St. Gemma for Kids (The Saint Who Faced the Evil Dog)
In this Juice Box Campfire Saint Story, kids learn about St. Gemma and the frightening, scary-dog feeling that tried to scare her away from prayer, and how she stayed close to Jesus with courage and trust. A campfire-style Catholic saint story that helps kids understand courage, prayer, and why Jesus is stronger than fear, lies, and temptation.
St. Gemma for Kids: A Catholic Saint Story About Courage and Prayer
This is a Catholic saint story about a young woman who loved Jesus deeply and tried to stay close to Him in prayer. In this campfire-style episode, kids hear about one of her scariest moments, told in a way children can understand, when fear and temptation feel like an “evil dog” that tries to frighten and distract her.
As St. Gemma prayed, that scary “dog” growled and tried to fill the moment with fear. But St. Gemma did not let fear be the loudest voice. She kept turning back to Jesus through prayer, the Sign of the Cross, holy water, and the name of Jesus.
The evil “dog” in the story becomes angry, but Jesus is stronger. When St. Gemma called on Jesus, the fear-backed-away feeling faded, and her heart found peace and strength. For kids, St. Gemma’s story teaches that fear, lies, and temptation do not get the final word. Jesus is stronger, and we can keep our eyes on Him with courage and trust.
Key Takeaways
- St. Gemma was a Catholic saint who loved Jesus deeply and wanted to stay close to Him, especially through prayer.
- This Campfire Saint Story focuses on St. Gemma’s scary moment, told as a child-friendly picture of fear and temptation that tried to frighten her and pull her attention away from Jesus.
- The “evil dog” growled and tried to make fear feel bigger than faith, but St. Gemma did not give up on prayer.
- St. Gemma used simple, strong faith habits: she prayed, made the Sign of the Cross, used holy water, and called on the name of Jesus.
- When St. Gemma trusted Jesus, the scary “dog-feeling” in the story backed away, showing kids that Jesus is stronger than fear, lies, temptation, and evil.
- The moral is simple: when something scary tries to boss your heart around, stay close to Jesus, pray with courage, and remember that evil does not win.
Episode Summary
This episode begins with a classic campfire-story feeling: nighttime, spooky sounds, and the kind of story that makes kids lean in a little closer. But this is not just a scary story for the sake of being scary. It is a Catholic saint story for kids about courage, prayer, and keeping your heart fixed on Jesus.
The episode introduces St. Gemma, a young saint who loved Jesus and wanted to stay close to Him. One night, as she prayed, kids hear about a frightening growl and a terrifying “evil dog”, told the way campfire stories do, as a picture of what fear and temptation feel like. This “dog” is not about a real animal in history; it is about the way bad thoughts and scary feelings try to distract us from God.
But St. Gemma did not let fear take over. Even when the scary feeling got loud, she kept turning back to Jesus. She prayed, made the Sign of the Cross, used holy water, and called on the name of Jesus, because holy water is blessed to ask for God’s blessing and protection from the powers of darkness.
By the end of the story, the “evil dog” backs away, and St. Gemma’s heart is strengthened. Her story reminds children that fear, lies, and temptation may feel big in the moment, but they are not bigger than Jesus. St. Gemma teaches kids that courage is not pretending nothing is scary. Courage is choosing Jesus when fear tries to get your attention.
Episode Highlights
Transcript
[00:00:04 --> 00:00:07] (wood thumping) (match scratching)
[00:00:07 --> 00:00:09] (fire crackling)
[00:00:11 --> 00:00:16] (music ending) (coyote howling)
[00:00:18 --> 00:00:21] (sighs) Man, it feels good to sit down.
[00:00:21 --> 00:00:22] Yeah, I'm beat.
[00:00:22 --> 00:00:24] My dogs are barking.
[00:00:24 --> 00:00:26] I'm loving this weather.
[00:00:26 --> 00:00:28] A good night to be outside, indeed.
[00:00:28 --> 00:00:30] (spooky music) (coyotes howling)
[00:00:30 --> 00:00:33] Whoa, clearly the coyotes think so, too.
