Marmion Kreations

Saints_Aplenty is just one of the great faith-based shops you’ll find on Zazzle. Here are some others:

Spring has sprung! If April showers are already bringing you May flowers, add a finishing touch to your garden with a religious garden flag from Saints_Aplenty on Zazzle! In this installment on Catholic Gardens, we'll focus on Mary Gardens, gardens dedicated to the Blessed Virgin.

May is traditionally the month children make their First Holy Communion. Here you'll find helpful hints to prepare for this milestone event in a child's spiritual journey and a wide array of stunning gifts and cards for this sacramental occasion on Zazzle! Many Zazzle items can even be personalized! Start your browsing here today!

The earliest possible date for Pentecost Sunday is May 10th; the latest, June13th. This Christian feast celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, Mary the Mother of Jesus, and a number of His other followers while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:1–31) seven weeks after Easter. For this reason, the Sacrament of Confirmation which bestows on confirmands the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit is usually celebrated around the same time in late Spring.

Saints with May feast days featured at Saints_Aplenty on Zazzle. As a bonus. we include recommended films and works of historical fiction to inspire you!

Saints with June feast days featured at Saints_Aplenty on Zazzle. As a bonus. we include recommended films and works of historical fiction to inspire you!

Saints with July feast days featured at Saints_Aplenty on Zazzle. As a bonus. we include recommended films and works of historical fiction to inspire you!

Are you a religious person who golfs? Or, do you golf religiously (pun intended)? Hit the links with these items from Saints_Aplenty on Zazzle! Most items feature St. Andrew the Apostle and/or St. Jude Thaddeus, the Patron Saints of Golf. But the collection also features some secular items with amusing vintage images of golfers. You can view small subsets or the entire collection all at once. Items mix or match. We've even included some informational articles and items by our fellow Zazzlers here.

“Turn me over,” he said to his executioners. “I’m done on this side!” Known especially for his droll sense of humor, St. Lawrence of Rome (third century) is one of the Eternal City’s most celebrated martyrs. We like to think he would be amused by our coordinating “Grilling (or Cooking) with” items! At any rate, it's time to fire up your grill and get ready for summer barbecue!

It occurs to me that if you're interested in reading about saints, you may want/need a refresher course in history, religion, or art. Here's a recommendation! Our household has purchased courses on everything from music, science, business, to history.

Who are the saints in the Catholic Church? Why do Catholics pray to and venerate the saints? Sigrid Undset, a Nobel laureate in Literature and a favorite author of mine, simply dubbed saints “God's friends.” Once recognized merely by popular acclamation, saints in the Catholic Church undergo a vetting process known as canonization before being publicly venerated (NOT worshipped). Part 1 is a list of reference works for the serious reader and researcher. Most can be found on Amazon, at your local library, and/or online at the Internet Archive. Not to worry. I'll get to more popular accounts later in an ongoing series of lists.

Part 1 of Saintdom: A Reader's Guide ended with standard reference books about saints known up to c. 1900 when Baring-Gould wrote. It was fairly academic. This list is more popular and takes up where we left off, with saints who largely lived and died in the past 150 years or who were canonized in that period. It also includes saints divided by gender, marital status, or region. Included too are several books on special topics. + Have a favorite book on the saints in general? Leave a comment, and we'll compile a list of your favorites!+ Looking ahead… Our next Saintdom reading list will be on iconography, that is, how saints are depicted in the visual arts. Watch for it in late August!