Maybe you’ve taken the plunge and started your own feast table, and it was a flop. OR, maybe you are on the fence about permanently designating a place for a family feast table. Or maybe you have questions about how it all works. Today, I’m answering your questions about the Catholic feast table so you and your family can get the most out of this simple and beautiful way to live the liturgical year.
Troubleshooting the Catholic Feast Table
The Kids Ignore the Feast Table
So you’ve taken the time to set up this beautiful feast table highlighting the liturgical rhythm and the kids seem totally oblivious! Here are a couple things to ask yourself as you try to get the children to interact with the feast table more .
- Where is the Feast Table located? If it is possible to move the feast table to a more prominent position in your home, your kids will naturally pay more attention to it. Can you rework the location?
- Do you change your feast table enough so there is something new to discover on occasion? This doesn’t mean you should change your feast table decor on a daily basis, but keeping your feast table fresh by changing the colors, statuary, pictures, and books will all help to create an excitement and curiosity about this liturgical table. Changing things on a semi-regular basis will tune your children into watching for feast table changes.
- Do you take time in your day to highlight the table? Every morning we gather around our feast table for our Morning Time (this year we are incorporating our Catholic family devotions into this cooperative learning time). I often note what is taking place on our feast table. I don’t do this on a daily basis, but taking some time in regularly to highlight what’s going on liturgically is a great way to peak interest.
The Feast Table has become a dumping ground
Flat surfaces can quickly become clutter collectors. Help your family understand that the feast table is a place you want to keep set apart and ask them to help you keep it clean and tidy. If you find the same thing consistently migrating to the feast table, take some time to ask yourself why. Are papers piling up? – maybe you need a better system for dealing with paper. Are there toys? – place a basket near by to coral loose toys. Get to the heart of the problem and try to solve it. (I address creating systems in my post: 11 ways you are Sabotaging your Homemaking.)
See how I lined up 3 green place mats as a liturgically appropriate table runner? Also note the propped up book with the image of St. Thomas. It is about using what you have!
I don’t have anything to use on my Catholic Feast Table
DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT go out and purchase a whole bunch or religious paraphernalia – this is not what the heart of the Catholic feast table is about! The feast table is a simple way to celebrate the liturgical year, tailor made for each family and home.
When I first started our family feast table back in January as part of my New Year’s goal, I had very few religious objects. The table was sparse and at times looked pretty gaudy. Over the course of the year, I’ve tried to keep my eyes open for things I could use on my feast table that I had around the house as well as picked up just a couple of ne
GET CREATIVE One thing that I loved using on my feast table in the beginning was my book of One Hundred Saints. The book has beautiful art images of the saints along with a detailed synopsis of their life. I began propping the book up on a cookbook stand (something I also had on hand) and highlighting saints on their feasts days by turning to their picture. Not only did this make decorating the feast table super simple, but my oldest, Jim (9), would pick up the book and read about the saint! The book is dirt cheap on Amazon (like $4 cheap) and would be a great way to get a lot of bang for your feast table buck! Just writing this makes me want to get back in the habit of using that book!
GET A BUDGET If you can set aside a little money every now and then for some religious “stuff,” do so. I realized I didn’t have a statue of Mary, so I waited a few months and then purchased one from Amazon (I rotate it between my garden and the feast table). I also wanted to highlight Saint Joseph in the month of March, so I got this statue off of Amazon for $13 (this same company sells many affordable small statues).
ASK Several of the religious items we have in our home have either been given to us as hand-me-downs or as Christmas presents. We don’t have many crucifixes in our home (yet!), so I asked my in-laws for one for Christmas when they wanted suggestions. Be open to receiving hand-me-downs and also making suggestions (Catholic books for your kids and religious decor for you) when someone needs a gift idea.
My house is too small and I don’t have a spare table for a Catholic Feast Table
I am blessed to have a large house, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t hard to find just the right spot for the feast table. Your “table” may not be a table at all. I had our feast table on a bookshelf for awhile and have moved it to several locations in our home before I finally found the right spot. Here are some pictures highlighting the moves and changes on our feast table this year.
The feast table need not be large to be special. You may need to get creative and use a shelf, a bookshelf, a coffee table, a nook, a dining room table, or a piano top. The beauty of the feast table is that it is easy to transform and shape it to what works for you and your family.
I don’t have any Catholic books
The monthly book basket is a big part of our Catholic feast table, but several years ago, our Catholic bookshelf was pretty bare. I’ve slowly built up our collection by giving the children a Catholic book for things like birthdays, Christmas, Easter, and St. Nicholas day. I wouldn’t say we have a lot of books, because I try to be discerning in which ones I plunk my money down on. Just because a book is touted as Catholic doesn’t mean it is worth your hard earned cash or bookshelf space. Slowly grow your collection and you will be much happier with your Catholic library in the end.
BORROW While most libraries don’t carry too many religious books, you may be lucky enough to find a few in yours. We have been able to borrow quite a few Catholic books from the local library. Some of these we liked so much we ended up purchasing our own copy, but it was nice to try it out for free first. You can also use interlibrary loan.
BEG Make a list of books you could suggest to family members at Christmas time.
GIFT Give your children a Catholic book (or two!) for special occasions.
You can find links to liturgically appropriate book ideas in each of the feast table posts.
My most popular post “Must Reads for Young Catholics.”
Advent and Christmas Read Alouds
I don’t know when to celebrate what!
Oh, boy! I’ve been here before. I remember watching Elizabeth Foss when I first converted to Catholicism. I so wanted that for my family, but I found the feast days passing me by.
The first thing I did was sit down and create my feast day calendar (free for subscribers!). I actually made it for myself years before I had this blog, but have since cleaned it up to give to you! I would check the calendar for feast days we wanted to celebrate at the beginning of every month and then note them in my planner. This worked fairly well for quite a while.
Overtime, I wanted something even more streamlined. This last year for Christmas I asked Husband to help me create my own personal Catholic planner. I don’t have to copy feast days anymore, they are all right there. I still take time at the beginning of every month to see what is coming liturgically and make some simple plans for celebrations. I certainly don’t sell the only Catholic planner, you are sure to find one that suits your personality. You can find my planner in my Etsy shop in many different formats including digital and bound copies. I also sell the standard format on Amazon, but I do not always keep it in stock.
Alternatively, you can always browse through each feast table post by month as you do your planning:
December Feast Table (yet to come!)
The Catholic Feast Table is just one more thing on my already too long to-do list
Oh, I can totally relate to this too! The whole point of the Catholic feast table is to simplify the liturgical year while continually living it in a meaningful way. Yes, the feast table does take some time to plan and implement up front. You will need to think about the location, the materials, and the decor, and make changes when things aren’t going as planned, but eventually it will fit seamlessly into your life.
I take a moment at the beginning of every month to refresh the feast table, but other than that, there is very little day to day work on the feast table front.
What holds you back from tackling a Catholic feast table in your home?
Other posts you may want to read:
All the Catholic Feast Table Posts
Catholic Family Devotions Around the Feast Table
Reasonable Expectations and Simple Strategies for Mass with Littles