[00:00:33 --> 00:00:37] Ooh, it sounds like there's all kinds of creatures
[00:00:37 --> 00:00:39] out and about tonight.
[00:00:39 --> 00:00:41] Sounds spooky.
[00:00:42 --> 00:00:47] Well, actually, it does remind me of a story.
[00:00:48 --> 00:00:50] A campfire story?
[00:00:50 --> 00:00:52] Perhaps.
[00:00:52 --> 00:00:54] A saint story?
[00:00:54 --> 00:00:55] Definitely.
[00:00:55 --> 00:00:57] Father Tim!
[00:00:57 --> 00:01:01] You could even call it a Campfire Saint Story.
[00:01:01 --> 00:01:04] I saw that coming from a mile away.
[00:01:04 --> 00:01:07] Kind of like this saint saw an evil dog
[00:01:07 --> 00:01:09] coming from a mile away. (dog barking)
[00:01:09 --> 00:01:10] Evil dog?
[00:01:10 --> 00:01:11] Oh, yes.
[00:01:11 --> 00:01:16] This is the story of St. Gemma
[00:01:16 --> 00:01:19] and her encounter with an evil, wicked dog.
[00:01:19 --> 00:01:21] (dog barking) - [Child] Juice Box!
[00:01:22 --> 00:01:23] (child laughing)
[00:01:23 --> 00:01:24] Okay.
[00:01:24 --> 00:01:29] Imagine it's the late 1800s.
[00:01:29 --> 00:01:33] You're in a dark, dark convent, late at night,
[00:01:33 --> 00:01:35] no one is awake.
[00:01:35 --> 00:01:37] You're walking through the dark hallways
[00:01:37 --> 00:01:42] with nothing but a faint glow of a candle guiding you.
[00:01:42 --> 00:01:44] I'm scared already. (teeth chattering)
[00:01:44 --> 00:01:47] Down at the end of a long, dark hallway,
[00:01:47 --> 00:01:52] you see a soft, warm light pouring out of a doorway.
[00:01:52 --> 00:01:55] You tiptoe down the hall, (floor creaking)
[00:01:55 --> 00:01:58] wondering what you'll find at the end.
[00:01:58 --> 00:02:01] As you get closer and closer to the doorway,
[00:02:02 --> 00:02:06] you hear (whispers) faint whispers.
[00:02:06 --> 00:02:09] (Fr. Tim whispering)
[00:02:09 --> 00:02:10] What were the whispers?
[00:02:10 --> 00:02:13] Well, you're not sure.
[00:02:13 --> 00:02:18] So you keep inching closer and closer.
[00:02:18 --> 00:02:19] I can't handle it!
[00:02:19 --> 00:02:23] You're standing just around the corner from the doorway,
[00:02:23 --> 00:02:27] and you slowly, steadily lean over
[00:02:27 --> 00:02:30] and start to peek inside.
[00:02:30 --> 00:02:32] Just tell us what it is!
[00:02:32 --> 00:02:36] You see a young woman kneeling down and praying.
[00:02:36 --> 00:02:38] What?
[00:02:38 --> 00:02:39] Oh.
[00:02:39 --> 00:02:39] That's all?
[00:02:39 --> 00:02:43] I mean, I wasn't even scared in the first place.
[00:02:43 --> 00:02:45] Wait, so what's the scary part?
[00:02:45 --> 00:02:48] Well, when you pray, what is it usually like?
[00:02:48 --> 00:02:50] Quiet. - Okay, that's good.
[00:02:50 --> 00:02:52] Peaceful. - As it should be.
[00:02:52 --> 00:02:56] But that's not how it was for St. Gemma.
[00:02:56 --> 00:02:58] As St. Gemma was praying, (spooky music)
[00:02:58 --> 00:03:02] she heard a faint growl behind her.
