April with Mary
Let us weave together the Feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Marian apparitions, and messages of Our Lady associated with the month of April. May it deepen your devotion and draw you ever closer to her Immaculate Heart.
Feasts, Apparitions, and the Tender Messages of the Blessed Virgin Mary
As the earth awakens in April, blooming in color and fragrance, so too does the Church turn its gaze to Mary, the one who bore the Author of Life. In this month of resurrection and renewal, the Blessed Virgin Mary invites us to deeper trust, prayer, and conversion. Through her feasts and apparitions commemorated in April, we hear her gentle voice calling us back to her Son.
🌹 Marian Feasts in April
Although the liturgical calendar doesn’t include a Marian solemnity universally celebrated in April, there are several beautiful local feasts and traditional devotions connected to Our Lady during this springtime.
1. Our Lady of the Holy Eucharist – April 2
This title of Mary comes from the deep unity she shares with her Son in the mystery of the Eucharist. Saint Peter Julian Eymard promoted this devotion, calling Mary the “Woman of the Eucharist,” as she bore the Body of Christ within her and stood beside Him as He gave His Body for us.
🕊️ Meditation: In a world where the Eucharist is often misunderstood or neglected, Our Lady draws us closer to this mystery, asking us to love Jesus truly present.
Message to us: “Adore Him in the Eucharist, my children. For in that silence, He speaks to your heart.”
2. Our Lady of Charity of Cobre – April 3 (Local feast in Cuba)
Our Lady appeared to three young men in Cuba in 1612. She was found floating on a wooden board inscribed with “Yo soy la Virgen de la Caridad” (I am the Virgin of Charity). She has since become the Patroness of Cuba.
🌊 Message: Her presence brought peace to a divided and suffering people. She is the Mother who appears among fishermen and the poor, radiating mercy and unity.
Mary’s Heartbeat: “I come for the poor and broken. Bring me your burdens.”
3. Our Lady of Good Counsel – April 26
This beautiful devotion began in Genazzano, Italy in 1467, when a mysterious icon of the Virgin and Child appeared on the wall of an unfinished church. The image seemed to float slightly off the wall and has remained a place of pilgrimage ever since.
👁️ Meaning: She is “Good Counsel” because she leads souls with gentle wisdom and prompts the faithful to make holy choices.
Mary’s Whisper: “Listen, and I will show you the way. Let peace be your compass.”
🌟 Marian Apparitions Associated with April
April also holds the memory of some lesser-known but deeply moving Marian apparitions around the world. Here are a few:
🇨🇭 Our Lady of Laus (France) – Apparitions began in April 1664
Approved by the Church in 2008, Our Lady appeared to a shepherdess, Benoîte Rencurel, for over 54 years, making Laus one of the longest apparition series in history.
👗 The Virgin Mary appeared in white with a child in her arms, and later revealed herself as the “Refuge of Sinners.”
💧 Central Message: Reconciliation and healing through the Sacrament of Confession.
Our Lady of Laus to Benoîte:
“I ask for a church to be built in honor of my Son, where many will be converted.”
🌸 Devotional Insight: Mary wants her children to return to the Father. In April, as new life blossoms around us, she reminds us that true renewal begins in the heart.
🇷🇼 Kibeho, Rwanda – April 2, 1982: A Prophetic Vision
While the official apparitions of Our Lady of Kibeho began in 1981, on April 2, 1982, visionary Alphonsine Mumureke received a powerful vision from Mary, warning of the Rwandan genocide.
🕊️ Mary identified herself as: “Nyina wa Jambo” – Mother of the Word.
🔔 Warning: The vision was of rivers of blood and people killing each other—fulfilled in the 1994 genocide. Mary’s tears were those of a Mother seeing her children destroy one another.
Mary’s Urgent Message: “Repent. Pray. Love one another.”
🙏 April Reflection: Let this month call us to peace, especially in divided families and nations. Mary’s voice is still echoing: conversion, prayer, and compassion.
🌼 Marian Themes of April – Messages from a Mother’s Heart
1. Resurrection and Renewal
April is the month of Easter joy. Mary’s messages during this time echo her role as Mother of the Risen Christ. While the Gospels do not record a meeting between Mary and the risen Jesus, tradition holds that such an encounter was intimate and real.
💬 Unspoken Message: “Hope does not disappoint. He is risen, and I am with you.”
2. Silence and Listening
As nature awakens, Mary calls us to a springtime of the soul. Her messages often begin in quiet places—Laus, Genazzano, Kibeho. Silence allows God’s Word to blossom in us.
🌿 Mary says: “Make space for God in your heart. I will teach you how.”
3. Charity and Reconciliation
Feasts like Our Lady of Charity and apparitions like Laus and Kibeho emphasize her mission: to bring unity, healing, and peace.
🧎♂️ Action: Confess. Forgive. Love.
🙏 A Prayer to Mary for the Month of April
🌸 Mary, Mother of New Life
*O Mary, Mother of the Risen Christ,
in this season of blooming and renewal,
I offer you my heart—tired, fragile, and searching.
Lead me to your Son, the source of life.
In your silence, teach me to listen.
In your love, teach me to forgive.
In your light, teach me to hope again.
May my life, like the earth in spring,
awaken to the grace of God.
Be near to the suffering,
to the wounded, and to the wandering.
Our Lady of Charity, pray for us.
Our Lady of Good Counsel, guide us.
Our Lady of Laus, reconcile us.
Our Lady of Kibeho, intercede for peace.
Amen.
🌏 Pilgrimage Invitation
If your heart longs to journey with Mary spiritually this month, consider a virtual pilgrimage to:
- Laus, France – Sanctuary of Reconciliation
- Kibeho, Rwanda – Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows
- Genazzano, Italy – House of Good Counsel
- El Cobre, Cuba – Basilica of Our Lady of Charity
Would you like a guide for one of these shrines? I’d be honored to create it for you.
💬 Have You Experienced Mary’s Presence?
If you’ve ever had a personal experience, dream, or miracle through Mary’s intercession—especially in April—I invite you to share it. You never know how your story could bring hope to someone else.
May this April be a time of inner resurrection and renewal. As the flowers bloom around us, may our hearts bloom in love for Jesus through Mary.
