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Saturday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary; their names from a legend which stems from a century after the Resurrection, but they represent and entire quiet series of generations who were preparing for the Messiah Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/26/25 Gospel: Matthew 13:24-30

Feast of St. James, apostle--brother of St. John Friday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/25/25 Gospel: Matthew 20:20-28

Thursday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Sharbel Makhlouf, 1828-1898; at age 23, he joined the Monastery of St. Maron at Annaya, Lebanon; he professed final vows in 1853, and was ordained six years later; he lived as a hermit from 1875 until his death; he followed a strict fast and was very devoted to the Blessed Sacrament; when his superiors occasionally asked him to ad...

Wednesday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Bridget of Sweden, 1303-1373; she had visions of Christ crucified from the age of 7; she lived her married life in the court of Swedish King Magnus II, and bore him eight children; after her husband's death, she lived the life of a strict penitent; in 1350, she made a pilgrimage to Rome, during which she was hounded by debts and...

Feast of St. Mary Magdalene; one of the many who assisted Jesus and the Twelve out of their means; she was one of those who stood by the cross with Jesus' mother; and she was the first to see the Risen Christ; died about 63 A.D. Tuesday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/22/25 Gospel: John 20:1-2, 11-18

Monday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Lawrence of Brindisi, 1559-1619; entered the Capuchins at Venice at age 16; with his facility for languages, he was able to study the Bible in original texts; elected major superior of the Capuchin province in Tuscany at age 31; elected minister general of the Capuchins in 1602; as a papal emissary, he went to Lisbon to visit the ki...

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/20/25 Gospel: Luke 10:38-42

Saturday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Symmachus; pope from 498 to his death in 514; he had to deal with a schism for the first few years of his pontificate, caused by some Roman clergy who elected an antipope; Symmachus sent aid to the North African bishops who were in exile on Sardinia, exiled by heretical King Thrasimund; he ransomed captives, founded three hospices fo...

Friday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Camillus de Lellis, 1550-1614; at 17, he was afflicted with a disease of his leg, which stayed with him for life; he had an addiction to gambling, and at 24, gambled everything away; he accepted work at the Capuchin friary of Manfredonia, and sought entrance to the novitiate twice, but was rejected because of the disease of his leg;...

Thursday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time Saints of the Day: Carmelite Nuns of Compiegne; during the French Revolution, 16 Carmelite nuns were arrested, and sentenced to death; they went to the guillotine in 1794, singing the "Salve Regina" Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/17/25 Gospel: Matthew 11:28-30

Wednesday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel; hermits lived on Mount Carmel near the Fountain of Elijah in northern Israel in the 12th century; by the 13th century they became known as “Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel”; in 1726 Our Lady of Mount Carmel became a celebration of the universal Church Office of Readings and Morning Prayer fo...

Tuesday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Bonaventure, 1221-1274; St. Francis is credited with healing him when he was a child; Bonaventure became a Franciscan at the age of 22; he was ultimately elected to serve as General Minister of the order, and his 17 years of service were not easy, since the friars were arguing the definition of "poverty"; Bonaventure structured the order th...

Monday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, 1656-1680; born in Auriesville, New York; she lost her family in a smallpox epidemic that left her disfigured and half-blind; moved by the words of three Blackrobes--Jesuit missionaries--who lodged with her uncle, she developed the courage to convert at the age of 19; she was baptized on Easter Sunday; but her conversion a...

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/13/25 Gospel: Luke 10:25-37

Saturday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Veronica; she is credited with giving a cloth to Jesus so that he could wipe his face on his way to his crucifixion; she is not mentioned in the Bible, but is known to us by Catholic tradition, and by the Sixth Station of the Cross, "Veronica wipes the face of Jesus"; the image of Jesus' face was subsequently imprinted on the cloth O...

Friday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Benedict, 480-547; born to a prosperous family in central Italy; studied at Rome, and was drawn to monastic life; became a hermit, but eventually built what was to become one of the most famous monasteries in the world, Monte Cassino; his rule prescribed a life of liturgical prayer, study, manual labor, and living together in community under...

Thursday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Anthony Perchesky, 983-1073; born in Ukraine, and went to Mount Athos in Greece to become a hermit; returned to Ukraine and founded a monastery in Kiev, which became the "Caves of Kiev," the first Ukrainian monastery founded by Ukrainians; he founded another monastery, but died in the Caves of Kiev; he is regarded as the father of Uk...

Wednesday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Augustine Zhao Rong and companions, the Chinese martyrs; 120 martyrs, beatified in groups at various times, but canonized together in 2000 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/9/25 Gospel: Matthew 10:1-7

Tuesday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Jeanne-Marie Kerguin, 1864-1900; joined the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary in 1887; she was assigned first to Paris, then to Carthage in northern Africa, where she encountered health problems, and was sent to Rome to recover; there, she answered the call of her order to be a missionary; she arrived in China in 1899, and was hospitali...

Monday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Palladius; originally of British or Roman descent, possibly a deacon in Rome, or, more likely, Auxerre, France; he convinced Pope Celestine I to send St. Germanus, bishop of Auxerre, to England to end the Pelagian heresy; Palladius was consecrated a bishop, and was sent to Ireland in 430; he founded at least three churches in Leinster,...

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/6/25 Gospel: Luke 10:1-12, 17-20

Saturday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria, 1502-1539; while working among the poor of his native Cremona in Italy as a medical doctor, he was attracted to the religious apostolate; he laid the foundations of three religious congregations, one for men, one for women, and an association of married couples, with the aim of reforming the decadent society...

Friday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time Independence Day in the United States Saint of the Day: Blessed Girgio Frassatti, 1901-1925; born in Turin; dedicated to works of social action, charity, prayer, and community; he was also a Third Order Dominican; died of poliomyelitis; thousands of mourners filled the streets of Turin as his cortege passed by; he will be canonized on September 7, 2025, alo...

Feast of St. Thomas, Apostle; provided one of the most profound statements of faith, "My Lord and my God"; died  72 A.D. Thursday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/3/25 Gospel: John 20:24-29

Wednesday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Otto of Bamberg, 1060-1139; born in Swabia; served under Emperor Henry IV, but disagreed with Henry's policies toward the Holy See; thus, when Otto was appointed  bishop  of  Bamberg  in 1103, he refused to be consecrated until receiving approval from Pope  Paschal II who consecrated him in 1106; Otto headed...