The 2025 Canadian Catholic Day Planner (review)

“In all thy ways think on Him, and He will direct thy steps.” ~ Proverbs 3:6

If anyone is wondering what makes a Catholic day planner different than just an ordinary day planner or calendar, this quoted verse is a pretty good clue.

The 2025 Canadian Catholic Day Planner has Proverbs 3:6 on the front cover. If I was wondering why I needed this planner in my life, the answer came to me, literally staring me in the face the moment I received it!

What a joy it has been to have the opportunity to review this planner. My friend Bonnie gave me this opportunity to share my thoughts on this planner here on her blog, and the talented Sarah Gould supplied her labour of love, allowing me to share my experience with you.

CH received a copy of this planner for the purposes of this review; all opinions expressed remain her own. This post contains affiliate links; as an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Why I Needed this Planner

This opportunity came to me at just the right time. As a Catholic homeschooling mom, with less than ideal energy and attention span, I struggle.

When this gift came my way, I had just missed an important event, because even though I wrote it in a calendar, I didn’t check the calendar. I was in a season of particularly intense frustration. I just felt very hopeless at my total inability to get things on track or keep up.

One year, I had gotten into the habit of writing the weekly activities on a whiteboard, and that helped, but the habit fell off when activities and school were out for summer. I never got back into it, and so I started missing appointments again and always feeling I was forgetting something and falling behind.

Early this fall, I bought not one, but two beautiful new planners. I thought for sure this would be the solution. I couldn’t decide between the hard-cover full-size planner with a lovely blue butterfly, or the stunning yellow-and-grey bumblebee one. They both called to me. They both appealed to the vision of the competent, got-it-together-mom that I long to be.

So why then would I be interested in reviewing the 2025 Canadian Catholic Day Planner? Had I not already gotten not one, but two planners I could use? I did. But had anything improved?  Unfortunately, no. Not one thing. I was doubly frustrated. I had assigned each planner its own role. One for school planning, and the other for daily events, appointments, hockey, etc. Sounded like a good plan, but the reality was I always seemed to be looking for one of them, or both. The hard cover meant I was limited in where it would fit, and nervous to bring it with me anywhere, in fear of tearing the cover off the corner or edges.

More than once, I used the wrong planner for the wrong type of planning, school things in the daily life one, and hockey schedule filling the schooling pages. I guess you could justify this is phys ed, but that was beside the point when I forgot to bring my daughter to hockey because it was in the wrong place! I didn’t use the planners often, even to check them, because I had made it too complicated.

The layout of the first planners were actually pretty good, and I am happy to report, this beautiful new Canadian Catholic planner also shares some of the more well thought out, seemingly functional components of the first two planners.

The 2025 Canadian Catholic Day Planner

The 2025 Canadian Catholic Day Planner is extremely well thought out. Creator Sarah Gould honestly seems to have a place for everything, including things I hadn’t thought I needed.

Each month has a full calendar spread, taking two full pages, allowing for generously sized squares for each day of the month. In addition, there is a side bar for notes. This is such a great place to list items that need to be addressed this month or whatever else you want to keep track of.

The pages between the monthly calendar spreads offer a week of daily planning, and notes, and even a place for meal planning. This planner literally offers the opportunity to put it all in one place! There are pages devoted throughout to saints, and feast days, and special days and information about things like Ember Days. The Holy Days of Obligation specific to the Roman Catholic Church in Canada are front and center, and placed in the calendar and weekly planning pages, so you are not flipping around, or checking other sources.

With this planner, there is ample space as well to write out notes/journal entries/prayer requests, thoughts/to do lists/meal prep. Rather than trying to compartmentalize, this planner allows you to combine it all, even the things you may have left out previously, because you didn’t know where to start, or couldn’t find the time.

In addition to being well laid-out for everyday planning, the benefit of this being a Catholic planner pops up immediately. At the top, right next to the named month, is the “month of” assigned by the Church. For example, January is the Month of the Holy Name of Jesus.

My First Catholic Planner

I have seen Catholic planners advertised online and never took the plunge. This is the first time I have seen a Canadian version specifically, and I don’t think I will go without in the future. I am so impressed with this beautiful planner. It truly has been a joy to use.

I have started to fill the calendar pages, and get in the habit of checking it, and find myself much more aware of religious dates. I feel so much more equipped to prepare my children properly, because even in my busiest weeks, I am reminded of what is upcoming, and then able to prepare to celebrate properly. For the first time in a long time, I feel as though I am getting on track, and that I will be able to offer the liturgically-inspired lifestyle I so dearly long to venture through with my kids.

The Jubilee Year of 2025

With the focus on Hope for the Jubilee Year of 2025, I cannot help but rejoice at the timely gift I received.

This planner is more than a planner. This planner does provide me with a lot of hope that some of my struggles might ease this Jubilee year.

What sets the 2025 Canadian Catholic Day Planner apart? This planner is designed for Catholics. Why is that important? Because I told you about the two planners I purchased, but what about the one I got at the church, or the websites I visit, or the books I consult, when I realize I am neglecting another vision I had for our family.

I want to have more meaningful feast days and more Catholic traditions in our lives. I often feel this is the area I just cannot get too, no matter how I desire too.

It really didn’t occur to me how much of a comfort that aspect of this planner would be. I cannot fully convey the sense of relief of this burden being shared. This planner feels like a fellow mom collaborating to lighten this load for me. This feels like a homeschool co-op, where we share our talents and support each other, and suddenly offering certain programming to our kids feels attainable.

The burden I am referring to is of struggling with “staying on top of the liturgical calendar, and delving deeper, learning more, sharing more with my kids, keeping on top of and ahead of the family schedule, and being prepared and inspired.” This is a lot to try and figure out when so often we are dealing with the immediate needs. It is not automatic, especially if you didn’t grow up in a household with the richness of faith or the fluidity of a well-organized home.

I am so very grateful to Sarah Gould for this beautiful product, and I hope that many other Catholics, and especially Catholic moms, will decide to get themselves one of these wonderful planners. The year may have started, but there is so much of the year left, and if this “Year of Hope”  has not been going the way you had planned, I highly recommend getting yourself this planner.

The theme: “In all thy ways think on Him, and He will direct thy steps.” Proverbs 3:6 is certainly the only way any of us will find any true hope, or lasting peace. The 2025 Canadian Catholic Day Planner has been laid out to guide us to follow this proverb, with so much rich material and reminders laced throughout to keep us focused throughout our year.  As I go through the rest of the year with this beautiful book at hand, I am so encouraged, and delighted to see how this truth plays out in every aspect of our lives.

~ CH