Apostles Epistles!

This year, I'm finally getting into the rhythm of the Apostles' Fast - celebrating for a long period after the resurrection, and then again for Pentecost. Then, just as the Apostles began their hard work, we, too, take up the mission of the Gospel and return to fasting.

I've made a kids' calendar printable for Lent, and the Nativity and Dormition fasts, but I never know what to do with the Apostles' Fast. Since it is a little longer this year, I decided its time to organize something for the kids, and I'm pretty excited about what I've got planned.

Since this fast is variable in length, instead of counting down the days, we’ll count up! I made a set of 40 postcards, including the 12 Apostles, some of the Seventy Apostles, and several saints Equal to the Apostles. The fast is usually (much) shorter than 40 days, so this should be more than enough for most years, and I can save the leftover cards for future years.

Each day (or at least a few times a week) we'll select one postcard and learn about that saint named on the card. Then we'll decorate the front of the postcard with a picture of the saint or their story, and write a note to a friend on the back. I think we'll keep our finished cards in a basket on the kitchen table where we can see them throughout the fast. On the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, we'll celebrate by collecting all the postcards and sending them to our friends - just like the Apostles were sent out to deliver the Gospel!

[A little update to show our first handful of cards.
My girls really like cutting shapes out of construction paper!]

If you want to get in on the fun, you can download the Postcard pdf. I really wanted to keep it from being too complicated, just simply print and cut the cards and decorate when you can. Of course, in summer it is hard to stick to a daily activity, so feel free to just make cards on week days or in a Sunday school class, or whenever you have a quiet moment during the fast, whatever is simplest and most helpful for your family. Use the link or check out the embedded file below. Blessed fast!

Postcards 
(I used 65# colored paper from walmart, which is heavier than printer paper, 
but lighter than cardstock so it works better in my home printer.)