November Printable

November in the Orthodox Church is a busy and joyful time! We begin the Nativity Fast - fasting from November 15th-Dec 24th! This is one of the 4 great fasting seasons in the Church. We are fasting, increasing services/prayer, and finding new opportunities to give alms. We also have many special feast day traditions including the beloved St Martin Day (Nov 12th) which is a cherished tradition just before the Nativity fast begins! It is also a very busy cultural time in our world - with the “Holiday” season. It takes intention to live the Christian life, and this time of year is no exception. Find ways to slow down this season and prepare your heart to receive our Lord!

November Liturgical Printable

$4.99

That’s why I created a one page monthly printable! My hope with these monthly printables is to pair it down for you. Let’s make a goal to learn about ONE saint this month, and do ONE activity this month related to a featured saint. Throughout the month, learn ONE hymn by singing it together every day, or as often as you can. And lastly, intentionally carve out time to create a strong family culture in your home (in the Family Corner section). According to Saint John Chrysostom, the home is a “little church.” By bringing these small experiences of the Church into the home, we more fully recognize and appreciate what it means to be the Church when we gather during the Liturgy. Our lives at home should be a reflection of our life in the Church. I’ve also included a few reminders of common traditions associated with the feast days each month.

For this download, you will receive October, November, December:

The Printable Includes :

• Important dates in the Orthodox Church Calendar and a few reminders of common traditions associated so you know what's coming up and plan accordingly

• Saint focus for the month - details about their life in a simple understandable way for children.

• Family Corner - building family culture takes intention, so we've included a simple ideas for the whole family to engage in summertime activities as a family.

• Activity - one of the best ways to help kids engage in the Liturgical Calendar is by bringing the stories to life! Making those connections outside of church can be really helpful so when they are in church for the services they can make those connections in the Liturgy, icons, and hymnography. And don't worry, you don't have to be a “crafty” parent to do these activities. They are very simple and fun!

• Song - let's learn one song a month, shall we? By singing the hymn weekly, you'll begin to familiarize yourself with it so by the time you hear it sung in church, you'll already have it written in your heart ❤️ the Liturgical Hymns hold the meaning behind each Feasts, so learning them will be a great joy

• BONUS: included some extra information and QR code links to go further into living liturgically!

More in the shop

November Orthodox Liturgical Printable

November is already here! Can you believe it? It feels like these months are flying by! Advent/Nativity are around the corner now (starting Nov 15th).

This month, we will be learning about one of my favorite saints and feast day traditions - St Martin! If you are not familiar with him, please allow me to introduce you. He is one of our favorite saints and the traditions surrounding his feast can also soon become a beloved tradition for you and your family! Be sure to check out the Orthodox Liturgical Living Printable for the month of November. I’ve also included in this blogpost additional resources that pair with the printable.

This Month Includes :

• Important dates for November, the Saint of the month, a family activity to prepare for the fast, simple craft and feast day celebration, one hymn to learn, 3 Maxims to work on as a family!

St Martin’s Day (Martinmas)

While at seminary at St Vladimir’s in Yonkers, NY, my family and I were introduced to the super fun tradition of Martinmas (St Martin’s Day), which is the day we commemorate the life of St Martin of Tours. To this day it is one of my fondest memories of seminary. I loved making paper lanterns together the week before, and then on his feast day, we would gather together to read the story “Snow on Martinmas” by Heather Sleigtholm and then all the kids on campus would illumine their lanterns with tea lights, put on their heavy coats and we would walk around campus singing the St Martin Day carol and “This Little Light of Mine” to all the neighbors. I can still see my tiny little Elizabeth in her stroller holding her lantern as we followed all the kids from house to house. After we made our way around campus, we ended the night with dessert and warm drinks and fellowship. It was a yearly tradition while we attended and I intend to continue that tradition with my children, and perhaps even pass it on to some of you!

Check out this blogpost on St Martin’s Day and learn more about how to organize your own Martinmas Walk!

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Want to Listen to the Song of the Month?

Listen to this song on YouTube

Additional Reading

Want to read more about St Martin and the traditions surrounding his feast? We love the picture book “Snow on Martinmas” by Heather Sleightholm. You can purchase it on amazon and have it arrive in time for the feast! We read this every year on his feast day before our lantern walk.

DIY Lanterns for St Martin Walk

If you are interested in making your own lantern, for the sake of simplicity, I suggest using what you already have. Most people have a mason jar, or a clear jar or some sort - old marinara jars, baby jars, peanut butter jars, etc. Using string and hot glue, or even pipe cleaners, you can create a simple handle. Check out this YouTube video on how to make your own:

One final note

I know how overwhelming it can be to try to keep up with the Liturgical calendar. It’s a lot! So my hope is to provide a simple one page guide to help families incorporate some simple and easy activities each month to bring life of the Church into our homes. I've paired down my monthly guides into one “bite sized” print, so you can spend less time figuring out what to do, and spend more time with the ones you love.

Blessings,

Khouria Destinie