's job is to find the matching one for Fr. R. I think it's a little Montessori-ish and he thinks it's his big boy chore for the day!


P.S. I hope to make more parts of the vestments and use this Vessels and Vestments card game along with other resources to help us all learn about them. I'll keep you posted.

Super Simple Forest Father

Suzanne mentioned in the combox below that Jennifer's Fr. Oak craft idea is a great activity to consider for the upcoming Year for Priests convoked by Pope Benedict XVI beginning on June 19, 2009. I couldn't agree more! But, I know that there are some people who might be put off by the idea of having to create their own stand so I wanted to share with you what I found which was going to be my second option if our Fr. Dowling idea hadn't worked out.I found this free standing wooden cross at Hobby Lobby in the VBS craft section up at the front. It was in a bag but I saved the label so you could identify it. I'm pretty sure these were on sale but I don't remember specifically but if not, it was only $3. It stands 7 1/2 inches tall and 4 1/2 inches wide and can be sanded and painted to make it smooth. If you don't have a Hobby Lobby, something like this would work too (it's more expensive) or if you want one for each child, you can buy the crosses by the dozen.As much as I would love to have satin vestments like Suzanne (shall not covet, shall NOT covet!), felt is the fastest and easiest way to go. I cut this chausible out in about 2 minutes. Anyway, just wanted to share this idea with anyone who might be in need of a super simple option.

Fr. Dowling~ Liturgical colors in the home

So how does a Catholic mom incorporate the liturgical colors into her home in a simple, inexpensive way? Don't look at me. I'm asking you! Actually, Jennifer and Suzanne already have the answers. Fr. Oak and Fr. Birch are both beautiful creations made by some super talented members of their family. Let me tell you, they could sell those things and make a small fortune easily. In fact, if they plan to, I want to be first on the list. That's right, I'm calling dibs right now!

Well, in the meantime, while they get their business models up and running, Husband and I came up with a less *saw intensive option. When I looked at Fr. Oak and Fr. Birch, the basic shape that popped out at me was that of a cross. So, we took a thick dowel, cut it down to about 10 inches and drilled some holes on each side. Husband used the widest drill bit he had. The holes were deep enough to insert the bottom of an old fashioned clothespin, but didn't go all the way through. We glued the arms in place and let them dry over night. Then I found a candle holder to use a base. I think I would prefer one that was not so tall, but this one works for now. We did have to whittle off a little bit of the end so that it would fit nice and snug in the candle holder. We haven't named ours yet. In keeping with the tradition, I think we should consider Fr. Ash or Fr. Pine but we don't know what kind of wood the dowel was made from. How about Fr. Dowling instead or maybe Fr. Brown since the end was painted brown for pricing purposes? Any suggestions? Fr. Dowling it is!

*For a completely non-power tools project, I could see using an unused candle and carving out holes with a knife to insert a smaller dowel or some clothespins. I don't know how long that would hold up, but it might be a simpler option for someone.