Calendar Class of April 12, 2025

A Carpe Diem Snapshot:

The messy process of Spring cleaning, landscaping, and gardening has begun, as well as preparations for the great feast of Easter at Villa Magnolia. The girls found stout branches for their Easter egg trees today, which hopefully will be lovely centerpieces at the feast. Today's "etc." category has some tips on dying eggs to decorate those trees.

Liturgical: Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent Mass readings and Bishop Barron's Gospel reflections

So the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council, and said, “What are we to do? This man is performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all! You do not understand that it is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed.” He did not say this on his own, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus was about to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the dispersed children of God. So from that day on they planned to put him to death.

Jesus therefore no longer walked about openly among the Jews, but went from there to a town called Ephraim in the region near the wilderness; and he remained there with the disciples.

Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. They were looking for Jesus and were asking one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think? Surely he will not come to the festival, will he?”

John 11:45-56

Sanctoral: The Roman Martyrology commemorates Pope St. Julius I (d. 352), a Roman who was chosen pope on the 6th of February in 337. He ruled the Church until 352 and received the appeal from St. Athanasius, whom he defended against his Arian accusers. The letter he wrote to the East on this occasion is one of the most momentous pronouncements of the Roman See. He built several churches in Rome and ranks as one of the most distinguished occupants of the Holy See.

Human: Passover Begins

Passover begins at sundown on this day. Passover, or Pesach, is an annual weeklong festival commemorating the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt and slavery. The holiday, which begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nissan, derives its name from the passing over of the homes of the Israelite slaves during the tenth plague. Family and friends gather together on the first and second nights of the holiday for the high point of the festival observance, the Seder. During the Seder, which means “order” in Hebrew, the experience of the Exodus is told in story, song, prayer, and the tasting of symbolic foods. Perhaps the most well-known of these foods is the matzoh (flat, crackerlike unleavened bread), which is a reminder of the haste with which the slaves—who had no time to wait for the bread to rise—left Egypt. Read more about Passover here.

Terry Fox began his Marathon of Hope across Canada in St. John’s, Newfoundland, by dipping his artificial leg into the Atlantic Ocean – 1980

Natural: Full Pink Moon

Step outside on Saturday, April 12, to witness April’s full Pink Moon. This Paschal Moon marks the first full Moon of spring and is used to determine the date of Easter. This month also brings a micromoon. Curious about how it compares to a supermoon? Discover the story behind the “Pink Moon” and what makes this lunar event unique.

This full Moon heralded the appearance of the moss pink, or wild ground phlox (one of the first spring flowers). It is also known as the Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and the Fish Moon. Historically, Native Americans living in what is now the northern and eastern United States kept track of the seasons by giving a distinctive name to each full Moon. This name was used to refer to the entire month in which the Moon occurred. With some variations, the same Moon names were used throughout the Algonquian tribes from New England to Lake Superior. Learn more about the Full Moon for April. 

Easter and the Paschal Full Moon

Italian: 15 Tricky Italian Tongue Twisters to Try

Quote: Words are like eggs: When they are hatched, they have wings.

Etc.: How to Color Easter Eggs Naturally (Chemical- and Dye-Free!)