St. Mary of Egypt

Activities for the whole family:

Set up an obstacle course that will help you to remember the life of St. Mary of Egypt. Possible obstacles include:

• A “boat” (a board laying across a smaller board) - players stand on it and rock back and forth a predetermined number of times

  1. A closed door with an icon of the Theotokos beside it - players must try to enter the door 2 or 3 times, but don’t until after reverencing the icon

  2. 3 loaves of bread (rocks or sponges) to collect before crossing the “Jordan” - players gather them and carry them along

  3. A “Jordan River” that must be crossed - players cross on all fours as though swimming

  4. “The desert” to wander in (if outside, draw a winding path with chalk; if inside, create one with pillow “boulders” on the floor) - players wander through the path

  5. A “rock” hideout (tent, swing set, or chalk-drawn box if outside; blanket over a table if inside) where Mary goes to repent - players go inside and kneel in prayer (Depending on the age level of the players, players could repeat the desert wander and the rock hideout a pre-determined number of times, representing her 47 years’ repentance in the desert)

  6. A copy of Mark 10:44 for the player to read/recite because the Word of God came to her in the desert, so she knew the Scriptures

  7. Player returns to the Jordan River, and walks across it this time, as Mary did when Zosimas communed her

  8. Player moves quickly to the hideout and lies down, as when Mary was transported to the faraway spot in the desert just before she died. (If you have a stuffed lion, it could be kept inside the hideout, and grabbed by the player to place beside themselves before they lie down, to represent the lion that came to bury St. Mary when she passed away.)

Your family might think of additional (or different) obstacles as you create your own course. You might also decide to time each player as they take their turn to be “St. Mary”, in which case you might announce in advance that the winner will do something to serve the others in the family (perhaps fetch and serve some fruit or cookies as a snack?) at the end of the game.