(For the November Junior Saints children's section of the Catholic Standard website, students were invited to draw a picture and write about their favorite saint.)

St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie

Drawing of Mother Mary Lange, foundress of the Oblate Sisters of Providence, by Peyton Washington, sixth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie, Maryland

“I chose St. Anne (the mother of Mary)… She is the patron saint of Christian mothers and women in labor. Just like Mary, St. Anne and her husband Joachim had an angel come to them announcing that they would have a child. St. Anne promised she would dedicate this child to God. They were the ones that raised Mary to be a worthy mother of God. It was their faith that laid the foundation of courage and strength that allowed Mary to stand by the cross as her son was crucified and still believe.” – Artwork and writing by Bellamy Williams, sixth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie 

“I admire St. Thomas Aquinas because we share the same birthday. We also share the name Thomas. I love that he was such a kind and understandable man. Thomas was born into a wealthy family. Then he went to a university. That’s when he started a great relationship with the Dominicans… Later, he was called a ‘dumb ox’ because he was quiet and high scoring, just like me!” – Artwork and writing by   Johnna Rachel Thomas, sixth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie

“Mary, the mother of God, is my favorite saint… She cared about everybody. She is a great role model to all people… She was a great mother to Jesus, which is a good role model to follow if you are a mom.” – Artwork and writing by Peyton Dieng, eighth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie

“Mary is my favorite saint because she was brave. Even though she was afraid about having Jesus, she did it anyway. She was brave when He was upon the cross, she was brave when He died, she was brave when He rose again and ascended into heaven. Even though she was afraid all of these times, she found a way to be brave for herself and the people around her. That’s why Mary is my favorite saint.” – Logan Donovan, eighth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie

“My favorite saint is St. Philomena, because like me she was a 13-year-old girl. I like how she stood up for herself and for her faith. She was a strong and brave girl… She took all the pain and suffering but still had the Holy Spirit in herself…” – Artwork and writing by Amarachi Oleru, eighth grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie

Drawing of St. Josephine Bakhita by Aurora Stoute, seventh grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie

“I chose St. Lorenzo Ruiz because he is the first Filipino saint. He was born around the year 1600 in the Philippines. At a young age, he joined the Dominican Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary. He was tortured by Japanese officials but refused to recant his faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ.” – Artwork and writing by Jacob Marana, seventh grade, St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie

Cardinal Hickey Academy, Owings

Drawing of St. Teresa of Avila by Avelye Bryant, fourth grade, Cardinal Hickey Academy, Owings, Maryland

Blessed Sacrament School, Washington

Drawing of St. Charles Lwanga by Fynn Jackson, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington, D.C.

“St. Olivia is a saint from Palermo, Italy. Her feast day is June 10, and she is the patron saint of music. I look up to St. Olivia because even though she was kidnapped and taken away to northern Africa, she still found a way to spread Jesus’ love through herself to other inmates that were also captured. St. Olivia proved to me even if you may be in a bad situation, you will always be able to spread Jesus’ love.” – Artwork and writing by Olivia Harris, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington, D.C.

“I admire St. Emma of Lesum because she has the same name as me. She was born in the 10^th century in Bremen, Germany. She was known for helping the poor. She inspires people to help others in need and to be fair and kind to everyone. Her brother was a bishop. She married the son of a Saxon duke, and her husband traveled to Russia, where he fell ill and died. Instead of being unhappy though, she grew in her faith and was not miserable. She was a very kind person, and I think more people should be like her. She died Dec. 3, 1038, and that is her feast day.” – Artwork and writing by Emma Blanton, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington

Drawing of St. Sebastian by Jenson Reisig, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington

“I admire St. Sebastian because he is the patron saint of athletes, and I love learning about athletes. Also, I have a friend named Sebastian. St. Sebastian was known for being a Christian in the Roman Empire in the third century. The symbol of St. Sebastian is an arrow.” – Writing by Cal Sanders, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington

Drawing of St. Anne by Keeley Doyle, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington

“St. Francis of Assisi was Italian, just like me, and that’s part of the reason why I admire him. He loved animals and children, and I especially like working with little children because my mom works at a preschool, and sometimes I go and help out. St. Francis loved and cared for the environment. He also liked making statements about important issues, just like I get to raise issues in our newspaper club.” – Writing by Jane Crisci, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington, D.C.

Drawing of St. Anthony by Mela Asrat, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington

“St. Francis de Sales was born in 1567. He is the patron saint of writers, journalists and the deaf. He inspires me because he wrote a book about the love of God. Faith is important to me, and I love reading and writing. Since St. Francis is the patron saint of writers, I picked him.” – Writing by Caroline Connell, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington, D.C.

