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April 1, 2019By Christina Galeone
CFP Correspondent
WEBSTER – For the past few years, Melissa McDonald had hoped to find a club for her daughters to join. She wanted them to join one in which they could strengthen their Catholic faith and make new friends. But when she finally found a Catholic Girl Scout group in the area, she discovered that the demand for such a group was higher than she had realized. The troop was filled to capacity before her daughters could join it.
Instead of continuing her search, she felt inspired to create a free, informal club for girls that would focus on saints.
“After repeatedly hearing the song ‘Be the Change’ from one of my favorite Christian singers, Britt Nicole, … I gathered the courage to ask Father (Adam) Reid if Sacred Heart Parish would be receptive to such a group,” Mrs. McDonald recalled. “With his support and that of other devoted moms, the group is gradually drawing girls from different parts of Worcester County.”
Established by Mrs. McDonald in October 2018, the Catholic Girls Club meets one Saturday each month at Sacred Heart Church’s Emmaus Center. The hour-long club meetings celebrate either a female saint or a Marian feast day. Girls, who are age 6 and older, and their moms, are welcome to attend the meetings, which run October through May.
Although the club is still growing, there are generally seven or eight girls, between the ages of 8 and 13, who attend the meetings with their moms. Each meeting begins with introductions and a beautiful prayer to the Blessed Mother. Then, each girl is given a coloring page and a page with insightful facts about the saint or the Marian feast.
A few of the saints who have been featured are St. Agnes, the young martyr who bravely resisted corruption; St. Elizabeth of Hungary, a humble princess who dedicated her short life to serving the poor and suffering, and St. Josephine Bakhita, the patron saint of Sudan who triumphed over slavery and racism.
“After our short discussion, we then do a craft which has some connection to the saint,” Mrs. McDonald said. “For St. Josephine Bakhita, we made a mason jar luminary inspired by a famous quote from her.”
The quote from St. Josephine is: “Seeing the sun, the moon and the stars, I said to myself: ‘Who could be the Master of these beautiful things?’ And I felt a great desire to see him, to know him and to pay him homage.”
The quote was printed on the lids of the luminary jars so that the girls would remember that “St. Josephine pursued God even before knowing about him,” she said.
The related activities aren’t limited to crafts. Some meetings have also included activities that reflect the compassion and kindness of the ladies who were discussed.
“While discussing St. Elizabeth of Hungary, we made bags for the homeless,” Mrs. McDonald shared. “In December, another mom came up with the idea of presenting special gift bags to the women at Visitation House (a home in Worcester for women facing crisis pregnancies) while discussing Our Lady of Guadalupe. These acts of charity from our daughters and, especially, seeing the other moms become involved in the group with their creative ideas, really touch my heart.”
She hopes the club will continue to grow and flourish.
“The female saints discussed are strong, courageous, faith-filled and completely unashamed of their feminine qualities; they view femininity as a strength ...,” Mrs. McDonald said. “My dream is for girls to start seeing these saints as their role models – and not the (women) who are famous in the secular media. I want to encourage these girls to become future saints and be the change this world needs.”
– To attend a meeting, please email Melissa McDonald at kyleandmelissa2004@gmail.com.
