With the school year finished and family vacations dominating the schedule, it can be easy to let your faith commitments take a back seat to summer fun. However, with a little planning, you can keep your summer both faith-focused and fun-filled. Here are some ideas and resources.
AT YOUR PARISH Daily Mass Attending daily Mass can help add structure to summer days and is a great reminder that faith should be the center of every day. Try attending one extra Mass each week.
Regular adoration or family prayer Make it a goal to spend some extra family time in prayer while the children are home for the summer. Learn a new prayer together or spend some time in adoration.
Vacation Bible School or other summer camp program Several parishes around the diocese host summer camp-type programs for school-aged children. These week-long camps offer a variety of faith-filled fun activities.
Travel to new parishes Each of the 59 parishes in the diocese has unique artwork and character. Visit a new church and explore. Headed to Full Blast in Battle Creek? Why not stop by St. Philip Parish and say a prayer at the beautiful grotto featuring the Blessed Mother. Headed to the beach? Stop by one of our lakeshore parishes to light a candle and appreciate the different artwork.
IN YOUR HOME: Backyard VBS Not a VBS or summer camp near you? Get together with other families and plan a do-it- yourself (DIY) backyard summer program. Check out Peanut Butter & Grace’s guide, including links to their complete program (free) at pbgrace.com/diy-backyard-vbs.
Scripture study or family prayer Make it a goal to spend some extra family time in prayer while the children are home for the summer. Learn a new prayer together, find an age-appropriate Bible study or pick one saint to spend the summer studying. Pinterest is full of coloring pages, Scripture crafts and more. Check out our Pinterest for more ideas at Pinterest.com/diokzoo.
Celebrate the liturgical year One of the beautiful things about the Catholic faith is the wealth of celebrations, solemnities and feasts given to us through the liturgical year. Over the summer, try to find ways to celebrate through liturgical living. (And see the sidebar at right for a list of feasts that fall during the summer).
Plant a Mary garden If you already have a statue of Mary, consider making a garden around it as your summer family project. You can make it as elaborate or simple as your budget, time and skill allow. It could even be as simple as adding a small statue or prayer card to a potted plant. Encourage your children to care for it and spend time in prayer near it.
Make a giant outdoor rosary Whether you do an entire rosary or simply a decade, use colored paper or sidewalk chalk to design a giant rosary on your sidewalk/driveway. It’s a great tool to teach young children how to pray the Rosary while also getting them outside and active.
ROAD TRIPPING National Shrine of the Cross in the Woods — Indian River, Mich. This one is a “must-see” for Michiganders, especially now that St. Kateri Tekakwitha has been canonized (Oct. 21, 2012). In addition to St. Kateri, the Cross in the Woods includes shrines of various saints, including St. Francis of Assisi and St. Peregrine. The new church can seat up to 1,000 people and features a view of the Man on the Cross. You can also climb the Holy Stairs (representing the 28 stairs Jesus had to climb to Pontius Pilate) on your knees while praying and meditating.
FUN FACT: The “cross” in Cross in the Woods is called the Man on the Cross and is a bronze sculpture of the crucified Christ. It weighs seven tons, is 28 feet tall from head to toe and has an arm-span of 21 feet. Call 231.238.8973 or visit
www.crossinthewoods.com.
Solanus Casey Center — Detroit This center is based around the Capuchin lifestyle and dedicated to Father Solanus Casey, a Capuchin priest. It has art, history and culture. Life-size beatitudes, a creation garden and a hall of etched-glass saints are among the many things you can explore and be inspired by. You can take a tour led by the center’s director, Father Larry Webber, on the first Sunday of the month at
10:30 a.m., or purchase a keepsake booklet any day of the week that will guide you through the center. And since it is less than a 10-minute drive away from Comerica Park, why not make a day trip to Detroit?
FUN FACT: Father Solanus Casey died in 1957, on the 53rd anniversary of his first Mass. It is said he stretched out his arms and said, “I give my soul to Jesus Christ” immediately before taking his last breath. He was declared “Venerable” by St. John Paul II in 1995 and was beatified by Pope Francis in 2017. Call 313.579.2100 or visit www.solanuscenter.org.