[00:03:02 --> 00:03:04] (dog growling) (Juice Box Kid gulping)
[00:03:04 --> 00:03:07] St. Gemma knew what this was,
[00:03:07 --> 00:03:10] and she didn't want to give it any attention,
[00:03:10 --> 00:03:13] so she kept praying.
[00:03:13 --> 00:03:15] Are you gonna tell us what it was?
[00:03:15 --> 00:03:18] St. Gemma finished her prayer,
[00:03:18 --> 00:03:20] making the sign of the cross.
[00:03:21 --> 00:03:24] Then she blew out her candle (blows air)
[00:03:24 --> 00:03:26] and the room was dark.
[00:03:27 --> 00:03:30] As she crawled into bed,
[00:03:31 --> 00:03:36] she saw two glowing eyes in the corner of the room.
[00:03:36 --> 00:03:37] I don't like this at all!
[00:03:37 --> 00:03:42] St. Gemma slowly closed her eyes,
[00:03:42 --> 00:03:43] putting it out of her mind.
[00:03:43 --> 00:03:45] Put it out of her mind?
[00:03:45 --> 00:03:48] St. Gemma laid there, counting sheep.
[00:03:49 --> 00:03:54] One, two, three, and just as she was drifting off
[00:03:55 --> 00:03:58] into a nice, cozy, deep sleep...
[00:03:58 --> 00:03:59] Oh, no!
[00:03:59 --> 00:04:01] St. Gemma's eyes shot open,
[00:04:01 --> 00:04:03] staring at the ceiling intently.
[00:04:03 --> 00:04:06] She heard another growl from right beside her,
[00:04:06 --> 00:04:10] so she slowly turned her head.
[00:04:12 --> 00:04:13] And guess what she saw?
[00:04:13 --> 00:04:15] A monster?
[00:04:15 --> 00:04:16] A shark? (record scratching)
[00:04:16 --> 00:04:18] A shark, really?
[00:04:18 --> 00:04:20] What the heck, man?
[00:04:20 --> 00:04:22] Yeah, I don't know why I said that.
[00:04:22 --> 00:04:27] A big, mean, ungroomed, growling,
[00:04:27 --> 00:04:30] drooling, evil black dog! (dog barking)
[00:04:30 --> 00:04:32] Like my pet black lab?
[00:04:32 --> 00:04:36] No, like a big, mean wolf. (wolf howling)
[00:04:36 --> 00:04:38] Oh, that's not so fun.
[00:04:38 --> 00:04:41] St. Gemma locked eyes with the dog
[00:04:41 --> 00:04:43] and they stared each other down.
[00:04:43 --> 00:04:45] What did she do?
[00:04:45 --> 00:04:49] St. Gemma said, "Be gone!"
[00:04:49 --> 00:04:51] Shoo, get out of here, mutt!
[00:04:51 --> 00:04:54] But the dog did not obey.
[00:04:55 --> 00:05:00] It jumped up and put its paws on her shoulders!
[00:05:01 --> 00:05:03] Maybe he just wanted to play fetch.
[00:05:03 --> 00:05:05] This was not that kind of dog.
[00:05:07 --> 00:05:12] The dog dug its big, sharp claws into St. Gemma's shoulders
[00:05:13 --> 00:05:15] and she screamed in pain. (woman screaming)
[00:05:15 --> 00:05:20] The dog dug its claws even deeper into the skin.
[00:05:20 --> 00:05:21] That would hurt so bad!
[00:05:21 --> 00:05:23] Man, it sure did.
[00:05:23 --> 00:05:28] She said that she felt the pain so much in all of her bones
[00:05:29 --> 00:05:31] that she thought they were all broken.
[00:05:31 --> 00:05:33] Oh, that sounds really bad!
[00:05:33 --> 00:05:37] St. Gemma, she cried out the name of Jesus.
[00:05:38 --> 00:05:42] The dog grew angrier and dug its claws even deeper!
[00:05:44 --> 00:05:47] And then she cried out the name of Jesus again.
[00:05:47 --> 00:05:50] The dog jumped off of her, angrier than ever!
