April is a joyful, Easter-season month, and the Church invites us to deepen our family’s love for Jesus in the Eucharist—the month’s devotion to the Blessed Sacrament—while celebrating a company of inspiring saints. Whether you’re planting spring flowers or making simple saint crafts, there’s plenty to embrace in your domestic church this month!

Monthly Overview

Tap any feast below to jump straight to it. ↓

• Monthly Devotion: The Blessed Sacrament

• Key Feast Days & Saint Celebrations:

  • April 3: St. Richard of Chichester

  • April 11: St. Gemma Galgani

  • April 12: St. Zeno of Verona

  • April 16: St. Bernadette Soubirous

About the Monthly Devotion: The Blessed Sacrament

April is dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament—the Holy Eucharist, which is the real presence of Jesus: His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. The word “Eucharist” means “thanksgiving,” and in the Eucharist Jesus gives us the greatest gift of all: Himself. During the joyful Easter season, this devotion invites our families to spend time with Jesus, especially in Eucharistic Adoration, and to thank Him for His love.

Family Ideas for April:

• Attend Eucharistic Adoration as a family (even just 5–10 minutes!).

• Make a “Jesus in the Eucharist” craft using a paper monstrance.

• Read John 6:51–58 and talk about how Jesus feeds us with His love.

• Say a little prayer when you pass a Catholic church: “My Lord and my God.”

Bring the April devotion into your mornings. Our Catholic Morning Menu features a beautiful cover and tracing page for each month’s traditional devotion—including April’s devotion to the Blessed Sacrament—plus prayers, a Bible memory verse, the liturgical season, and gentle preschool learning to start each day with the faith. See the Morning Menu →

April 3: St. Richard of Chichester

Fun Facts:

1. He was a bishop in England during the 13th century.

2. He is best known for his beautiful prayer to know, love, and follow Jesus.

3. He lived simply and often walked everywhere he went.

4. He bravely stood up for what was right, even against kings.

5. He is the patron saint of coachmen and the Diocese of Chichester.

Ways to Celebrate:

• Learn his prayer together as a family.

• Go on a “prayer walk” and thank God for your neighborhood and friends.

• Have a simple picnic outdoors in honor of his love of walking.

• Make a family motto inspired by his prayer and decorate it for your home.

• Talk about being brave when we stand up for what is right.

His Story:
St. Richard of Chichester was a 13th-century English bishop who loved God with a humble, steadfast heart. He came from a hardworking farming family, lived very simply, and often walked everywhere he went. As bishop he cared for the poor and bravely stood up for what was right, even against powerful kings. He is best loved for a prayer he prayed near the end of his life: to know Jesus more clearly, love Him more dearly, and follow Him more nearly, day by day.

What Kids Can Learn from St. Richard:
We can grow closer to Jesus one day at a time by asking to know, love, and follow Him better. Like St. Richard, we can be humble, simple, and brave.

A Little Prayer:
St. Richard, help our family to know Jesus more clearly, love Him more dearly, and follow Him more nearly, day by day. St. Richard, pray for us. Amen.

April 11: St. Gemma Galgani

Fun Facts:

1. She was born in Italy in 1878 and loved Jesus and Mary deeply.

2. She was very close to her guardian angel, whom she spoke with often.

3. She is considered a modern mystic.

4. Though she longed to be a nun, poor health kept her at home.

5. She is a patron saint of students and those who are sick.

Ways to Celebrate:

• Make angel crafts and talk about how angels protect and guide us.

• Pray the Guardian Angel prayer together.

• Read a simple story of her life and her love for Jesus.

• Write little letters to Jesus, just like Gemma did.

• Decorate a “prayer jar” to fill with prayer intentions.

Her Story:
St. Gemma Galgani was born in Italy in 1878 and loved Jesus and Mary with all her heart from a young age. Though she dreamed of becoming a nun, poor health kept her at home—but she made her home a place of deep prayer. She was very close to her guardian angel, whom she spoke with often, and she offered her many sufferings to God out of love. Even in pain, her heart stayed full of joy and trust in Jesus.

