Monstrance Activities for Saint Clare

Last August, while we were learning about Saint Clare, we made monstrances out of food as a hands-on learning activity.  My children still remember this meal, so this activity is definitely one we’ll repeat this year. 

You can see my post about this activity here.

Saint Clare is often pictured with a monstrance because she carried the Eucharist to the gates of her abbey when they were under attack; she prayed and requested protection.  The invaders passed them by.  

My older daughter particularly enjoyed listening to a podcast about Saint Clare provided by Vee at Paper Dali.  After listening, both of my girls colored Vee’s image of Saint Clare, available here.  I think we will revisit all of these activities again this year.

I have seen many different monstrance coloring pages and activities at a number of different blogs, so there are plenty of crafts to do while learning about Saint Clare.  We recently painted a monstrance using a painting technique highlighted by my friend Jennifer at Crafolic.

Jennifer intended this to be a lesson on painting straight lines, but my children preferred to move the brush back and forth to create the starburst pattern (can you tell?).  My youngest opted just to paint the starburst instead of the whole monstrance, which is Jennifer’s suggested adaptation of this craft for young children.  

You can read Jennifer’s directions, see other versions of this craft, and download the printable at her post.  Hint: place the cut out circles on your painted monstrance while the image is still wet and you can skip the gluing.

This craft also emphasizes the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, so it is a great activity for children preparing for First Communion.  My friend Karri suggested in the comments of Jennifer’s post a way to turn this activity into a prayer; older children and teens can say a prayer intention as they paint each line.  I really like this idea because each time you look at the painting, you can remember all those you prayed for.  Which gives me an idea for another craft... check back later to read about it!

Linked with: Crafolic Moments, Tea with Saint Anne, First Friday, Faith Formation in Young Children, My Favorite Things, Saints and Scripture Sunday, Tactile Tuesday, and Making It Count.