Is Thanksgiving Catholic?
Campfire Saint Stories: St. Polycarp
Is Thanksgiving Catholic? In this Juicebox, Dilly makes a flower centerpiece for the Thanksgiving table and shares why this holiday means so much more than turkey and pumpkin pie. Kids hear the amazing story of Squanto, who was rescued by friars and learned about the Catholic faith. They also discover that the word Eucharist means thanksgiving, and that every Mass is a thanksgiving meal with Jesus. Includes a Thanksgiving prayer and a free Set Your Own Thanksgiving Table worksheet.
Meet the Saints in This Special
St. George and the Dragon
Dragons are officially scary! Ms. Julia says St. George reminds us that being brave does not mean you never feel afraid. It means you trust God anyway. Try saying it with Ms. Julia and Dilly: “Jesus, help me be brave.”
St. Francis and the Wolf
The town had good reason to be afraid of the wolf. Ms. Julia says St. Francis trusted God and chose peace instead of fear. She says we can choose peace too, by praying, asking for help, and trying to understand someone instead of assuming the worst.
St. Denis
This is one of the strangest saint stories Ms. Julia and Dilly have ever told. Ms. Julia says it reminds us that nothing could stop St. Denis from loving Jesus and sharing the Gospel.
St. Christina the Astonishing
St. Christina’s story is full of extraordinary things. Ms. Julia says the most important part is that she prayed for souls, because she loved people enough to pray and make sacrifices for them.
St. Macarius and the Talking Skull
This story reminds us again that prayer for the dead is never wasted.
St. Padre Pio and the Soul in Purgatory
For the last story of the night, Ms. Julia tells about a mysterious visitor asking St. Padre Pio for a prayer.
A Quiet Moment for People Who Have Died
Between the stories, Ms. Julia and Dilly talk about heaven, purgatory and praying for people who have died. Ms. Julia says death is not the end of the story, because Jesus opened heaven for us. She says purgatory is not a scary haunted place. It is where God lovingly prepares souls for heaven, and we can keep loving people through our prayers.
Key Takeaways
In this episode, kids will:
- Hear the story of the Pilgrims, the Mayflower, and their hard first winter
- Learn how Squanto helped the Pilgrims hunt, fish, and grow corn
- Discover that Squanto was rescued by friars, who taught him the Catholic faith
- See how Squanto found a way to help others, even after a great loss
- Learn that the harvest feast Squanto helped arrange is the base of our Thanksgiving holiday
- Find out that the word Eucharist means thanksgiving
- See how every Mass is a thanksgiving meal, where we gather around Christ’s table as one Catholic family
- Pray a Thanksgiving prayer with Dilly
- Remember to thank God for family, friends, home, health, pets, and most of all, Jesus
Episode Summary
Is Thanksgiving just about turkey, pie, and football?
In this episode of Juicebox, Dilly is getting ready for Thanksgiving by making a flower centerpiece for the table. While he works, he shares why Thanksgiving is so special for Catholic families.
First comes the story of the Pilgrims. They sailed from England on the Mayflower and had a very hard first winter. A Native American named Squanto saved them by teaching them how to hunt, fish, and grow corn. But Squanto’s story started years earlier. He was captured and taken to Spain as a slave. Friars rescued him, taught him the Catholic faith, and helped him get back home. When he finally returned, his whole tribe had died from a disease. Even in his sadness, Squanto found a way to help others. He translated between the settlers and the local tribe and helped arrange the harvest feast that became our Thanksgiving holiday.
Then Dilly shares another kind of thanksgiving we celebrate at every Mass. We gather around Christ’s table for the Eucharist, the bread and wine that become Jesus’ Body and Blood. The word Eucharist even means thanksgiving! Through the Eucharist, we remember Jesus’ love and sacrifice, and we are fed in our faith. Just like families gather for Thanksgiving dinner, we gather at Mass as one big Catholic family.
Dilly ends with a Thanksgiving prayer and a simple reminder: give thanks for everything you have, and especially for Jesus, who is at the center of it all.
Watch the episode, pray along with Dilly, then fill in the free Set Your Own Thanksgiving Table worksheet below.
Episode Highlights
- ⦁ [__:__] Welcome to the spookiest Campfire Saints night, and Dilly’s emergency supplies
⦁ [__:__] Why Halloween has saints in it
⦁ [__:__] St. George and the Dragon
⦁ [__:__] St. Francis and the Wolf
⦁ [__:__] Wolf or woof?
⦁ [__:__] St. Denis
⦁ [__:__] Heaven, purgatory and praying for people who have died
⦁ [__:__] St. Christina the Astonishing
⦁ [__:__] St. Macarius and the Talking Skull
⦁ [__:__] Dilly’s letter and the sounds in the woods
⦁ [__:__] St. Padre Pio and the Soul in Purgatory
⦁ [__:__] Closing: God’s light wins
Transcript
DILLY Hi friends, it's Dilly. There are so many great things about Thanksgiving. There's turkey and pumpkin pie, football, family, and the start of the holiday season. But, Thanksgiving is so much more than food and fun, especially in regards to our Catholic faith. So, let's make this cool flower centerpiece for our Juice Box Thanksgiving table, and I'll tell you why Thanksgiving is so special.