What Kids Can Learn from St. Gemma:
We can love Jesus deeply right where we are, even when things are hard. Like St. Gemma, we can talk to our guardian angel and offer our little troubles to God.

A Little Prayer:
St. Gemma, you loved Jesus with your whole heart and trusted Him even in suffering. Help our family to pray with love, to trust God, and to be friends with our guardian angels. St. Gemma, pray for us. Amen.

April 12: St. Zeno of Verona

Fun Facts:

1. He was a bishop in the 4th century known for his joy and good humor.

2. He baptized many hundreds of people during his ministry.

3. He is a patron saint of fishermen and newborns.

4. He loved to fish and often taught using fishing stories.

5. He was beloved in Verona for his kindness to the poor.

Ways to Celebrate:

• Play a “fishing for faith” game using paper fish with Bible verses.

• Talk about baptism and share your child’s baptism story or photos.

• Say a prayer for newborn babies and expectant mothers.

• Watch a short children’s video about his life.

• Draw fish and talk about being “fishers of men.”

His Story:
St. Zeno was a bishop of Verona, Italy, in the 4th century, known for his joy, his good humor, and his love for the poor. He baptized many hundreds of people and helped his whole city come to know Christ. He loved to fish, and he often used fishing stories to teach about becoming “fishers of men,” just as Jesus called His apostles. He reminds us that holiness can be joyful and full of laughter.

What Kids Can Learn from St. Zeno:
Holiness can be joyful! Like St. Zeno, we can serve God with a happy heart, care for the poor, and help others come to know Jesus.

A Little Prayer:
St. Zeno, you served God with joy and helped many people come to know Jesus. Help our family to love God happily and to be kind and generous to others. St. Zeno, pray for us. Amen.

April 16: St. Bernadette Soubirous

Fun Facts:

1. She saw the Blessed Virgin Mary 18 times in Lourdes, France.

2. She was only 14 years old when the apparitions began.

3. A miraculous spring appeared where Mary told her to dig—it still flows today!

4. Her body remains incorrupt, a sign of her holiness.

5. She is a patron saint of the sick.

Ways to Celebrate:

• Watch a family-friendly video about Our Lady of Lourdes.

• Create a little Marian shrine with flowers and an image of Mary.

• Fill a jar with holy water or spring water and talk about its meaning.

• Pray a decade of the Rosary for someone who is sick.

• Paint rocks blue and white to remember Lourdes.

Her Story:
St. Bernadette Soubirous was a poor, often sickly girl from Lourdes, France. When she was just fourteen, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to her eighteen times in a quiet grotto, calling herself “the Immaculate Conception.” At Mary’s request, Bernadette dug in the ground, and a miraculous spring appeared that still flows today and has brought healing to many. Bernadette was humble and obedient, and even when people doubted her, she simply told the truth. She later became a nun, and her body remains incorrupt to this day.

What Kids Can Learn from St. Bernadette:
God often chooses the littlest, humblest people for the biggest missions. Like St. Bernadette, we can be honest, humble, and trusting of Mary and Jesus.

A Little Prayer:
St. Bernadette, Mary chose you, a humble little girl, for a beautiful mission. Help our family to be humble, honest, and trusting, and to love our Blessed Mother. St. Bernadette, pray for us. Amen.

More Monthly Feast Day Guides

Looking ahead or catching up? Explore more of our monthly feast day guides for Catholic families:

• March Feast Days — St. Joseph, St. Louise de Marillac, St. Simon of Cyrene & more.

• May Feast Days — Our Lady of Fatima, St. Isidore the Farmer, Sts. Philip & James & more.

Want to build your own family rhythms around the liturgical year? Start with Create Feast Day Traditions Based on Your Love Languages and Liturgical Living Made Simple.