“I admire St. Margaret of Scotland because my great grandmother’s name was Margaret, and she had to raise six children by herself. St. Margaret was a queen, and I thought of my great grandmother as a queen. I met my great grandmother when I was a baby. St. Margaret was a very religious person, and I want to be just like her. St. Margaret became a saint for her concern with and ministry to the poor, the orphaned, the widowed and the sick. She had children and grandchildren, just like my great grandmother. St. Margaret is very inspirational to me, just like my great grandmother.” – Writing by Oakley Behr, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington, D.C.

Drawing of St. Madeleine by Lila Peppo, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington, D.C.

“I chose St. Francis of Assisi because he is the patron saint of animals, Italy and ecology. He is like me because he loved animals, and he was Italian. He also helped animals when they were sick or hurt. I can relate to that, because one time I saved two baby birds that had fallen out of their nest. I also admire him because he inspires people to treat the environment with kindness and love. He inspires me and many others to do small acts of kindness like he did.” – Writing by Lucy Peppo, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington, D.C.

Drawing of St. Agnes by Olive Burns, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington

“St. Maximilian Kolbe was a Polish and Catholic priest who died in the German death camp of Auschwitz. The reason I like this saint is that he provided shelter for 2,000 Jews by hiding them from persecution from German soldiers. St. Maximilian Kolbe chose to volunteer to die in place of a Jewish man who said he had a family. He said, “I have no family, let me take his place.” He is the patron saint of prisoners, drug addicts, the pro-life movement and families. One of my favorite miracles was when he survived 14 days without food or water. Nazis killed him by lethal injection because he would not die soon enough.” – Writing by JB Funderburk, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington, D.C.

“St. Clare of Assisi was born in Assisi, Italy. She is best known for being one of the first followers of St. Francis of Assisi and because she founded the order of Poor Clares. She inspires people because she was born in a wealthy family but chose the path to religion. She also supported the Franciscan ideal of radical poverty. I admire St. Clare of Assisi for all she accomplished and for the lives she touched.” – Writing by Bruck Haile, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington, D.C.

“I admire St. Roch because he cared for dogs, and dogs are my favorite animal. St. Roch helped dogs in need and cared for them. He helps the world see that dogs are more than just animals. He shows people that dogs can play with you and comfort you. I love animals, but most of all, I love dogs.” – Artwork and writing by Dina Mezaebu, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington, D.C.

St. Peter School, Capitol Hill

“My favorite saint is St. Peter because he was the first pope.” – Hank Schwartz, first grade, St. Peter School, Capitol Hill

“My favorite saint is St. Patrick because he taught the people of Ireland about God.” – Artwork and writing by Nora Perez, first grade, St. Peter School, Capitol Hill

“My favorite saint is St. John the Baptist because he baptized Jesus.” – Brooks Edwards, first grade, St. Peter School, Capitol Hill

“My favorite saint is St. John the Baptist because he prepared people for the coming of Jesus.” – Artwork and writing by Alexandra Smith, first grade, St. Peter School, Capitol Hill

“My favorite saint is St. Anne because she is the mother of Mary.” – Artwork and writing by Stewart Gilbride, first grade, St. Peter School, Capitol Hill

“My favorite saint is St. Catherine of Siena because she had a vision of the Lord and he asked her to do special work.” –Lila Vieson, first grade, St. Peter School, Capitol Hill

“My favorite saint is St. Nicholas because he saved a poor father and his three daughters by giving them gold in a bag.” – Artwork and writing by Anastasia Chan, first grade, St. Peter School, Capitol Hill

“My favorite saint is St. Clare because she followed St. Francis of Assisi.” – Artwork and writing by Margot Guinan, first grade, St. Peter School, Capitol Hill

St. Bartholomew Catholic School, Bethesda

“One of my favorite saints is St. Katharine Drexel because she humbled herself when she knew she had more than some people, and she served God in an incredible way. Like the parable told by Jesus, “exalt yourself and you will be humbled, humble yourself and you will be exalted,” she was very wealthy and so was her family, but they remained humble and helped the poor in many ways. I find not only Katharine, but her entire family inspirational. She then went into poverty for God by being a sister, and she opened many schools to help minorities. This is why she is one of my favorite saints, because she used all of her power to help minorities and those who were less fortunate than her.” – Artwork and writing by Coco Chiu, sixth grade, St. Bartholomew Catholic School, Bethesda, Maryland

“I love Mary, because she had the courage to say ‘yes’ to God even though she didn't know all the suffering she would have to go through!" – Artwork and writing by Sophia Delaney, seventh grade, St. Bartholomew Catholic School, Bethesda

“This is a drawing of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. The reason I picked this saint to draw is because I have a dog, and I love animals.” – Artwork and writing by Jacob Lang, fifth grade, St. Bartholomew Catholic School, Bethesda

