We don’t often think of Thanksgiving as a “Catholic” holiday. After all, it is a man-made occasion, rather than a liturgical feast day like Christmas or Easter.
However, a holiday created by Christians and centered around gratitude is something that merges easily with our faith, and so Thanksgiving can be a very Catholic day for us!
Here’s some ideas as to how to make it a Catholic Thanksgiving:
1. Start the day with Mass. The word “Eucharist” means “thanksgiving,” and indeed, the Mass is the greatest act of thanksgiving we can make to God. Additionally, you can center your prayers on the theme of gratitude throughout Thanksgiving Day. Invite your guests to pray with you, especially at grace before meals.
2. Remember the first Thanksgiving. Do we mean the harvest dinner of the Pilgrims? While we can remember that too, the first Thanksgiving actually took place 60 years earlier. A Spanish fleet arrived in Florida in 1565, and its Franciscan chaplain, Fr. Francisco Lopez de Mendoza Grajales, offered a Mass of thanksgiving when they came ashore. The region’s natives joined the Spanish for Mass and a celebratory meal afterwards.
3. Celebrate St. Martin. In Catholic tradition, one of the great saints we celebrate in November is St. Martin of Tours, famous for this act of charity towards a needy beggar. His November 11th feast, called Martinmas, was celebrated much like our Thanksgiving: harvest vegetables, wine from the summer vintage, even roast goose. In fact, there is evidence that this roast goose is the predecessor of our American Thanksgiving turkey (read more at Good Catholic)!
4. Imitate the charity of Squanto. Although the historical details of the first Thanksgiving are debated, we do know a good bit about a certain key character. Tisquantum, or Squanto, had little reason to be nice to white people: an Englishman had enslaved him and taken him away from his people several years earlier. Through the goodness of two Spanish Franciscan friars who bought his freedom, he was able to eventually return home (and it appears he was baptized a Catholic by these same friars!). Sadly, Squanto found on his return that his whole community had been wiped out by European disease. Nonetheless, he acted as a translator and emissary between the Pilgrims and the natives of the area and taught the newcomers the skills they needed to survive. His story exemplifies forgiveness, charity, and generosity—virtues we should all strive to imitate!
Make it a Catholic holiday this year with our exclusive Thanksgiving Bless Us O Lord Tile. Featuring watercolor-style, harvest-themed art and the classic grace before meals text, this festive piece of decor will remind you to be thankful always. Available today only at The Catholic Company!
