Enjoy an Edible Chair of St. Peter Building Challenge on February 22!

It's no secret: My family enjoys celebrating faith through food. We also like design challenges. 

So, last year, inspired by Tracy at A Slice of Smith Life and Jessica at Catholic Cuisine, my family spent time learning and chatting about the feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle  before having fun with an edible chair design challenge!

If you are looking for a tasty and engaging way to share about the feast of the Chair of St. Peter and its significance with kids, I recommend trying a similar challenge!

Preparing (Physically) for Our Chair of St. Peter Design Challenge

For two years, my children participated in Destination Imagination and I managed their team.  So, I got fairly good at preparing Instant Challenges and thinking about items that could be used as extenders (to achieve length), connectors (to fasten things together), and controllers (to define, confine, contain, or carry things) as well as things that could be used for decorative purposes.

Applying D.I. concepts to a food challenge, then, I gathered and set out:

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• extenders: GF graham crackers, and GF granola bars, plus dye-free mini-marshmallows

• connectors: raw almond butter, roasted almond butter, natural peanut butter, hummus, dairy-free "cream cheese" and dye-free gummy candies

• controllers: again, the gluten-free pop tarts, GF graham crackers, and GF granola bars, plus cashews

• decorative items: raisins, blueberries, raspberries, and pineapple chunks and dairy-free whipped cream, raisins and cashews. 

Then, I set forth these simple rules:

Within five minutes, use the food items provided to create a self-standing, 4-legged chair with arms and a back.  For bonus points, also create "iron rings" set into the legs and/or add something ornate to your chair.

Of course, my children were eager to create - and eat! - as soon as they saw the array of goodies on the table, but, first, their was learning and conversation to be had.

Preparing (Spiritually) for Our Chair of St. Peter Design Challenge

Once we were seated at the table, we talked about what feast day it was, why we celebrate the Chair of St. Peter, and what its significance is.

To help us, we looked at photos of the Chair of St. Peter as it now is on our KindleFire.

Then, we read about the feast day in our copy of In His Likeness and - connected to a portion of the reading - discussed how human failings have ramifications, but God's plan for salvation prevails. We also prayed for our current pope and that "nothing divide our unity in faith and love".

We also talked some more about the feast day and took a look at what the original Chair of St. Peter looked like.

Ready... Set... Go!  Create Your Edible Chairs!

With plenty of background in mind, we set a timer and set forth the meet our design challenge!

The children worked with great focus.

And even Daddy joined in.

When the timer went off, each of us had a chair.

Most looked similar, with the same basic parts made out of similar materials.

Although some had a a couple missing legs...

Or no legs at all!

And only one had "iron rings", and, thus, was declared the winner!

A Story to Close the Challenge

In reality, however, everyone won, because we all learned about or deepened our understanding of the feast... and we all enjoyed eating the fruits (and treats) of our labor!

While we ate, I read Follow Me: Peter Lays Down His Net, a book which uses beautiful illustrations and child-friendly text to retell the Gospel stories about Jesus' death and resurrection as framed by the relationship between Jesus and Peter, and, thus reminds us that Jesus loves and forgives each of us and wants us to be with Him forever.

Some of my children also watched a Youtube video with me that provides an excellent talk on St. Peter as "the rock:

 

It was a fruitful, fun, faith through food celebration!  We hope to repeat the design challenge this year (using more plant-based food along with treats for the kids) and hope that, by sharing about our experience here, you might be inspired to celebrate the feast day of the Chair of St. Peter in your domestic church.

A Prayer for the Pope

Before closing, may I ask that you join me in prayer, using a prayer from Catholic Culture:

Lord, source of eternal life and truth, give to Your shepherd, the Pope, a spirit of courage and right judgement, a spirit of knowledge and love.By governing with fidelity those entrusted to his care may he, as successor to the apostle Peter and vicar of Christ, build Your church into a sacrament of unity, love, and peace for all the world.We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

For more ideas for celebrating the Chair of St. Peter feast day, see the 10 ideas I previously shared:

Get more ideas!

St. Peter, pray for us. 

10 Ideas for Celebrating the Chair of St. Peter with Children

My youngest son has taken, recently, to looking at our calendar to read what holidays and holy days are coming up. This week, he noticed that February 22 is the feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle. When I asked him what he thought that day is about, my daughter popped up saying, "because St. Peter was the first pope and the chair's a holy relic." My youngest then added that "St. Peter was given God's authority", and popes might have "big power" on the chair.

To a degree, both my daughter and son are right. St. Peter was, indeed, the first pope, and St. Peter's Chair has become a holy relic, which symbolizes, as His Holiness Benedict XVI, Pope Emeritus said, "the special mission of Peter and his Successors to tend Christ’s flock, keeping it united in faith and in charity." 

