By Susan Ciancio
Today we celebrate the feast of a woman who cared for the poor and the sick, similar to St. Teresa of Calcutta.
St. Maria Isabel Salvat Romero was born in 1926 in Spain. When she was just 18, she joined the Sisters of the Company of the Cross. The sisters of this order care for the poor, and they house the homeless, those with disabilities, and elderly women who cannot care for themselves. In addition, they establish schools for the poor.
When St. Maria Isabel was 40, she was named provincial of the Mother House in Seville. Though her responsibilities included a lot of administrative work each day, she took care of her sisters who were sick, and she took time every morning to meet with the sick and the poor. She would wash and bandage their wounds and cook meals for them. She spent the next thirty years in this capacity, caring for others, teaching them about Christ, and helping people see their value. St. Maria Isabel died of cancer in 1998 and was canonized in 2015.
At the Culture of Life Studies Program, we love examples of people living their faith openly and caring for others. This is the epitome of building a culture of life—where all people are cherished and valued.
Stories of these real-life heroes are ones we should share with our children on a daily basis. Helping them get to know the saints and teaching them to strive to become saints is one of our responsibilities as parents.
The world wants to give our children role models like singers Taylor Swift or Ariana Grande, or sports figures such as Patrick Mahomes or LeBron James. But these people don’t care about our children, let alone their souls. In fact, most of what they say and do will lead our children away from God rather than toward Him.
There is a better way. Teaching our children about those who loved and cared for the poor, who revered Christ in the Eucharist, and who taught about the sanctity of life will help our children grow into adults who also believe and understand these truths. Giving them holy role models is crucial for fighting the woke ideology and the “my body, my choice” lies that so many today espouse. And holy examples give them the moral courage to stand up for their faith, even when it’s unpopular.
The saints were no strangers to persecution. Many died as martyrs. Many lost friends and family. Many encountered terrible hardships. But their faith and the love of Christ allowed them to persevere.
This is the mentality we want for our children. And this is why we must give them the tools to be strong and holy men and women of faith.
CLSP has many lessons about saints that will help your children understand the true meaning of what it takes to be a role model.
We know that when people hear the word lessons, they may think they are just for school. But our lessons can be taught at home, and you don’t even have to be a homeschooling family to teach them. We give you all the instruction materials you need; you simply read aloud the text (older kids can read it on their own) and discuss the materials with your children. We even give you discussion questions and answers to help facilitate conversations. Many include fun activities to drive home the moral of the story.
Some of our favorite saints lessons include:
- St. Teresa of Calcutta: Serving the Poorest of the Poor (middle school) and Do Small Things with Great Love (elementary school)
- Blessed Carlo Acutis: Extraordinary in the Ordinary (high school)
- Mary: Honoring the Blessed Mother (elementary school)
- St. Maximilian Kolbe: No Greater Love (middle and high school)
- St. Damien de Veuster of Molokai: When Heroes Become Saints (middle school)
- St. Ignatius: Loving and Caring for the Whole Person (middle school)
- St. Ignatius: Cura Personalis (high school)
- And more!
Our Lord loves us so much that He died on the cross for our salvation. The saints who understood this love are an incredible gift from God. They lead us on the path to heaven, and they teach us how we should live our lives. When we pass along these lessons to our children, we are building the foundation they need to one day become saints themselves.