[00:05:50 --> 00:05:52] St. Gemma jumped out of bed
[00:05:52 --> 00:05:54] and darted to the other end of the room.
[00:05:54 --> 00:05:56] Towards the door?
[00:05:56 --> 00:05:58] No, towards the holy water font
[00:05:58 --> 00:06:00] at the other end of the room.
[00:06:00 --> 00:06:05] She knew this wasn't a regular dog from outside.
[00:06:05 --> 00:06:05] What?
[00:06:05 --> 00:06:07] Oh.
[00:06:07 --> 00:06:09] I see where this is going.
[00:06:09 --> 00:06:14] As St. Gemma dipped her finger in the holy water,
[00:06:14 --> 00:06:18] she felt a seething pain in her arm.
[00:06:18 --> 00:06:22] She looked down and the dog had her arm in its mouth!
[00:06:22 --> 00:06:25] Oh, no, no, no, oh, no! (dog growling)
[00:06:25 --> 00:06:26] The dog used all of its force
[00:06:26 --> 00:06:31] and wrenched her arm so badly, she fell to the ground
[00:06:31 --> 00:06:35] as her arm flopped lifelessly beside her,
[00:06:35 --> 00:06:36] totally dislocated.
[00:06:36 --> 00:06:39] This is way worse than I though it was gonna be.
[00:06:39 --> 00:06:41] So do you know what St. Gemma did then?
[00:06:41 --> 00:06:43] Call 911?
[00:06:43 --> 00:06:44] No.
[00:06:45 --> 00:06:47] She laughed! (woman laughing)
[00:06:47 --> 00:06:49] What the heck, she laughed?
[00:06:49 --> 00:06:52] This doesn't seem like the time for giggles.
[00:06:52 --> 00:06:53] She laughed. (woman laughing)
[00:06:53 --> 00:06:57] And that made the dog super-duper angry.
[00:06:57 --> 00:07:00] St. Gemma called the name of Jesus again.
[00:07:00 --> 00:07:04] Suddenly, the dog stopped in its tracks,
[00:07:04 --> 00:07:07] howled, and ran off. (dog howling and whining)
[00:07:07 --> 00:07:11] Gemma looked down as she felt a gentle touch on her arm,
[00:07:12 --> 00:07:15] and she saw that her arm had been healed.
[00:07:15 --> 00:07:16] How'd that happen?
[00:07:16 --> 00:07:20] Jesus healed it for her.
[00:07:20 --> 00:07:22] What happened then?
[00:07:22 --> 00:07:25] Well, we don't have all the details,
[00:07:25 --> 00:07:29] but I assume that St. Gemma said a prayer of Thanksgiving
[00:07:30 --> 00:07:32] and went to sleep.
[00:07:32 --> 00:07:33] Man, rough night.
[00:07:33 --> 00:07:36] You bet it was a rough night.
[00:07:36 --> 00:07:39] But this wasn't out of the ordinary for St. Gemma.
[00:07:39 --> 00:07:42] So she just fought with dogs all the time?
[00:07:42 --> 00:07:44] Well, it wasn't just fighting with a dog,
[00:07:44 --> 00:07:46] but the devil saw that St. Gemma
[00:07:46 --> 00:07:50] was a very pure soul who loved Jesus.
[00:07:50 --> 00:07:54] And there's nothing that the devil hates more than that.
[00:07:54 --> 00:07:58] The devil wanted to take her away from Jesus.
[00:07:58 --> 00:07:59] How rude.
[00:07:59 --> 00:08:01] The devil would constantly lie to her,
[00:08:01 --> 00:08:03] try to scare her,
[00:08:03 --> 00:08:08] do everything to keep her from praying and loving Jesus.
[00:08:08 --> 00:08:09] Did it work?
[00:08:10 --> 00:08:11] Nope!
[00:08:11 --> 00:08:12] Wow.
[00:08:12 --> 00:08:16] St. Gemma knew that the devil was nothing.
[00:08:16 --> 00:08:18] That he had no power over her.
