Wish you had time to put together a liturgically themed feast day menu, but barely get around to shopping? Don’t worry. There’s a subscription box for that.
Always wanting to support Catholic artisans but never know where to start browsing? There’s a subscription box for that, too. Or maybe you wish you had the time and crafting skills to put together fun activities for your kids to help them prepare for Mass. You guessed it, there’s even a box for that.
Subscription boxes are definetly recommended for your own life. But they also make the perfect unique gift for those hard-to-shop-for friends, or the Catholics in your life who have everything already.
Check out these five Catholic subscription box services and give them a try this summer!
1. Feast Day
Think of Feast Day as a pilgrimage in a grocery bag.
It all started one day when John Hart came across a recipe for St. Martin’s goose in a Slovenian cookbook. Since that moment, John became captivated by the rich Catholic traditions around the globe.
As he delved into research about these traditions, he discovered saints and feast days he scarcely knew of. Elsewhere in the world, people celebrated with fervent joy with delicious foods and traditions. For years, John held on to the hope of using this knowledge to help others bring the faith and beauty of the liturgical seasons into their everyday lives.
Finally, during the 2018 Lenten season, the seed of an idea began to form. The concept of a subscription box and online Catholic grocery started to take shape. On October 1, 2018, Feast Day celebrated its grand opening!
What’s inside: I received the Feast Day box for April and it contained cod stuffed piquillo peppers for Lent, a hot cross buns mix to make on Good Friday, baked koulourakia for Easter, and an Our Lady of Grace water font and Holy Water bottle. The bags regularly contain food items that are either all ready to eat or easy to prepare, which is perfect if you’re running short on time for meal prep.
Price range: Subscription grocery bags range start off at $20 per month for the Movable Feast option. The most expensive box is the Solemnity, which is $80. Sign up for their newsletter to receive a 10% off coupon code.
2. The Mass Box
Research shows that as much as 90% of learning for kids under 2nd grade is kinesthetic. So Ashley and Raymond started The Mass Box as a solution for families to get hands-on with the Bible and Mass Prep!
The Mass Box began as a family, just like any other! Parents Ashley and Raymond saw a need to do more with their children Clare (6), Dominic (4) and Joseph (2). They struggled to behave at Mass, let alone get anything out of it. The few Sundays their family actually spent time preparing with the kids for Mass in an age-appropriate way were far more meaningful and had far fewer meltdowns.
Crafts were especially useful, but they almost never had time to find or come up with a craft, get all the materials, AND actually do the craft with their kids. They thought that if their family needed The Mass Box, others surely would, too!
What’s inside: Each box includes hands on crafts that are themed to the Mass readings, a weekly magazine discussing the Scriptures of the week, and fun videos with how-to webisodes for every craft.
Price range: The Mass Box starts off at $12.95 and parents can add craft kids depending on how many littles they’re preparing for Sunday. The four child full kit is $69.95.
3. The Little Catholic Box
The Little Catholic Box strives to create meaningful gift boxes that help their subscribers deepen their Catholic faith and discover new products while supporting small Catholic businesses, artisans and religious orders.
When Liz and Jim first met in college, Liz was Catholic but struggling to make it to Mass. Jim was a convert, who was excited about his faith. Their first date consisted of driving an hour for pizza and seeing the movie ”
Thérèse: The Story of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux”
They try to take St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s example of being little. While they’re certainly not a large company, they hope and pray that their little box will be a little extra push towards deeper faith for those who receive it.
What’s inside: Past boxes have contained saint quote pencils, Bible verse zipper pouches, artistic prints, Catholic booklets, Rosaries, and Catholic food products.
Price range: The Little Catholic Box currently offers one box with three different subscription plans. Subscribers save money based on how long they subscribe, with prices ranging from $67.50 to $75.00 a box depending on the subscription choice.
4. Saint of the Month
Patrick Pulis is a life long Catholic who grew up in a rural area of Colorado where he was captivated by the stars of the night. As he grew in his faith he decided, after college, to join a religious lay movement becoming possibly a priest. As he went to formation he grew more in his faith than any other time in his life. He was inspired by these men and women to be the best he can to help change the world for the better.
After three years of many fruitful experiences he decide to return home and follow God’s new path preparing someday get married. Now, being inspired by the saints and their lives he decided to found a business that helps people become little saints which became the Saint of the Month subscription box.
What’s inside: Each box contains a list of goals aimed at helping you grow in a specific virtue. For instance, you may be asked to write a poem and share it with subscribers. Also included are four to five unique gifts that may include candles, home decor, motivational or devotional items.
Price range: The cost ranges from $8.00 to $44.00 per box depending on what plan you select.
5. Catholic T-Shirt Club
Preach the gospel at all times and use shirts when necessary. With the Catholic T-Shirt Club, you’ll get a subscription box and discounts on past shirt. You’ll also have access to a Catholic community Facebook group. Just choose your t-shirt size to get started!
What’s inside: With your monthly subscription, receive surprise boxes that include never-before-seen Catholic T-shirts along with holy cards, medals, and gifts. Each item in your box expands on a featured saint or liturgical theme. Catholic T-Shirt Club offers a fun and exciting way help you witness to your faith just by wearing a shirt.
Price range: You can subscribe for the shirt only at $24.00 a month. Bump up your subscription to include three to four Catholic gifts for $29.00 per month. There’s also an option for the Little Saint Box, which includes children’s sizes!