Although I’ve taught at St. Benedict Classical Academy for nine years, last year was my first time teaching Kindergarten. Over the summer, I reflected on ways to deepen our classroom’s faith life and knew I wanted to bring the lives of the Saints more intentionally into our daily routine. This year, I’ve done that in a few meaningful ways.

One of the first changes I made was renaming our Kindergarten classroom tables after Saints instead of using colors, as I did the previous year. Each circle table is now named after one of four patron saints of education: St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. John Bosco, and St. Aloysius Gonzaga. Their framed pictures sit on each table and also hang on our classroom wall. We celebrate their feast days, and the students love learning about their lives and asking for their intercession. It has been a joy to witness their enthusiasm!

Another way we honor the Saints is through our Kindergarten Saint of the Week. Each week, we focus on a different Saint, giving students real examples of holy people who lived lives worth modeling. I especially love how my students begin asking for the Saint’s intercession in small things throughout the week, whether during our group prayers or chapel intentions.

We incorporate the Saint of the Week into our weekly schedule in several ways: 

• I display a picture of the Saint on our classroom whiteboard.
• As part of our morning work, students color a picture of the Saint and trace a quote related to them.
• During our weekly chapel time, I read a story about the Saint’s life.

This simple routine of our Saint of the Week has become a beloved part of our classroom. Every Monday, my students come to school eager to learn the name of their new Saint, and in true Kindergarten fashion, they immediately want to know everything about them! They especially love when they recognize a Saint’s name and get excited to learn what they are a patron of – whether it’s a special group of people or a particular cause. 

I recently asked my students what they remember about some of the Saints we’ve studied so far. Here are some of their sweet responses:

• Bl. Carlo Acutis – “He liked video games and went to Mass every day.”
• St. Thérèse of Lisieux – “She helped in the little ways.”
• St. Lucy – “She wouldn’t give up her faith even though she was in danger.”
• St. Elizabeth of Hungary – “She left her castle to go give food to the poor.”
• Pope Saint John Paul II – “He was a holy man.”

These simple responses show how much young children absorb and reflect on holiness in their own way.

This week, we are learning about St. José Luis Sánchez del Rio (who is also our school Saint of the Month!). His feast day is February 10th. His story of courage and faith has been an incredible lesson for our class. I encourage you to read about him and continue to discover the inspiration found in the lives of the Saints. 

AUTHOR: Finlay Cushen, Kindergarten Teacher