Lenten Calendar

For a few years now I've made a Lenten calendar to make the special days, activities and saints leading up to Easter as we journey through Lent.  It's a way for the kids to see the season visibly and give them something concrete to mark the passing days and the specialness of the Liturgical Season.  As Catholics there is a predictable flow as we move throughout the year from purple to green to white to green to purple - colors change as the year go along, special feast days and Holy Days to celebrate.  There is a sense of peace in this flow as we enjoy the current season and look forward to the next.

Now are in in "purple" as we have officially entered Lent.  A time of penance, sacrifice, increased prayer.  A time to grow closer to God and seek him more deeply in our daily struggles as we anticipate the joy of the coming Easter season where we will once again sing the Great Alleluia and the darkness of Lent gives way to the light of Easter.

So, each year the calendar gets hung.  I enjoy the quiet nights of working on it after the kids are in bed and then there is always excitement when it's finally hung up.  A sticker gets put on each day to mark the days completed in our journey.

 

I have had a few people ask me how to make this so I will post the dimensions below.  For the pictures of saints and feast days I simply googled the images I wanted, copied them to a Word file, typed the name under it and printed it out.  If anyone would like the file simply contact me and I will send it to you.

You will need 1 full size piece of poster board.  The measurements are:

Header: 2 7/8 inches deep (from the top down)

Section w/ the Days of the Week: 1 1/8 inches

Calendar squares: 3 1/8" wide by 3" deep