HEAVENLY
BRICKS

I recently discvovered that the area where Saint Modomnoc died, Kilkenny, Ireland, is where my own Irish ancestors are from. Sometimes it's those little connections that imbue so much more meaning than even the big, flashy miracles. I first learned about Saint Modomnoc from a children's book which was recommended to me by Amazon. See, sometimes algorithms can be good! The book is called The Saint and his Bees and it's an adorable story with beautiful illustrations. There's not a lot of existing information on St. Modomnoc, so much of my post today will be inspired by this book. Also, as always, I've taken a few creative liberties of my own. Lifetime: ~500 to ~550 Region: Ireland & Wales Patronages: Bees & Beekeepers; Kilkenny, Ireland Iconograpy: Bees or beehive; Green robe; Red or gray hair & beard Feast Day: February 13 Modomnoc was named Dominic during his life (putting "Mo" in front was an Irish way of adding familiarity). He...

Over the next couple months, you're going to notice a bias towards Irish saints, and Saint Brigid of Kildare is to blame. Her story inspired in me a fervent interest in Celtic Christianity, and when I converted to the Catholic faith (in large part due to the influence Brigid and the other Celts had on my own spirituality), I chose her for my patron saint. There's so many stories and legends about St. Brigid that it's hard to know where to start: druidic prophecy, time travel to the nativity, and reclaiming the miracles of a Celtic goddess all make for a pretty compelling narrative, but since I'm taking pictures of kids' toys, I think I'll focus on her childhood for today. Happy Imbolc! Let me know if the hedgehog sees its shadow! Lifetime: 451 to 525 Region: Ireland Patronages: Ireland; Dairy maids; Midwives Iconograpy: Reed cross; Open flame; Green habit Feast Day: February 1 Brigid's father was Dubthach, a wealthy chieftain, but she wasn...

Wait, an actual mermaid? That can't be real. Mermaids aren't real, so they can't be saints! Well, yes and no. Lifetime: 90 to 558 Region: Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland Patronages: People who like mermaids; Storytellers; Converts from pagan faiths (I made these up.) Iconograpy: Water; Otter; She's an actual mermaid Feast Day: January 27 Muirgen was born Li Ban and lived as a princess in her father's palace. But one day, a spring opened up under the palace, swallowing the entire building into a lake. Li Ban's whole family drowned, but Li Ban's room remained intact and continued holding air. She lived trapped in this underwater room for a year with only her dog to keep her company. After a year, Li Ban turned into a mermaid. Her faithful dog was also changed, becoming an otter to keep his master company. As a mermaid, Li Ban's lifespan was lengthened and she swam through the lake, playing with her otter for hundreds of years. Li Ban learn...

Saint Anthony the Great -- also known as Saint Anthony the Abbott, Saint Anthony of the Desert, The Father of Monks, and others -- became one of the earliest Christian ascetics to go viral. The biography of his life was translated into Latin early on, and went on to inspire numerous others throughout the Middle Ages to found monasteries or become hermits. Lifetime: 251 to 356 Region: Egypt Patronages: Animals; Skin diseases; Gravediggers Iconograpy: Beard; Staff; Pig; Bell Feast Day: January 17 Like many early saints, Anthony belonged to a rich family but gave away his wealth to the poor in order to better follow Christ's commands in the gospels. However, unlike his predecessors, Anthony went alone into the desert to live a life of isolation and prayer. But before becoming a total hermit, St. Anthony 'merely' lived a life of self-denial and labor, working as a swineherd near town. During this work, he was tempted by demons and phantoms. They sent visions of wo...

Today we celebrate epiphany, and the feast day of the Magi/ Kings/ Wise Men, known traditionally as Saints Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. Perhaps next year I will do a write-up for the three of them, but for today, here's our finally-completed LEGO nativity!

Merry Christmas! Christ is born!

Saint Nicholas is quite possibly the best-known saint recognized by the Catholic church, in large part because he is inspiration for the Santa Claus mythos. He's known for many things: dropping sacks of gold down a chimney to save some girls from prostitution, putting coins in the shoes of the poor, and punching a guy over a "homoousios" versus "homoiousios" debate. But why is there a head sticking out of a barrel in my minifig representation? Lifetime: 270 to 343 Region: Myra, Asia Minor (modern Demre, Turkey) Patronages: Coopers; repentant thieves and prostitutes; children; brewers Iconograpy: Red robes; Sack of coins; Children in pickle barrel Feast Day: December 6 Rather than focus on the entire life of Saint Nicholas, today I'm going to talk about my favorite story about the proto-Santa: the time he brought some pickled children back from the dead. There was a terrible famine in the Roman empire, and people everywhere were going hungry. ...