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Thursday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Augustine Zhao Rong and 119 companions, the martyrs of China; they were holy men and women who gave their lives for Christ between 1648 and 1930; they included 87 native Chinese and 33 foreign missionaries; Augustine Zhao Rong, the first martyred Chinese priest, had earlier witnessed the persecution of Monsignor Dufresse and became ordaine...

Wednesday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Jeanne-Marie Kerguin, 1864-1900; born in France to a peasant family; joined the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary in 1887; she was assigned first to Paris, then to Carthage in Northern Africa; she encountered health problems and was sent to Rome to recover; there she answered the call of her Order to work as a missionary; she arrived...

Tuesday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Palladius; early Fifth Century Irish missionary, the first  bishop of Ireland, and the immediate predecessor to St. Patrick; in about 430, Pope Celestine I sent Palladius to preach among the Irish; his mission apparently made little impact upon the native population;  Palladius  departed  Ireland and sailed for Sco...

Monday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Maria Goretti, 1890-1902; after her father’s passing, Saint Maria’s mother had to return to work while Maria looked after her five brothers and sisters; sadly, a malicious neighbor took advantage of the situation and little Maria was killed in 1902; Saint Maria, at age 11, declared she’d rather die than be abused;...

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/5/26 Gospel: Matthew 11:25-30

Saturday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time Independence Day in the U.S. Optional Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Portugal, 1271-1336; given in marriage at the age of 12 to Denis, king of Portugal; she helped pilgrims, strangers, the sick, the poor—in a word, all those whose need came to her notice; Elizabeth of Portugal long sought peace for her husband with God, and was finally rewarded when h...

Feast of St. Thomas, apostle Friday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/3/26 Gospel: John 20:24-29

Thursday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Monegundis; Sixth Century hermitess, born in Chartres, France, and married; when her daughters died, she received her husband's permission to become a hermitess; she started a hermitage at  Chartres  but then moved to a site near the  tomb  of St.  Martin at Tours; disciples who joined her forced her to estab...

Wednesday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Junipero Serra, 1713-1784; Spanish priest and Franciscan missionary; an explorer and colonist of California, and founder of the missions of California; his missionary efforts earned him the title of “Apostle of California” and “The Father of the California Missions” Office of Readings and Morning Prayer fo...

Tuesday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of the First Martyrs of the Church of Rome; they were put to death under the emperor Nero's reign, in 64 A.D.; the burning of the city of Rome was suspected to be Nero's fault, and he laid it on the Christians; their conviction and martyrdom led to many others to follow Christ Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/30/26 Gospel: Matt...

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul Monday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/29/26 Gospel: Matthew 16:13-19

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/28/26 Gospel: Matthew 10:37-42

Saturday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria, 376-444; in 412, he succeeded his uncle Theopholus as archbishop of Alexandria; in 431, he convened the Council of Ephesus which vindicated Mary’s title as Mother of God; he was a prolific author, writing commentaries on the Pentateuch, Psalms, Isaiah, and the Gospels of John and Luke Office of Readings...

Friday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer; 1902-1975; born in Spain; in 1918, he sensed that God was asking something of him; he was ordained a priest, and began his pastoral ministry in 1925; in 1928, God showed him that he was to found Opus Dei, an institution within the  Catholic  Church dedicated to helping people in all walks of&nbs...

Thursday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. William of Vercelli, 1085-1142; born in Vercelli, Italy; brought up as an orphan; became a hermit after a pilgrimage, and attracted so many followers that a monastery was built; the austerity of his rule led to dissension among his followers; so, to restore peace, William left, and was taken under the protection of Roger I of Naples,...

Solemnity of the Birth of St. John the Baptist Wednesday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/24/26 Gospel: Luke 1:57-66, 80

Tuesday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Agrippina; came from a good Roman family in the Third Century; she was caught up in the persecutions instituted by Emperor Valerian  or  Diocletian and was beheaded or scourged in 262; her body was taken to Mineo, Sicily, by three devout Christian women; the gravesite became a popular pilgrimage destination, noted for miracl...

Monday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of Saints John Fisher and Thomas More; Thomas More was married, fathered children, and was elected to parliament; he was made Lord Chancellor of England shortly before Henry VIII took control of the Church of England; Thomas resigned over this, and suffered poverty, imprisonment in the Tower of London, and beheading; John Fisher, Cambridge...

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/21/26 Gospel: Matthew 10:26-33

Saturday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. John of Pulsano, 1070-1139; born in Matera in the kingdom of Naples; he entered the Benedictines, but was disliked because his austerities; joined the community of  St. William  of  Vercelli for a time, leaving to preach at Ban; John  spent  time  as a hermit in  Sicily and was imprisoned; he escape...

Friday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Romuald, 951-1027; Shocked by witnessing his father win a duel, Saint Romuald fled to a local abbey and entered religious life; he traveled through Italy reforming monasteries and eventually founded the Camaldolese Order; as Saint Peter Damian described, Saint Romuald’s goal was to, “…turn the whole world into a h...

Thursday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Gregory Barbarigo, 1625-1697; he came from a distinguished Venetian family, embraced a diplomatic career, and then became a priest; he was consecrated as the first bishop of Bergamo; later, he was elevated to the rank of cardinal, and given authority over the diocese of Padua; he guided his flock with pastoral  wisdom and deep u...

Wednesday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Hypatius of Bithynia, 366-450; born in Phrygia, and became a monk; went to Thrace and became a hermit; then went to Constantinople and Chalcedon; Hypatius is credited with halting a revival of the Olympic games because of their  pagan origins; he was known for miracles and prophecies Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/...

Tuesday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Luthgard, 1182-1246; born in Belgium, placed in a Benedictine convent at the age of twelve; she had many mystical experiences, levitated, and had a form of the stigmata; in order to avoid being made an abbess, Lutjgard joined the Cistercians; she lived a mystical life for three decades and was famed for her spiritual wisdom and miracl...

Monday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Adelaide; Thirteenth Century contemplative and miracle worker, born in Belgium, and placed in a convent at the age of seven; she was beloved by the nuns because of her humility and goodness, but they found that she had contracted leprosy, and had to be isolated for health reasons; she received many graces, including  visions and e...