My youngest child is set to receive her Sacraments in the Church this coming April. This set me up for an interesting circumstance in that she has Down syndrome/Autism and some significant intellectual disability. It gives us a special set of circumstances to work through. We can’t go the traditional way with attending the Religious Education classes and being “ready” at the end. We go a simpler road, though we do go to the RE classes. My daughter loves to go and participate to her ability.
At home we pray together, and talk simply about loving Jesus. I show her through example how to live for Jesus, to the best of my ability. She loves to watch cartoon movies about Jesus life. She knows that when we go to Mass that we are there to listen to Jesus’ words, and to receive Jesus in the Eucharist. She has a very childlike desire to receive the Eucharist. She goes through the motions.
Another activity which she loves is playing out Mass with the vessels that I’ve collected. This has helped her connect with the Mass a lot, and I’ve seen her act out parts of the Mass even though she can’t explain things to me if I ask her questions. She’s very observant.
Anyway, I wanted for her to have something special as reference for her special days. I was instructed to choose a saint for her as her Patron, and so I chose St Margaret of Castello. Her story is tragic but beautiful as well. Her love was apparent to all despite her deformed legs and blindness. She’s an admirable example of giving of yourself despite what your own circumstances might be– there is always some way to serve others.
This project is based off of some examples that I found from times past when they decorated saint pictures, and made delightfully beautiful prayer niches to display in your home. My desire, whenever I create something is that it will be loved for a long time, and be “timeless”. A hundred years ago, quilling with paper was quite popular and some examples are really breath-taking. Mine is pretty simple, but a lot of love went into it.
As well, I wanted for my daughter to have something to bring her saint into her special day as well. Using an old brooch, I attached the same picture to the face plate, and covered it in resin so that it can stand the test of time. I haven’t decided if I will ad anything else to it, like a Cochade flower or bow, but it could also be hung from a chain or key ring if she so desires.
These I share with hopes that perhaps someone else can use them as examples for First Communion and Confirmation gifting ideas. Some really beautiful gifts can be made by hand with a little bit of time, some effort, and some out-of-the-box thinking. I’m actually really fond of these, and I’m eager to make some more to share.