Thanksgiving is a holiday steeped in tradition.
I have fond memories of gathering with family and friends to watch parades and football games while enjoying a full spread of turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie. Some families choose to volunteer together by packing meals for the hungry. Others might participate in a “turkey trot” to raise funds for a worthy cause — and make room for a hearty meal.
But what if I told you that Thanksgiving has Catholic origins?
It is generally taught that the first “official” Thanksgiving meal took place in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1621. Pilgrims hosted this celebratory feast alongside the Wampanoag Native American tribe to honor a successful harvest.
But, according to some historians, a similar celebration was hosted nearly a century earlier in St. Augustine, Florida, where Spanish settlers had established the first permanent European settlement in what is now the United States.
In 1565, Father Francisco Lopez celebrated the first Mass in that new settlement. After the Mass, Spanish colonists invited the local Timucua tribe to join them in a meal.
Thanksgiving is more than a national holiday in the United States. The Mass itself — particularly, the Eucharist — is a celebration of thanksgiving.
In fact, Eucharistia (εὐχαριστία), the Greek origin of the word “Eucharist,” translates to “thanksgiving.” During every Mass, we give thanks to God the Father for redeeming our broken world through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. This connection is so powerful that many Catholics attend Mass on Thanksgiving.
One way to redirect our intentions to Christ during Thanksgiving is to invite Catholic saints to “join” our celebrations by praying for their intercessions and spiritual guidance — no additional seating required.
While many saints would make excellent dinner guests, here are a few to consider.
St. Martha is the patron saint of cooks, homemakers, domestic workers and those who serve others. She is known for her hospitality, generosity and service to Jesus.
St. Martha is the sister of Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead. Jesus was close to Martha, Lazarus and their sister, Mary. When Jesus visited their home, Martha exemplified hospitality (Luke 10:38-42).
Martha was busy tending to her guests, including Jesus and his disciples. Mary, however, chose to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to him speak. This upset Martha until Jesus reminded her that it was more important to listen to him.
But Martha was distracted by many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:40-42
If St. Martha could attend Thanksgiving dinner today, I can imagine her being the one making preparations two weeks in advance. She would label everyone’s place at the table and make sure everyone’s cup was always full. Undoubtedly, everyone would feel her deep love of service.
St. Philip Neri is the patron saint of Rome, joy and humor. He is known for his cheerful disposition, love of laughter, and ability to bring joy to others. St. Philip Neri is also known as the Apostle of Rome for his dedication to the clergy and the people. In addition, he founded the Congregation of the Oratory in 1575.
St. Philip Neri’s good-natured personality exemplifies how to marry spirituality with lightheartedness. His love of youth and humor helped guide others toward a path of holiness. St. Philip Neri’s joyful approach to faith inspires Catholics today.
With St. Philip Neri as a Thanksgiving guest, the conversation would be filled with laughter and joy. He would probably stop by the kids’ table to share stories about Jesus. In his presence, everyone would enjoy showing their gratitude for one another.
St. Elizabeth of Hungary is the patron saint of hospitals, nurses, Catholic charities, those who serve the poor and the Third Order of St. Francis.
Although St. Elizabeth was born into royalty, she led a life of service to the poor. She used her wealth to open hospitals and orphanages.
Instead of royal garments, she chose to dress in simple clothing. Every day, she would bring bread to the poor and personally tend to the sick. St. Elizabeth was so devoted to charitable works that she gave away royal clothes and items to help the sick. After her husband’s death, St. Elizabeth lived out the rest of her life completely devoted to her faith and serving the poor.
At a modern-day Thanksgiving dinner, St. Elizabeth would bring the bread — but don’t expect any leftovers! Undoubtedly, she would have packed up the extra food to give to the hungry.
This Thanksgiving, we encourage you to invite the saints to join you as honored guests at the dinner table. Through their intercessions, gratitude can become the true star of the meal.
At Cross Catholic Outreach, we also pray that you’ll remember our brothers and sisters around the world who do not have the means to share a hearty meal. May the saints guide you to use this season of thankfulness to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, and shelter the homeless as Christ calls us to do through the Corporal Works of Mercy.
We invite you to browse through our Christmas Catalog and support projects that speak to your heart, such as meeting needs for food, water and housing. May God bless you this Thanksgiving and throughout the upcoming Advent season!
Donations from this campaign will be used to cover any expenditures for this project incurred through June 30, 2027, the close of our ministry’s fiscal year. In the event that more funds are raised than needed to fully fund the project, the excess funds, if any, will be used to meet the most urgent needs of the ministry.
