“…what the liturgical year does for the Church at large, it does also for the soul of each one of the faithful that is careful to receive the gift of God. This succession of mystic seasons imparts to the Christian the elements of that supernatural life, without which every other life is but a sort of death, more or less disguised.”
Dom Prosper Guéranger, excerpt from the General Preface of The Liturgical Year (19th c.)
Welcome to the summer conclusion of a series of posts to help us build a liturgical year binder - our own Book of Hours - with each other! We started with the basics in June, looked at different ways of organizing our resources in July, and now, we’ll add to our resources with help from liturgically-minded friends.
Whether you have an organized binder filled with inspiration for some summertime feasts sorted in it, or (like me) a hodge-podge pile you’re still sifting through, keep going at a gentle pace as you find what works for you in creating a system for your resources.
The goal is to develop a system that supports your liturgical living journey, after all - not to the other way around.
If you’re feeling ready to add some fresh liturgical year resources to your binder, expanding on all the personal materials you’ve already gathered, I have a few suggestions to help build your calendar framework!
» PRINTABLE REMINDER:
Paid members: if you haven’t yet downloaded these printables to help organize and decorate your binder, be sure to check them out! Cover pages for more liturgical seasons and months will be on the way later.
This summer, you’ve gathered binder supplies and collected some of the hodge-podge of summertime resources that have special meaning in your life and your landscape: pressed Midsummer flowers, a strawberry shortcake recipe clipped out of magazine, a child’s drawing… and you’ve sifted those materials into a few piles, considering how they might relate seasonally to a few different feasts this summer.
Now, let’s look at how all of these personal resources intersect with the liturgical living resources that are cultivated by a variety of creators! In other words, it’s time to find some fun printables to help expand your collection of resources and to deepen your sense of participation in all these feasts.
I treat my liturgical year binders a bit like my personal recipe binder: a recipe doesn’t find a home in the binder until it’s become a tried & true meal for our family. And, of course, tastes change…sometimes we revisit a recipe discarded earlier, or take things out that just don’t suit us anymore.
Similarly, with our Book of Hours, we don’t need to treat it like an unabridged encyclopedia: if you just can’t make yourself like crafts, don’t force yourself to include crafts! Sure, it’s always a good thing to reconsider and test our own personality boundaries…but liturgical living doesn’t have to have a certain aesthetic to it.
The Church year’s ultimate purpose, after all, is to help us prayerfully orient ourselves and our communities toward God by re-creating the life and work of Christ in our days. Liturgical living is a tool to help us practice the art of conforming ourselves to Christ’s image.
Baking or crafting might be expressions of that worship for some, but not for others. You have your own beautiful role in the body of Christ, without forming yourself into someone else’s role or expression.
» To help you explore these summer feasts, here are a few of my go-to liturgical living sources for printables!
There are, of course, SO MANY more than these, not to mention the array of artists who are making beautiful physical resources.
I take an ecumenical approach, so these favorites span Christian tradition: Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant…all have provided helpful supplements for our own family’s liturgical binder.
and Morning Star Seed Company, so generously sent me her beautifully, thoughtfully-illustrated liturgical year wheel to give to one of you lovely subscribers!
Our beautiful one-of-a-kind hand painted seasonal perpetual calendar along with unique creative graphics follows the rhythm of the liturgical season aligning with the emergence of the blooms of Marian Flowers in Mary Gardens. Watch as nature unfolds in harmony with the Church, deepening your connection to both creation and faith.
Perfect for unique teacher gifts, nature-based homeschool curriculum and journals, religious art for homes, and schools seeking to anticipate and celebrate the sacred cycle of the year through Our Lady’s flowers.
What a beautiful set of resources! My question is…do the kids “help” make the binder or is it more of mom’s organizational thing?
Love all the additional resource sites, Kristin; thank you!