Living Liturgically in April
On this page you will find resources for popular feast days celebrated in the Orthodox Church in April.
Here is a collection of blogposts for feast days and saints celebrated in the month of April. In each of these blogs you will find summarized information about the feast/saints, activity suggestions for younger and older kids, reading suggestions and more. These are not just activities for activities sake, of course. My hope is that these will aid you in sharing more about our faith with your children in a way that is developmentally appropriate, allows for their exploration and participation in the feast, and hopefully cultivate a rich soil in their hearts that allows the seed of Truth that stays with them all the days of their life. I absolutely love learning more about the saints and feast days and try my best to set them apart from other days. I hope these resources are a blessing to you!
From the Shop:
2025 Version: This is a digital download. You will be sent a link to download directly to your email.
As Pascha draws near, I wanted to create a printable/planner to help you stay organized for Holy Week, prepare sufficiently for attending services, and have a smooth and grace-filled Holy Week and Pascha! A little foresight and planning before Holy Week begins goes a long way so we have a heart like Mary and we can focus on the one thing needful and not be a frazzled mess like Martha running around stressed! Good Strength!
This PDF download is 16 pages long and includes:
~ Sample Holy Week Planner
~ QR Codes for additional resources
~ Holy Week Planner/Calendar
~ Holy Week Services Planner
~ Blank Pascha Basket Planner for Each Person
~ Blank Pascha Basket List for Whole Family
~ Blank Pascha Prep Check List
~ Blank Holy Week Check List
~ Bright Week Bucket List
~ Path to Pascha Schedule
Not everyone puts together a Pascha basket, so if that’s you, feel free to skip those pages. I pray you have a blessed Holy Week and Pascha!
Your Sister in Christ,
Khouria Destinie
Ascetic Life of Motherhood
Lazarus Saturday Recipe Printable - This is a PDF download and it will be emailed to you immediately after purchasing.
If you’re looking for a meaningful tradition for Lazarus Saturday, look no further than Lazarakia or Lazarus Buns! This one page printable is the perfect addition to making the day run even smoother. In the print you have the recipe + a brief explanation of the feast day in the Orthodox Church.
Celebrated Saturday before Palm Sunday - Lazarus Saturday is the day which begins Holy Week. It commemorates the raising of our Lord's friend Lazarus, who had been in the tomb four days. This act confirmed the universal resurrection from the dead that all of us will experience at our Lord's Second Coming. This miracle led many to faith, but it also led to the chief priest's and Pharisees' decision to kill Jesus (John 11:47-57).
Lazarus Saturday - The Lazarakia or Lazarus buns are typically made for Lazarus Saturday as we remember Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead just before his crucifixion. They are shaped in the form of a man, which resembles the swaddled figure of Lazarus with his arms crossed, as portrayed in the icons. The eyes are made of cloves (or chocolate chips). There is a variety of sweet spices that can be put inside the dough, like cinnamon or orange peel, walnuts or other nuts, but as a fasting Lenten food, these are fully vegan. I hope you try these sweet buns and share them with others!
(Digital Download) This print is intended for a single family home. If you would like to bulk print and distribute to your parish, please purchase the “bulk print” in my shop.
Printables Included: January - December (12 Months) for 2025 New Calendar Dates
Bundle and Save! The dates are adjusted to reflect the 2025 calendar, and compiled all 12 months into one download!
Living the Orthodox Faith in our modern age takes intention. One of my favorite things about the Orthodox Church is the Liturgical calendar. I love the rich traditions that help us engage in the Liturgical year as well. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of feast days, saint days, fasting periods, etc. So my hope with these monthly printables is to pair it down for you. Let’s make a goal to learn about ONE saint each month, and do ONE activity each month related to a featured saint. Throughout the month, learn ONE hymn by singing it together every day, or as often as you can. And lastly, intentionally carve out time to create a strong family culture in your home (in the Family Corner section). According to Saint John Chrysostom, the home is a “little church.” By bringing these small experiences of the Church into the home, we more fully recognize and appreciate what it means to be the Church when we gather during the Liturgy. Our lives at home should be a reflection of our life in the Church. I’ve also included a few reminders of common traditions associated with the feast days each month.
For this download, you will receive Jan-Dec.
Each Month Includes :
Important dates in the Orthodox Church Calendar and a few reminders of common traditions associated so you know what's coming up and plan accordingly
One saint focus for the month
Family Corner - building family culture takes intention, so we've included a simple ideas for the whole family to engage in summertime activities as a family.
Activity - one of the best ways to help kids engage in the Liturgical Calendar is by bringing the stories to life! Making those connections outside of church can be really helpful so when they are in church for the services they can make those connections in the Liturgy, icons, and hymnography. And don't worry, you don't have to be a “crafty” parent to do these activities. They are very simple and fun!
Hymn of the Month - let's learn one song a month, shall we? By singing the hymn weekly, you'll begin to familiarize yourself with it so by the time you hear it sung in church, you'll already have it written in your heart ❤️ the Liturgical Hymns hold the meaning behind each Feasts, so learning them will be a great joy
I’ve included some extra information and QR code links to go further into living liturgically!
If you are just looking for a few months, check out Jan-March 2025 Printables.
Your sister in Christ,
Khouria Destinie