Can you feel it? There are unmistakable signs everywhere.
The new, ever-so-slight nip in the breeze. The bough of crimson leaves hidden within a green canopy. Coupons for loose leaf paper. The way your home is resembling less a domestic church and more a pirate ship.
Indeed, these are the signs that the summer season is passing away, making way for the academic year.
The change from unstructured days to hourly schedules is a tricky transition for everyone, from teachers and parents to PreK-ers. But you don’t need to go it alone — we have friends in high places who can help us!
Can’t wait to hit the books?
Perfectly sharp pencils, brand new pens, tabbed planners, sticky notes, and paper bag book covers, oh my!
If you relish getting back to school and color coding your notes, breaking open your brand new set of crayons, and taking a deep dive into your textbooks, St. Thomas Aquinas should be your new bff.
St. Thomas will happily listen to you gush about that new fact you just learned about creation and how it helps you appreciate God even more.
When your other buddies are bored with school, he’ll share your joy as you discover that “love follows knowledge!”
Can’t remember where your school paperwork went?
You’re going to want to dial up St. Anthony.
No one in Heaven is working harder than him on the first day of school, when families are scrambling for lunch boxes, sneakers, water bottles, and keys.
Unlike our earthly friends and family, St. Anthony never tires of us asking him for help finding our stuff.
When Mom looks like she doesn’t care too much at this point if you go to school in shoes or not so long as you get in the car right now, St. Anthony can fill in as your go-to in locating the elusive footwear.
But don’t forget to thank him when you find your shoes behind the lawn mower in the garage before the van peals out of the driveway.
Are you really not looking forward to school?
If studying and test taking in particular causes you a lot of anxiety, St. Joseph of Cupertino is here for you.
He struggled mightily in his academic life and found it nearly impossible to retain what he’d learned.
In fact, he had only one verse of the Bible memorized.
But God works with what we’ve got, and lo and behold, that was the verse St. Joseph was asked to expound upon when taking his seminary exams. Even though St. Joseph wasn’t at the top of his class, he eventually rose to great heights in holiness, even to the point of levitation!
Before that next test, ask St. Joseph to pray for your peace and academic performance, as well as for trust in God as He lifts you up in His love.
On the fence about the start of school . . . and you’re the teacher?
You know teaching is a sacred calling from God, but boy, summer break has been divine too!
To help you change gears and get back to the daily grind, patron saints of teachers St. John Baptiste de La Salle and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton can intercede in a special way for you.
Ask them to help you remember that you are a reflection of Christ the Teacher who came to serve.
What a noble profession indeed!
Feel free to remind your students of your lofty position from time to time, too.
Carpooling?
Be sure to take along St. Frances of Rome and St. Christopher. The patroness of motorists and the patron of travelers will help ensure your passengers are accounted for, buckled in, and en route to the correct destination.
And while I don’t think there’s much they can do about rush hour traffic, I bet they’d be happy to pray for your patience as you inch along.
Can’t get organized enough?
Anyone else have 47,865 unread emails? No, just me?
If you’re quietly raising your hand, St. Zita is who you need to befriend.
Having earned a reputation for piety, efficiency, and excellent work for getting her employer’s house in order with enough money left over to help the poor, St. Zita can help us create order out of a chaotic inbox, drawer, basement, or chore schedule.
Through her intercession, “blessed, not stressed” can be our new motto.
Don’t go it alone
God so wonderfully gave us a literal host of friends to help us when we need it.
So when that backpack feels just too heavy or your afterschool driving is positively endless, remember that we’re not in this alone!
Saints are our friends in the truest sense of the word, ever at the ready to offer their help, so don’t forget to take them back to school with you this fall.
Meg Matenaer is a wife, mom, social media writer, and author residing in the Diocese of Madison.