Drawing of St. Sebastian by Daniel Delaney, fifth grade, St. Bartholomew Catholic School, Bethesda

“St. Joan of Arc was a very brave saint. She grew up in France, in a town called Domremy, with lots of siblings. In the 1400s the French were persecuted by the English, and England wanted the land of France to be part of England, and then God sent an angel to Joan who was St. Michael the Archangel. Then he told her to go to the city of Orleans and tell the commander to let her be a soldier and fight for France in the “Hundred Year War.” The first time she asked him he rejected her claim, the second time she went to him he accepted her as a soldier. The next day she was sent to Paris, to meet the future king whom the soldiers were all fighting for. And then she was sent to war. St. Joan of Arc to me is a hero, because it takes lots of courage and bravery to go to war and fight people who are much older and stronger than her physically, not spiritually. I wish to become as brave and courageous as St. Joan of Arc.” – Artwork and writing by Crista Beuermann, fifth grade, St. Bartholomew Catholic School, Bethesda

Drawing of St. Kateri Tekakwitha by Brynn Ligon, eighth grade, St. Bartholomew Catholic School, Bethesda

Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons

“St. Peter was one of the 12 apostles. He was a fisherman and is the patron saint of netmakers, shipbuilders and fishermen. St. Peter was the first pope. Jesus told him to run the Church in (about) the year 30 A.D. He served as pope until his death, sometime between 60 and 70 A.D. He died when he was crucified upside down. He requested this because he didn’t want to die the same way as Jesus because he felt unworthy.” – Artwork and writing by Conner Matters, eighth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons

“St. Henry II (973 to 1024 A.D.) was the king of Germany and the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.” – Artwork by Hank Russell, fifth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons, Maryland

“My favorite saint is St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. I admire her because she is a good example of fighting for what you believe in… Her love for Jesus is amazing, and I love her story. She is the light that shines.” – Writing by Kalina Dillard, fourth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons

Drawing of St. Rose of Lima by Camryn Stark, seventh grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons

“St. Catherine of Alexandria helped protest the persecution of Christians and gave her life for it… We can learn (from her example) that we don’t have to hide our faith…” – Writing by Charlotte Adams, sixth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons

“My favorite saint is St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. I chose St. Francis because I love animals. After I started to learn more about him and what he did for the Christian church, I truly began to appreciate him in a different way. St. Francis’ family was wealthy, but he decided to live a life of poverty when God called to him. I truly admire his ability to give up his items and live a selfless life. What I truly found inspiring was his quote: ‘Start by doing what’s necessary, then do what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.’ I can appreciate this saying as sometimes it is truly difficult to make the first step on a difficult task, but once getting started, everything seems to just fall into place. I can relate to this saying, as I was quite worried about starting fourth grade this year. But once I got started and into the rhythm of the year, things have worked out, and I am truly enjoying school.” – Artwork and writing by Tyler Wingenter, fourth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons

“I like St. Elizabeth of Portugal because she was a peacemaker and gave back to the poor even though she was a queen. She always resolved conflict in her royal family, and when her husband died, she distributed her land to the poor.” – Artwork and writing by Carissa Dioguardi, sixth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons

“I admire St. Catherine of Siena because she loves Jesus, and she is one of the doctors of the Church, a title given by the Catholic Church to saints recognized for their contributions to theology.” – Isabelle Mekonnen, third grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons

Drawing of St. Kateri Tekakwitha by Valentina Cruceta, fourth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons

“My favorite saint is St. Michael the Archangel, an excellent example of fortitude and obedience to God. He never disobeyed God like the fallen angels did. Rather, he bravely fought against Satan and the other evil angels. We can pray to St. Michael, and ask him for protection against the devil’s attempts to get us to sin. St. Michael, through the power of God, watches over us and protects us. St. Michael can be an example of doing God’s will faithfully and with fortitude, no matter the temptations not to… St. Michael shows that all things are possible through God. He shows that if we are doing something for God, we should never be afraid, because God will protect us. As we see in 2 Corinthians 5:1, we should do God’s will, not that of the world, because God’s reward is eternal and so is His love. We should pray to St. Michael for fortitude and protection.” – Luke Annulis, eighth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons

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December Junior Saints

In December we celebrate Christmas, when we prayerfully remember the birth of Jesus. For the December Junior Saints, draw a picture of the first Christmas, and write about what Christmas means to you. The drawings and writings should be emailed to ZimmermannM@adw.org by Thursday Dec. 1, 2022 to Mark Zimmermann, the Catholic Standard's editor,  and they should include the name, grade and school or parish of the student printed clearly.

Due to time constraints involved with reviewing the volume of submitted work, it is requested that schools or parish religious education programs limit their entries to 10 drawings and 10 writings from their students. The best formats to send are jpegs for artwork and word documents or pdfs for writing, if possible. Thank you!