A Collection of Saint Stories

Leah and I will do 14 saints in her main lesson block. Now... which ones?

I have so many stories but naturally I need to narrow them down. I went looking for artwork to inspire me but this is a case where my Pinterest board is of little help, and it looks like the same saints are done again and again. I know I want some of the traditional ones, and I want some unusual ones too.

Here are the resources I have on my shelf:

Beasts and Saints translated by Helen Waddell, edited by Esther de Waal

The Desert Fathers

The Hermit's Garden in the Desert
The Penitent Wolf
The Blessed Ammon and the Dragons
St. Macarius of Alexandria and the Grateful Hyena
St. Pachome, Abbot of Tabenne, and the Crocodiles
The Abbot Helenus and the Wild Ass
The Abbot Helenus and the Crocodile
St. Simeon Stylites and the Unconverted Dragon
The Unsociable Lion
The Abbot Gerasimus and the Lion
St. Jerome and the Lion and the Donkey

The Saints of the West

The Death of King Teudiric
St. Columba and the Crane
St. Columba and the White Horse
St. Columba in the Vosges
St. Malo and the Sow
St. Malo and the Wren
St. Cuthbert in the Sheiling
St. Cuthbert and the Otters
St. Cuthbert and the Ravens on the Farnes
St. Werburga of Chester and the Wild Geese
St. Benno and the Frog
St. Godric at Finchale
St. Godric's Garden and the Wild Deer
St. Godric and St. John the Baptist's Salmon
St. Godric and the Hare
St. Godric and the Hunted Stag
St. Cuthbert's Birds and Bartholomew, the Hermit of Farne

The Saints of Ireland

St. Ciaran and the Nesting Bird
St. Ciaran and Brother Fox and Brother Badger
St. Moling and the Fox
St. Brendan and the Sea Monsters
St. Brendan and the Sea-Cat
St. Brendan and the White Birds
St. Cainnic and the Mice
St. Cainnic and the Sea-Brids
St. Cainnic and the Stag
St. Kevin and the Cow
St. Kevin and the Wild Boar
St. Kevin and the Rooks of Glendalough
The Mountains that are Creatures of God
St. Kevin and the Blackbird
St. Ciaran of Clonmacnoise and the Stag
St. Colman and the Cock, the Mouse, and the Fly

Saints Among the Animalsby Cynthia Zarin

This collection is particularly useful because an illustration is included for each story. These illustrations are simply drawn and would be of great help for a MLB or chalkboard drawing. There are only 10 stories in the volume. Brief biographical notes about each saint are included in the back.

The Story of Saint Colman
Saint Werburge and the Geese
Saint Francis and the Wolf of Gubbio
A Story about Saint Medard
A Few Short Tales of Saint Canice
A Story about Saint Hilda
The Story of Saint Keneth
Saint Brendan and the Whale
Saint Kevin and the Blackbird
Saint Jerome and the Lion

Stories of the Saints: A Collection for Childrenretold by Siegwart Knijpenga, translated by Tony Langham and Plym Peters

Mary: Thus the temple became her home

Brigid: Have you forgotten me, Bride?

Columba: The doors sprang open

Francis of Assisi: Until the roses bloom again

Giles: Let us ask the earth

Benedict: Why is the last stone so heavy?

Jerome: Brothers, the lion wishes to stay with us

George: And fate chose the King's daughter

Barlaam and Josaphat: This is where I will be king

Eustace: You thought you would hunt me

Elizabeth of Hungary: Pure red roses

Christopher: If you wait long enough

Martin: Aren't you afraid?

Antony of Egypt: I have come for my friend

Patrick: Because you did not forget my name

Thomas: Where is the palace?

Gregory the Great: At last he agreed

Beatrice: Had she not gone away?

Emma: Take what you can carry

Agnes: For you I would go through fire

Francis of Paola: This is my fire

Boniface: A house was build from the oak tree

Paschal Baylon: And the water always welled up

Veronica: You don't have to go to the painter

Lioba: Dear red ball of wool, roll!

Ambrose: His words are as sweet as honey

Margaret of Antioch: Your name means pearl

Odilia: Because she had no light in her eyes

Brendan: And he looked into the depths

Nicholas of Myra: What storms there are at sea

Gall: Bear, fetch wood for the fire!

Dionysius: They felt the earth tremble

Radegund: On my word, Lord

Joan of Arc: I am just a peasant girl

Cuthbert: They are like the snow

Luke the Evangelist: My eyes saw

John the Evangelist: The strength of the poison abated

The Giant at the Ford and Other Legends of the Saints
by Ursula Synge

The Giant at the Ford, St. Christopher

Zita and the Rich Man's Cloak

St. Jerome, the Lion, and the Donkey

Odilia and Aldaric

St. Moling and the Fox

The Farm-Labourer Who Wanted to See Jerusalem

St. George and the Dragon

St. Mochae and the Bird from Heaven

Queen Sunniva

The Flying Walking-Stick

William Firmatus and the Savage Boar

St. Senan

Werburgh and the Troublesome Geese

St. Paul and St. Antony

St. Wulfric, the Boy and the Bread

There are other resources for Saint stories, such as the Harvest Loaf story in All Year Round: Christian Calendar of Celebrations(St. Michael). There are indications for modeling St. Francis in Learning About the World Through Modeling: Sculptural Ideas for School and Homeand there are painting lessons for both St. Francis (four different paintings) and St. Michael in Painting and Drawing in Waldorf Schools: Classes 1-8

Painting with FORMS, as opposed to color stories, in second grade is a matter of some contention in Waldorf circles.

I've heard in many places that the child shouldn't begin painting figures until after the 9 year change (third grade) and that the Old Testament Creation stories are the place to first introduce this. Kelly Morrow did a wonderful DVD on watercolor painting which helped a lot when I was starting out; it is in the Waldorf in the Home store. It is suggested in Painting in Waldorf Education that the child paint the saint stories as color stories, with the push and pull between the forces of good and evil being represented abstractly through color on the page. No figures are actually painted. You will need to decide for yourself what is suitable for your child. Leah is older than the usual age for doing the Saints so we will most likely use Thomas Wildgruber's suggestions.

Update:
Magic Wool: Creative Pictures and Tableaux with Natural Sheep's Wool contains instructions for flat wool pictures of St. Christopher carrying the child (figure 21) and St. Francis preaching to the birds (figure 27). Example pictures for each are shown.