Looking for a Liturgical Calendar?

Have you been searching for an interactive liturgical calendar?

As a catechist for both adults and children, this is one of my absolute favorite works. It helps us visualize that God's time is not our time. The church year gives a glimpse of time through God's eyes as a continuous cycle of life, death and rebirth.

WOODEN

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd wooden liturgical calendar can be one of the trickiest materials both to build and present. It is also one of the most rewarding. I've used it for RCIA, parent meetings, and teen groups.

Here is a sample painted for CGS Level I:

Mike Kwitowski, founder of Atrium Woodworks, only built a couple of these because they were so time consuming. Unless you specialize or make these in batches, he found it difficult to make just one set to order at an affordable price.

I recommend purchasing an unfinished wooden liturgical calendar from Shades of Oak or another approved CGS source. My experience is that Shades of Oak ships quickly and offers high quality materials.

PAPER

For adults and older children, a more affordable and absolutely lovely option is a "Year of Grace" Liturgical Calendar available from Liturgical Training Publications.

They offer new artwork every year, and I catch myself stopping to just enjoy and ponder the details. You can get a set of small paper copies for individual student work, or a wall calendar in plain paper or laminated. In the past I have ordered a large laminated Spanish edition for our home.

DIY

Want to bring the liturgical calendar to life in a sensory way, but can't pay for production and shipping? Don't despair!

In The Child in the Church, Maria Montessori mentioned a very simple circular liturgical calendar with sections of the four colors. This was an idea to teach the liturgical colors to very young children.

I saw another catechist make paper plate versions with the kids inspired by the book "Praise God with Paper Plates" by Anita Reith Stohs.

You can make a more complicated "puzzle" version with all the weeks cut out of cardstock. Once I did this work with a group of 5th graders who drew and cut out their own circular liturgical calendars from scratch. It helps to have an accurate compass and ruler to make the circles.

Or try a Liturgical Colander (source unknown, but thank you anonymous meme maker!).