Pre Vatican II and probably as long as they were published my family subscribed to the Treasure Box magazines. I remember the earliest ones contained the story of St. Therese of Liseux a few pages and lots of pictures per issue. Around the time of the opening of the Council we got Vision books about saints and another series more of adventures in a Catholic historical fiction style.
Since I attended a 2-room school in grades 1-6 I had a religion class on Church history in the 1964-5 year at the latest, and it mentioned St. Roche at least in connection with the plague. I don't remember most of the rest of it.
Confirmation was in 4th grade and I would have done much better to postpone it because I really didn't want to receive it and couldn't get out of it. I took St. Frances not connected to any saint because we were all required to take another saint's name of the same sex as ourselves. Luckily, a sacrament received under physical duress, which is what it took to get me there, isn't received, so I was able to actually receive it as an adult. Rather like when the Spanish mob told the Jews to be baptized or die and many agreed to be baptized. The Pope said the baptisms were invalid and many Jews who could afford to moved to the Papal States. The Spanish monarchs refused to accept the Pope's decision, eventually leading to the Spanish Inquisition. Please forgive the digression.
I grew up in the 1980s and 90s in the Midwest. I heard little about the saints, except for needing to choose a confirmation Saint. I chose Andrew, because he was a fisherman, and I like to fish.
In young adulthood, I watched a lot of ewtn (which wasn't then fox news 2.0 as it is today) which led me to St. Francis. I read the Little Flowers, and was blown away by his simplicity and Gospel poverty. I've since read more saint's writings and lives, but I think my favorites are Francis and Therese.
At my Catholic elementary school (early 80's in Ontario) I don't remember anything about saints either, except one statue and plaque in the entryway about the school's titular saint. Nobody suggested choosing a Confirmation saint when we were confirmed, though I and one other kid did, since his and my families were traditional enough to know about the practice. Our priest allowed it but treated it as rather weird.
We didn't learn to say the Rosary or ever do so at that school; in fact, insofar as it was mentioned, it was treated as a backward and outdated thing some old ladies still insisted on doing. BUT for some reason, the school fairly regularly gave us these ugly molded plastic and string, glow-in-the-dark rosaries - presumably somebody once bought or donated a boatload of them and they had to do something with them, even though they didn't really believe in the rosary any more? There are still a dozen or more of them kicking around my parents' house, probably.
Those glow in the dark rosaries were cool. Although also very not hardy if you lived in a house full of young boys who liked to chew on things. They were just the right type of plastic, I guess, and ours all looked like an army of avenging nice had come through.
Pre Vatican II and probably as long as they were published my family subscribed to the Treasure Box magazines. I remember the earliest ones contained the story of St. Therese of Liseux a few pages and lots of pictures per issue. Around the time of the opening of the Council we got Vision books about saints and another series more of adventures in a Catholic historical fiction style.
Since I attended a 2-room school in grades 1-6 I had a religion class on Church history in the 1964-5 year at the latest, and it mentioned St. Roche at least in connection with the plague. I don't remember most of the rest of it.
Confirmation was in 4th grade and I would have done much better to postpone it because I really didn't want to receive it and couldn't get out of it. I took St. Frances not connected to any saint because we were all required to take another saint's name of the same sex as ourselves. Luckily, a sacrament received under physical duress, which is what it took to get me there, isn't received, so I was able to actually receive it as an adult. Rather like when the Spanish mob told the Jews to be baptized or die and many agreed to be baptized. The Pope said the baptisms were invalid and many Jews who could afford to moved to the Papal States. The Spanish monarchs refused to accept the Pope's decision, eventually leading to the Spanish Inquisition. Please forgive the digression.
I got re-prints of the Treasure Box magazines as a homeschooler in the early 2000s. They made a comeback.
And they are probably as fun for today's children as they were for us. Bessie the Waterbaby
"Fold your hands and bow your head, God is listening..."
I grew up in the 1980s and 90s in the Midwest. I heard little about the saints, except for needing to choose a confirmation Saint. I chose Andrew, because he was a fisherman, and I like to fish.
In young adulthood, I watched a lot of ewtn (which wasn't then fox news 2.0 as it is today) which led me to St. Francis. I read the Little Flowers, and was blown away by his simplicity and Gospel poverty. I've since read more saint's writings and lives, but I think my favorites are Francis and Therese.
At my Catholic elementary school (early 80's in Ontario) I don't remember anything about saints either, except one statue and plaque in the entryway about the school's titular saint. Nobody suggested choosing a Confirmation saint when we were confirmed, though I and one other kid did, since his and my families were traditional enough to know about the practice. Our priest allowed it but treated it as rather weird.
We didn't learn to say the Rosary or ever do so at that school; in fact, insofar as it was mentioned, it was treated as a backward and outdated thing some old ladies still insisted on doing. BUT for some reason, the school fairly regularly gave us these ugly molded plastic and string, glow-in-the-dark rosaries - presumably somebody once bought or donated a boatload of them and they had to do something with them, even though they didn't really believe in the rosary any more? There are still a dozen or more of them kicking around my parents' house, probably.
Those glow in the dark rosaries were cool. Although also very not hardy if you lived in a house full of young boys who liked to chew on things. They were just the right type of plastic, I guess, and ours all looked like an army of avenging nice had come through.