Further, when any pope speaks ex cathedra, which is Latin for "from the chair", his pronouncements are considered to be infallible. That is, indeed, a pretty powerful thing.  

However, "the power" is not really the pope's. It is God's, and the infallible pronouncements of the pope need not to be made when sitting on the actual physical Chair or St. Peter (or when seated at all for that matter.) Rather, when a pope speaks "from the chair", it is a figurative thing, which means that the pope is drawing on the fullness of authority granted him as a successor to St. Peter in offering teachings made about particular matters pertaining to faith and morals. So, not everything  the pope says is infallible and that which is given as infallible need not be proclaimed when seated on the chair.

That means that on January 22, when we celebrate the feast of the Chair of St. Peter, we are not so much celebrating a physical chair as we are recognizing the specialness -or primacy, of Peter and his successors - and recalling the authority God granted them in their mission to shepherd us - the Church - with their pastoral power. 

As we think about the symbolism of the Chair of St. Peter, we reflect upon the love, presence, and protection of Christ for us - the Church - as demonstrated in the special role Christ gave to St. Peter and his successors.

So How Do We Celebrate the Chair of St. Peter with Children?

1.  Look at the Chair of St. Peter and chat about its symbolism.
Take children on a virtual tour of the Chair of St. Peter by looking at various images of the actual piece of furniture encased in an ornate sculpture by Bernini located in the apse of St. Peter’s Basilica, and, then, discuss how this monumental physical object represents an even more stupendous spiritual authority.

2.  Have fun with measurements. 
Refer to the Catholic Encyclopedia, which states that the original seat:

"...is about one foot ten inches above the ground, and two feet eleven and seven-eighths inches wide; the sides are two feet one and one-half inches deep; the height of the back up to the tympanum is three feet five and one-third inches; the entire height of the chair is four feet seven and one-eighth inches. According to the examination then made by Padre Garucci and Giovanni Battista de Rossi, the oldest portion ... is a perfectly plain oaken arm-chair with four legs connected by cross-bars. The wood is much worm-eaten, and pieces have been cut from various spots at different times, evidently for relics. To the right and left of the seat four strong iron rings, intended for carrying-poles, are set into the legs..."

Then, get out measuring tools and - perhaps cardboard boxes - and measure out the dimensions of the original chair after taking a peak at what the chair looked like.

3.  Try an instant challenge.  It could also be fun to give children various materials such as popsicle sticks, toilet paper tubes, address labels, etc. and to see if they can create four-legged arm chairs with cross bars within a specified amount of time and, then, with further supplies, make it more grand and ornate during a second session of time. (We did a similar thing once making "Sabbath Chairs" as a design challenge.)

4.  Make edible chairs!
Alternately, you could provide cookies, crackers, nut butters, and more and challenge children to design edible chairs, much like Tracy at A Slice of Smith Life does annually. Alternately, you could make healthier fruit salad chairs like the ones on Catholic Cuisine.

While making chairs or enjoying some nibbles, chat about the successors to St. Peter, thinking about what Fr. Steve Grunrow says in "Why in the World Do Catholics Celebrate a Chair":

"Many men have been seated in the “chair” of Saint Peter over the centuries.  Some were saints, others scoundrels, and many more barely left any impression on the Church at all.

In the end, what is important about the papacy is not the individuals who have served as successors of St. Peter, great or infamous as they might be, but the enduring testimony to the Lord Jesus that the mission and ministry of the popes represent: 'And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.'"

5.  Discuss St. Peter as the Rock on which the church was built.
You might view the following talk about this and, then, chat about it:





While discussing Peter as the rock, and, then, his successors, it might also be lovely to pause and pray for the pope and his intentions.

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6.  Cuddle up with a picture book.  There are plenty of quality picture books about St. Peter out there.  One of my favorites during this time of year is Follow Me: Peter Lays Down His Net (which is currently 57% off at Amazon).  

It does not tell of St. Peter as the first pope, but, rather uses beautiful illustrations and child-friendly text to retell the Gospel stories about Jesus' death and resurrection as framed by the relationship between Jesus and Peter.  In the book, we witness how Peter willingly followed Jesus, then denied Christ, but, ultimately, was forgiven and, then, chose to fully embrace Christ's love and to carry on in Jesus' footsteps by telling others about Him and serving in His name.

The story is an affirming one which reminds us that Jesus loves and forgives each of us and wants us to be with Him forever.

7.  Draw a rooster. 
When retelling the story of Peter and Jesus' relationship, we hear of how Peter denied Jesus three times before the cock crowed. We also hear of how he affirmed his love for Christ three times upon Christ's resurrection. You may wish to chat about this while drawing roosters, reminding children that, like Peter, we all deny Jesus through our words, actions, and failings at times, but, also, like Peter, we can all make amends and affirm our love for Jesus, basking in Christ's mercy and love. 

