How to talk about the Feast of the Guardian Angels

image_pdfimage_print

Kids love angels. When I worked in a parish, I found that no Catholic teaching was more reassuring to parents and children than our belief in angels.

What the Church Teaches about Angels

Both Sacred Tradition and Scripture witness to the existence of angels. The word angel means “messenger” and in many Scripture accounts, the angels serve as God’s messengers. The archangels are angels of the highest order. Three archangels are named in Scripture — Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. Angels also serve to protect and serve the faithful. “From infancy to death human life is surrounded by their watchful care and protection. Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life.” (CCC #336) At Mass we join the angels in the invocation, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God of Hosts!” Angels are members of the Body of Christ along with the saints and all believers, living and dead.

The feast of the Guardian Angels was first celebrated in the 16th century. This year, celebrate this special feast by having an “Angel Party”.

• Learn the Guardian Angel prayer:

Angel of God, my guardian dear,
to whom God’s love commits me here,
ever this day, be at my side,
to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

• Make angel napkins for the party. Have children draw angels on paper napkins with black washable markers.

• Purchase an angel food cake and let the kids help decorate it. (If there are peanut allergies in your class or group, make angels out of Twizzlers and pretzels.)

• Display an angel statue or picture on your Celebration Table and cover the table with white and gold paper or cloth.

• Talk about how angels help us to feel safe when we are afraid and how we believe that angels are with us always! They bring us the message of that God loves us so much!