This Series will focus on random Catholic things that I interest me, that I love, that I want to share - things that don’t fit into the other categories.
Lent is almost here! I don’t know about you, but I feel as though 2021 has gone by quickly. How is it almost Lent already?
Who here knows what they’re doing for Lent this year?
I don’t really have concrete plans for Lent this year, because I am still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that I’m going to have a baby halfway through the liturgical season. My main concern this year is that I’ll choose to do something for Lent that I won’t be able to continue once my baby comes.
On my instagram account, I asked my followers for suggestions, and so many of you said that being a first time mom is something! Giving up sleep, learning to take care of a new human, adapting my life from how it used to be to how it will be - all of these things are sacrifices that I am going to be making this Lent, and for the rest of my life.
So that is what I will be doing this year - offering up each of my motherhood sufferings, doing each thing for my baby with great love. But I’m also adding a couple other things. I’m going to listen to Catholic podcasts when I can and I am going to do the Blessed is She Lenten Devotional. My sister and I are also doing a Catholic faith/book study together, and because this is the first Lent as a mom for both of us, we are able to keep each other accountable, as well as visit and talk about our babies afterwards!
Do you know what you are doing for Lent this year?
One of the most common things that people do during Lent is give up social media. They delete their facebook, instagram, twitter, etc. apps, and instead try to fill that time with something else. I’ve done this a few times, and I love it. I don’t like being on social media, and I try to limit the amount of time I spend on it, but let's be real. It’s so easy to “accidentally” spend hours on social media.
Anyone else have that problem?
A couple years ago, when I was still a youth minister, I decided that instead of getting rid of social media, why don’t we fill our social media with accounts that will bring us closer to God, that will strengthen our faith, that won’t drain us but lift us up instead?
So, this Lent, if you want to change what’s on your social media feeds, here are some of my favourite social media pages that I follow. *Most of the pages I follow are geared more towards women, but I will also include some pages that are geared towards men, so that no one is left out! **Also, please note that the main social media that I use is Instagram, so I am only included Instagram pages for this list.
Blessed is She (@blessedisshe_): I have talked about this page before, and I cannot recommend it highly enough! Blessed is She is a wonderful place for Catholic women. They post images and quotes on instagram every day, as well as live videos on instagram and YouTube, and wonderful blog posts and daily devotionals about a variety of Catholic topics. Blessed is She also has a facebook group for Canadian women, and they make posts that facilitate community. They also sell amazing Catholic things for women, children, and families, like the Lenten devotional that I am going to follow this year. If you are looking for good Catholic content, community with Catholic women around the world, and daily Catholic inspirations, follow them on all their social media pages!
Lit Catholic Memes (@litcatholicmemes): I love this page! Who doesn’t like jokes that are funny, clean, and Catholic? I don’t always get all the jokes, but it’s nice to see lighthearted Catholic content that brightens my day.
Brick House in the City (@brickhouseinthecity): Not only does this page post beautiful, inspirational quotes from saints, or Catholic people, but they also make amazing Catholic clothes. I haven’t bought anything from Brick House yet, but almost every shirt is on my wish list!
Abiding Together Podcast (@abidingtogetherpodcast): To be honest, I do not listen to this podcast! Not because it isn’t good, but because I’ve never really gotten into podcasts, but this is the one that I’m going to listen to this Lent. This page posts quotes from saints, Catholic speakers, and from their own episodes. They share clips from their podcast, or short videos that they make. Their content looks pretty, and takes no time to read and reflect on.
Gotta Be Saints (@gottabesaints): If you know me, you know that I love the saints, so following this page was a no brainer. They post quotes every day from one saint or another, and I love it. I by no means know about every single saint, so when they post a quote from a saint I don’t know, it’s like being introduced to a new friend.
