I’m always trying to figure out how to make it easier for families to observe the Christian Year because we felt so overwhelmed when we first started that journey (which is why we wrote the book we wish we had then). I thought it might be helpful for our family to have resources compiled for the month ahead so that we can plan in advance which special saints days we want to observe and I hope having them all in one place is helpful to you, too!
I pinned all of the following resources on an April (and Easter!) Liturgical Living board on pinterest for your convenience!
As always, remember not to get overwhelmed. You don’t have to observe every saints day! (We certainly don’t at our house.) The liturgical year is a gift. It shouldn’t feel like a burden!
I’m a couple of days late posting this month’s liturgical living post (mea culpa!) but hopefully you’ll forgive me! And stay tuned for a big Easter Basket Gift Guide and Giveaway coming your way this week (I’ll be alerting my weekly newsletter subscribers when it’s live so be sure you’ve signed up to get the free emails!).
Holy Week Preparation
- Sticky Handprints and When You’re Not Ready for Easter: Carrots for Michaelmas
- The “You Can Still Do This” Guide to All Things Holy Week: Catholic All Year
- New Catholics, Here’s Why I’m So Excited for You: Carrots for Michaelmas
April 14th: Palm Sunday
- Let his blood be upon us and upon our children: Carrots for Michaelmas
- 10 Things to Do with Palms from Palm Sunday: Catholic Icing
April 18thth: Holy Thursday
- Seven Churches on Holy Thursday: Clan Donaldson
- Last Supper Craft: Catholic Icing
- Happy Foot Washing Day: Catholic All Year
April 19th: Good Friday
- Printable Stations of the Cross for Children: Catholic Icing
- Make Hot Cross Buns (The Pioneer Woman has a good recipe.)
- Read T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets (especially East Coker IV).
- How to Talk to Little Kids about the Crucifixion: Catholic All Year
April 20th: Holy Saturday
- Attend a Vigil Mass! Get ready for Easter!
- Getting the Eastertide Party Going: Carrots for Michaelmas
April 21st: Easter Sunday!
- 8 Picture Books for Lent and Easter: Carrots for Michaelmas
- Catholic Resurrection Eggs: Catholic Icing
- Preparing for an Easter Feast: Team Whitaker
Eastertide:
- Getting the Eastertide Party Going: Carrots for Michaelmas
- 50 Days of Easter Activities for Kids: Look to Him and Be Radiant
- Regina Caeli: Latin Chant for Toddlers: A Blog for My Mom
April 23rd: St. George
(Links to Amazon are affiliate links)
Book:
St. George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges
(Our copy is falling apart because we’ve read it so many times.)
Food/Activities for Celebrating:
- Make Shepherd’s Pie for St. George of Merry England. You can find my recipe in our liturgical year cookbook, Feast! and I have to say, it’s really good. My Shepherd’s Pie recipe is the only legendary thing I make. All our other best family recipes came from Daniel, so I think it’s ok if I brag about my one claim to fame 😉
April 25th: St. Mark
Food/Activities for Celebrating:
- Make an Italian meal. (St. Mark is the patron saint of Venice and his feast is enthusiastically celebrated in Sardinia.) Here’s a simple ideas from Catholic Cuisine: Risi e Bisi
April 28th: Divine Mercy Sunday
Food:
- Super Simple Divine Mercy Cake: Better than Eden
Activities:
- Divine Mercy Watercolor Art Page: Look to Him and Be Radiant
- 7 Ways to Celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday with Children: Slice of Smith Life
April 29th: St. Catherine of Siena
- Coloring Page: Catholic Playground
Food for Celebrating:
- Make an Italian meal honoring St. Catherine. We have a Sun-dried Tomato Risotto recipe in our new cookbook, More Feasts!
Activities and More:
- 7 Quick Ways to Celebrate St. Catherine of Siena: Two Os Plus More
Books:
Catherine of Siena by Sigrid Undset (This is one of my favorites! It’s for adults, not a picture book and really helped me get to know St. Catherine. Undset is one of the finest authors of the 20th century, so if you’re looking for a good book about a saint, definitely check it out.) And here’s a great reflection on the book by my friend Christy.
Do you have any special traditions for saints days in April, Holy Week, or for Eastertide? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!
Check out our real food liturgical year cookbook: Feast! Real Food, Reflections and Simple Living for the Christian Year. You can buy the ebook for $7.99 or the print version for $21.99.
Thank you so much for your Liturgical Living at a Glance posts! Our parish is doing family activity boxes in lieu of youth group this year. Your outlines and resources are amazing!! 🙂