[00:08:18 --> 00:08:21] She just always kept looking to Jesus.
[00:08:21 --> 00:08:23] I'll remember that when I'm scared.
[00:08:23 --> 00:08:26] (record scratching) I mean, if I ever get scared.
[00:08:26 --> 00:08:27] Yes, you should.
[00:08:27 --> 00:08:30] St. Gemma reminds us of something very, very important.
[00:08:31 --> 00:08:35] No matter how bad the devil may try to scare us,
[00:08:35 --> 00:08:38] no matter how much he may lie to us,
[00:08:38 --> 00:08:40] we could just laugh at him!
[00:08:40 --> 00:08:42] Because he has no power over us.
[00:08:42 --> 00:08:46] You can just say, "Ha ha, your silly tricks,
[00:08:46 --> 00:08:47] they don't work on me!"
[00:08:47 --> 00:08:49] Ha, silly devil!
[00:08:49 --> 00:08:50] (Fr. Tim laughing)
[00:08:50 --> 00:08:52] (Juice Box Kid laughing)
[00:08:52 --> 00:08:55] I'm not scared of dogs, even devil dogs.
[00:08:55 --> 00:08:57] As much as I love laughing,
[00:08:57 --> 00:08:59] I think it's time to do a little snoring.
[00:08:59 --> 00:09:02] (Fr. Tim snoring)
[00:09:02 --> 00:09:06] So let's put out this fire and let's head home.
[00:09:06 --> 00:09:08] (wolves howling)
[00:09:08 --> 00:09:12] Okay, let's bring a torch just in case for the hike back.
[00:09:12 --> 00:09:14] We can laugh at devil dogs,
[00:09:14 --> 00:09:18] but we should be careful of wild wolves in the woods.
[00:09:18 --> 00:09:20] All right, bye, guys.
[00:09:21 --> 00:09:24] (Juice Box Kid howling)
[00:09:26 --> 00:09:28] (chuckles) He'll never know.
[00:09:30 --> 00:09:31] Juice Box.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who is St. Gemma for kids?
St. Gemma for kids is the story of a Catholic saint who loved Jesus, prayed deeply, and trusted Him even when things felt frightening. She is remembered for her courage, holiness, and closeness to Jesus. Her life helps kids understand that saints are real people who chose God when things were hard.
What happened in the St. Gemma and the evil dog story?
In this story, St. Gemma was praying when a terrifying "evil dog" appeared. For kids, that dog represents fear and temptation, something scary that tries to distract her from Jesus. Instead of letting fear take over, she turned back to Jesus, prayed, and used simple faith habits. In the campfire-story picture, the "dog" eventually backs away.
What does the St. Gemma and the dog story teach kids?
The story teaches kids that fear can feel loud, but it does not have to be in charge. St. Gemma shows children how to stay close to Jesus through prayer, the Sign of the Cross, holy water, and trust. The big lesson is that Jesus is stronger than fear, lies, and temptation.
Why is St. Gemma a good Catholic saint for kids?
St. Gemma is a good Catholic saint for kids because her story is memorable, clear, and full of courage. Kids can understand what it feels like to be scared. Her story helps them learn that when fear shows up, they can pray, ask Jesus for help, and choose bravery, turning back to God rather than giving fear the final word.
What are Campfire Saint Stories?
Campfire Saint Stories are kid-friendly Catholic saint stories told with a cozy, slightly spooky storytelling feel. They help children learn about the saints in a way that feels exciting and memorable. The goal is not just to scare kids, it is to help them remember that holiness is brave, real, and close to Jesus, and that we learn the saints' virtues by imitating their faith and trust in God.
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Free St. Gemma Worksheet For Kids
When we feel scared or worried, Jesus is always close and ready to help us. This worksheet helps kids remember that they can look to Jesus, trust Him, and ask Him to help them be brave.
What's Inside:
Trace the Trail
Color and Cirlcle
Read and Pray Aloud
Perfect to use while watching the companion Juice Box video
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