The Catholic Gentleman (@catholicgentleman): I found this page when I was working as a youth minister, as a possible page for the boys to follow, but I love it. They post black and white images with quotes from Catholic saints and people, and most of the quotes focus on men and Catholic masculinity. There are some really good blog posts on their website, and I’ve enjoyed the couple podcast episodes I’ve listened to. I think it’s a good page for men to follow, and women too.
Ascension Catholic (@catholicfaithformation): If you have heard of speakers like Bobby and Jackie Angel, Fr. Mark Mary, or Fr. Mike Schmitz, you have heard of Ascension Press/Presents. This is their official instagram account. They post videos from their speakers, mostly the four people I mentioned above, but also images with quotes from scripture and saints. They post so much stuff on their website and YouTube channel, but their instagram account is a good page to follow.
Life Teen (@lifeteen): This is an amazing page for youth to follow. I used Life Teen in my youth ministry, and some of my youth followed this page. They post pretty pictures, with captions that are directed towards youth. They post images of youth at Catholic conferences, doing Catholic things, and it’s a great page to remind us that anyone can live out the Catholic faith.
Tomics Comics (@tomics.comics): This is another page that I love to recommend. Every Friday, they post a short comic, about 4 panels, that often relates to that Sunday’s gospel reading. Some of them are from the point of view of a priest, some from young Jesus or the disciples, but they are so funny and entertaining! If you want to follow a light, fun Catholic page, this is for you!
Modern Catholic Goods (@moderncatholicgoods): Many of the Catholic pages I follow sell Catholic items, but because I live in Canada, the conversion rate, plus shipping, taxes, and all of that, can make some of these items too expensive for me. Modern Catholic Goods is a Canadian site that sells the items from these American businesses, such as Blessed is She, Be a Heart, Just Love Prints, Tiny Saints, and so many more. I love the website because everything is in Canadian dollars, with Canadian shipping prices. It makes it easier to support Catholic businesses, which is always a plus. This Instagram page highlights different catholic businesses, shares upcoming sales, and more. If you want to support Catholic businesses, follow this page!
Sacred Art by Tianna Williams (@sacredartbytianna): Speaking of supporting Catholic businesses, this is hands down one of my favourite pages to follow. I know Tianna personally, having attended retreats with her when we were younger, and I love her art work! She paints images of Jesus, Mary, and so many different saints, and I love them all - I can’t choose a favourite. I have a bunch of her artwork in my home, and I have almost all of the bookmarks of her art. You won’t regret following this amazing artist!
Meg Hunter-Kilmer (@mhunterkilmer): I first found out about Meg through a virtual Catholic retreat that I participated in last year during the beginning of Covid. She spoke about saints in her video and, like I’ve repeated often, I love saints, so I had to follow her page. She shares stories about the saints on her page, and most of the saints she talks about are saints that I’ve never heard of before. She also shares about her faith journey, and things she is doing in her prayer life, like reading scripture. I like her page a lot, and I hope you do too.
Emily Wilson (@emwilss): Emily is an amazing Catholic speaker. She is a wife and mother of two, but her ministry mostly focused on university aged women. She talks about dating and marriage as a Catholic, her marriage and relationship with her husband, and a wide variety of topics that Catholic women want to hear about. She has multiple books, one of which I am using for a girls group I am running. I highly recommend her instagram and YouTube channels to girls in high school and older.
Oh my goodness! As I was going through my list of Catholic pages, I realized how many great Catholic pages there are, and it was hard to narrow it down! If you have instagram, feel free to look at the pages I follow for more suggestions. It would take me too long to share them all here.
What Catholic social media pages do you follow? What pages do you follow that I don’t but I should? Is this something you would do - fill your feeds with Catholic pages?
Also, what are you doing for Lent? Are you going to do the same thing you did last year, or are you going to try something new? Will you work on overcoming a certain sin/bad habit, or will you try to spend more time with God in prayer?
No matter what your Lent looks like this year, I pray that you draw closer to God. We are all called to be saints, and Lent is a good time to start working towards that goal.
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