DILLY You probably know the story of the pilgrims that came from England to Plymouth Rock on a boat called the Mayflower. They had a really hard winter, and many of the settlers died. A Native American named Squanto saved them by teaching the pilgrims how to hunt, and fish, and grow corn.
DILLY Well, Squanto has an amazing story. Many years before he helped the Mayflower pilgrims, he was captured and taken on a ship to Spain to be a slave. Thankfully, he was rescued by Dominican friars. Thanks, brothers. Who taught him the Catholic faith, and possibly baptized him. I'm sure Squanto was thankful, but he wanted to return home, so the friars helped him get to England, where a man taught him English, and got him to Newfoundland. From there, he was finally able to return home to America.
DILLY But, once he was home, he found out something terrible. His whole tribe died because of a disease. How sad. But, Squanto persevered and found out a way to help people even in his tragedy. Maybe he even relied on his new Catholic faith to find hope.
DILLY Because Squanto had learned English, he was able to translate between settlers and the Native Americans. After helping the pilgrims grow their own food, he arranged a harvest feast between the settlers and the local tribe. That's the event that is the base of our Thanksgiving holiday.
DILLY There's another type of Thanksgiving that we celebrate at every Mass. Every time we go to Mass, we give thanks for the family we have in Jesus Christ, and we thank him for everything he does, like love us and forgive us.
DILLY There's also a special meal at Mass, just like Thanksgiving, but it doesn't include turkey or pumpkin pie. We gather around Christ's table for Eucharist. The Eucharist is the bread and the wine that turns into Jesus's body and blood. The word Eucharist means Thanksgiving. How cool.
DILLY Through the Eucharist, we remember Jesus's love and sacrifice, and we are spiritually fed. It gives us energy in our faith. We gather together at Mass as a universal Catholic family, just like your family gathers together for Thanksgiving.
DILLY Let's pray a Thanksgiving prayer together. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Dear God, on this special day of thanks, we gather close in joyful ranks. For family, friends, and blessings, too, we offer thanks, dear God, to you. Thank you for the love so grand from your guiding gentle hand. For the feast upon our table spread and the warmth that fills our home and bed, as we share this meal so sweet, help us, Lord, to be complete. Remind us of your greatest gift, when Jesus' love made spirits lift. In the Eucharist we find the way to remember Jesus every day. Bread and wine, a gift so divine, in them your love and grace combine. So, as we gather, laugh, and eat, may our hearts be truly sweet. For Jesus' sacrifice, we're grateful, Lord, and our thanks let love be poured. Amen.
DILLY So, as fun as Thanksgiving is with all the yummy food and maybe even some Christmas songs starting afterwards, remember to give thanks for everything that you have, like your friends and your family and your home and your health and your pets and especially give thanks to Jesus who is at the center of it all.
DILLY Well, friends, I had a wonderful time telling you about Thanksgiving and building this beautiful centerpiece together. Maybe you can make your own centerpiece for your table. Well, I'm thankful for all of you and I'll see you next time. Bye.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is Thanksgiving a Catholic holiday?
Thanksgiving is a national holiday in the United States, not a Church holy day. But giving thanks to God is at the heart of our Catholic faith, so Catholic families can celebrate Thanksgiving in a very faith-filled way.
When is Thanksgiving this year?
Thanksgiving is on the fourth Thursday of November. This year it is on Thursday, November 26, 2026.
Who was Squanto?
Squanto was a Native American who helped the Pilgrims after their hard first winter. He taught them how to hunt, fish, and grow corn. He also helped translate between the settlers and the local tribe.
Was Squanto Catholic?
In the video, Dilly shares that Squanto was rescued by Dominican friars in Spain, who taught him the Catholic faith and possibly baptized him. We don't know for sure if he was baptized.
What does the word Eucharist mean?
The word Eucharist means thanksgiving. At every Mass, we thank God for His love and for the gift of Jesus.
How is Mass like a Thanksgiving meal?
At Thanksgiving, families gather around a table to share a meal and give thanks. At Mass, we gather around Christ's table as one Catholic family to receive Jesus in the Eucharist and give thanks to God.
What can we be thankful for this Thanksgiving?
Dilly reminds us to give thanks for our friends, family, home, health, and pets, and most of all for Jesus, who is at the center of it all.
How do I use the Set Your Own Thanksgiving Table worksheet?
Draw the people you love around the Thanksgiving table and show how God is present with you. Then fill in the blanks in the prayer at the bottom with things you are thankful for.
If your kids asked a big faith question this week, you’re not alone. Subscribe so you’ve always got a short, safe, Catholic video ready for car rides, bedtime, or Sunday prep.
Free Thanksgiving Catholic Worksheet for Kids
Keep the fun going after the video with a free Thanksgiving Catholic worksheet for kids.
What's Inside:
A Thanksgiving table to fill with the people you love
Space to show how God is present at your table
A fill-in-the-blank prayer: “Father, thank you for ___, ___, ___, and most of all for giving us Jesus in the Eucharist.”
Perfect to use while watching the companion Juice Box video
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