We did just this very thing last week as a part of our AMP club activities and it went beautifully.

You can connect the chat even more with this feast day by discussing how Peter went from being a fisherman to a fisher or men, to denying, to reaffirming, and, finally, to being Christ's successor here on earth, sitting in the Chair of Peter spreading God's Word and sharing His love.

8.  Eat chicken or rockfish.Along the same lines, you could also serve any sort of chicken dish. 

For my meat eaters, I was thinking of serving chicken sandwiches cut into heart shapes to remind us of Peter's denial followed by forgiveness and love.  Or, you could go with rockfish (as suggested at Catholic Cuisine) since St. Peter was a fisherman and the rock on which the church was built.

Remember, today is not so much about the Chair of St. Peter itself but of the special mission of Peter and his Successors to keep Jesus' flock united in faith and charity.

9.  Make some keys.
A common symbol of St. Peter is keys - the keys to the kingdom.  So, another activity might be crafting simple keys for costuming as my son did last All Saints Day or, better yet, because children love faith through food, making keys out of cookie dough, pancake batter, or bread dough.

10.  Play Commissioned.  If you have children that like games, Commissioned by Chara games includes St. Peter in it and is a game my children enjoy and recommend.

Or, let your children's interests take the lead, tailoring activities and edibles to their preferences and using what you do as a fun way to connect and share meaningful conversation and teaching about the significance Chair of St. Peter.

I'd love to hear how you celebrate the day, so, if you have a chance, pop on over to the Training Happy Hearts Facebook page or leave a comment here to share. Thanks!

9 Resources for Sharing St. Peter, St. Paul, and the Early Christians with Kids

Ever have one of those weekends when you conclude it more tired than you started it?

That's the kind of weekend I am wrapping up. As I do, I am not complaining. It has been a full and beautiful long weekend for our family with back-to-back celebrations and learning adventures. I am, however, slightly berating myself for not completing the coming week's meal planning and learning time preparations before heading into this past weekend. For, here we are, less than a half an hour until Monday is upon us, and I've yet to accomplish such weekly tasks.

I have, however, gotten one small part of those tasks done! I looked ahead at the week's calendar to see which saint days are coming up and, realized that this week we will remember St. Peter and St. Paul as well as the Early Christian Martyrs. With this in mind, I browsed our book collection and pulled out faith-centered reading for the children and I to enjoy together this week:

{Disclosure:  There are affiliate links to Amazon, CCC of America, and Holy Heroes below for your convenience should you want to learn more about any of the titles we'll be enjoying this week.  Should you click on any of the links and make purchases, we may receive small compensation.  Thank you for supporting our efforts in Training Happy Hearts and sharing about it here.}

~1~

 The Very First Christians is a picture book we typically read together shortly after Easter.  This year, Luke read it on his own, but we never read it together in its entirety as a family.  So, we will be reading it this week.  

~2~

The Loyola Kids Book of Heroes (which sells used for as little as 74 cents!) has portions on St. Peter, St. Paul, and the Early Christians.  Score!  We had just begun reading this book together for St. John the Baptist's feast day and now we will skip forward a bit to read about this week's saints.

~3~

Luke's beloved Dragon Slayer has a portion on St. peter, so we will be reading that as a family.

~4~

 
Our My First Catholic Bible (which can be scored as a used hardcover for but a penny!) has perfect illustrated scripture about St. Peter and St. Paul, so it will be our Bible study resource this week.

~5~

 
Of course, the trusty Picture Book of Saints (which also sells used for only a penny!) has pages on St. Peter and St. Paul, too, which will come in handy this week.

~6~

I checked out old, weather-worn, hand-me-down copy of Jesus Loved Them and there is a beautiful illustration and page about St. Peter, so it's in our pile for the week, too.

~7~

We also just happen to be in the midst of a review period for Heirloom Audio  Production's  Beric the Briton, which we have loved listening to twice already - and so we will be listening to it again this week! The audiodrama includes mention of St. Paul and the Early Christian Martyrs.

~8~

Plus, if we can find it where we last tucked it away, I will pull out our Holy Heroes St. Cecilia CD, since it also discusses the plight of early Christians.

~9~

 

Further, since we enjoy chilling out with family video time sometimes, I have also pulled out our copy of CCC of America's Ben-Hur film to have on hand for this week.  This is one of my youngest's favorite CCC videos and a perfect one to tie into the early Christian's theme.  The day we watch it (or the day after), I may print out the free Ben-Hur coloring page from CCC of America, too, for the children to enjoy.

I'd love to hear what your favorite faith-based picks for this week are! Are there any books, audios, or videos you'd recommend for engaging children in learning more about St. Peter, St. Paul, and the early Christian martyrs?