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Saturday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Brigid of Ireland, 451-525; born into slavery to Brocca--a Christian, who was a slave--and Dubthach, a Leinster chieftain; many stories of Brigid's purity followed her childhood; Dubthach took her to the king of Leinster, intending to sell her, but the king convinced him to set Brigid free, saying, "Her merit, before God, is greater...

Friday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. John Bosco, 1815-1888; ordained in 1841, and began serving young people; after serving as chaplain in a hospice for working girls, Don Bosco opened the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales for boys; by 1856, the institution had grown to 150 boys and had added a printing press for publication of religious and catechetical pamphlets; with the enco...

Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Bathidis, 626-680; born in England, enslaved and taken to Neustria in the Frankish kingdom; she became friends with King Clovis III, married him in 649, and bore him three sons; when Clovis died in 657, Bathildis served as regent for Clotaire III; she had founded a Benedictine convent at Chelles, as well as St. Denis Monastery and C...

Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Dallan Forgaill; a Sixth Century kinsman of St. Edan of Ferns, born in Connaught and a great scholar who, through his application to study, became blind.he composed a poem in honor of St. Columba, published after Columba's death, upon which Dallan's sight was restored; murdered by pirates in 598 Office of Readings and Morning Praye...

Tuesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas, 1225-1274; joined the Dominicans in 1243; studied under Albert the Great; held two professorships at Paris, lived at the court of Pope Urban IV, and directed the Dominican schools at Rome and Viterbo; his greatest contribution to the Church is his writings; the Summa Theologiae deals with the whole of Catholic theology; lef...

Monday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Angela de Merici, 1474-1540; born in Italy; joined the Third Order of St. Francis and embraced austerity; in a visionary experience, she felt called to found a “company” of women; at age 60, Angela and 12 other women began the Company of St. Ursula, the first model for a "secular institute"--the women lived in the world...

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/26/25 Gospel: Luke 1:1-4, 4:14-21

Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul Saturday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/25/25 Gospel: Mark 16:15-18

Friday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, 1567-1622; studied law in Padua, and then entered formation for priesthood; after his ordination, he was elected provost of the Diocese of Geneva, then a center for Calvinists; through his preaching and distribution of pamphlets explaining true Catholic doctrine, he was quite successful; at 35, he became bishop of Geneva,...

Thursday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Marianne Cope, 1838-1918; born in Germany; her family migrated and settled in Utica, New York, in 1840; she entered the Sisters of the Third Order of Saint Francis in Syracuse, New York, in 1862; in 1883, she and six sisters left for Hawaii; in 1888, Mother Marianne and two sisters went to Molokai to open a home for “unpro...

Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Vincent the Deacon; born at Huesca, Spain, he became a deacon and served St, Valerius at Saragossa until their martyrdom; St. Valerius was exiled, but Vincent was tortured because he would not surrender the holy books. he converted the warden of the prison and then died, in 304. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/22/25 Go...

Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Agnes, virgin and martyr; reputed to be a beautiful girl, desired by many men for marriage; one whom she refused reported her to authorities as a Christian, and she was arrested, and confined to a house of prostitution; according to legend, a man who looked at her lustfully lost his sight, but it was restored through Agnes' prayers; she w...

Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Fabian, 200-250; a Roman layman who came to the city as preparations were being made for the election of a new pope; a dove settled on Fabian's head, that was taken as a sign, and he was elected unanimously; he led the church for 14 years, and died in the persecution of Decius in 250; St. Cyprian wrote that Fabian was an "incompar...

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/19/25 Gospel: John 2:1-11

Saturday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Margaret of Hungary, 1242-1271; daughter of King Bela IV; became a Dominican novice at the age of 12 in a royal convent on an island in the Danube; she was a princess among nuns of nobility, but insisted upon no special treatment; she performed menial tasks, and served the poor and most advanced hospital cases; she died of fatigue o...

Friday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Anthony the Abbot, 251-356; at the age of 20, he gave up his large inheritance to the poor, and embraced the eremetical life; he gave the Church and the world the witness of solitary asceticism, great personal mortification and prayer; he also drew many people to himself for spiritual healing and guidance; at 54, he founded a monastery of s...

Thursday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Joseph Vaz, 1651-1711; a Catholic Oratorian Priest from Goa, sent to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) during the Dutch occupation, when Calvinism was the official religion; he brought the eucharist and other sacraments to clandestine Catholics in the region; he later found shelter in the Kandyan kingdom, where he was able to work freely; by t...

Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Paul the Hermit, 229-342; went to the desert at the age of 22, and found the eremetical life was much to his personal taste; he lived in a desert cave for the rest of his long life; his contemplation was "disturbed" by St. Anthony, who visited the aged Paul; Anthony also buried Paul in a cloak which he had received from St. Athanas...

Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Felix of Nola; lived in the Third Century, born in Nola, near Naples, Italy; on the death of his father, Felix distributed his inheritance to the poor, was ordained by  Bishop   St. Maximus of Nola, and became his assistant; Maximus fled to the desert at the beginning of persecutions in 250, and Felix was seized and impriso...

Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Hilary of Poitiers, 315-368; raised a pagan, converted when he found his God of nature in the scriptures; became bishop of Poitiers, France, and took up the battle against Arianism, which denied the divinity of Christ; he was eventually exiled to Phrygia; some semi-Arians invited him to a council, hoping for a reconciliation; but H...

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the final day of the Christmas season Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/12/25 Gospel: Luke 3:15-16, 21-22

Saturday after Epiphany Saint of the Day: St. Palaemon; a third and fourth century Egyptian hermit who is best known for serving as mentor to St. Pachomius; Palaemon and Pachomius organized the  hermits  of the Egyptian  desert into cenobitic communities, laying the groundwork for the development of monasticism; Palaemon died in 325 at Tabennisi, the vast monastic center that shelte...

Friday after Epiphany Saint of the Day: St. Gregory of Nyssa, 335-394; became bishop of Nyssa in about 371; Arians accused him of mismanagement and deposed him in 376; two years later, he was restored to his see; defended his Christology while on a trip to Jerusalem, even though he was well-known for his Trinitarian theology; attended a synod in Constantinople in 394, and died shortly thereafter O...

Thursday after Epiphany Saint of the Day: St. Adrian the Abbot, 637-710; born in Africa, and became  abbot of the monastery at Nerida, near Naples; turned down an appointment to become Archbishop of Canterbury, but accompanied St. Theodore when  he was appointed to the post; Theodore appointed Adrian abbot of Saints Peter and Paul Monastery (later known as St. Augustine's) in Canterbury;...

Wednesday after Epiphany Saint of the Day: St. Gudula, 646-712; daughter of Count Witger and St. Amalberga; educated by  St. Gertrude of Nivelles ; lived in the family castle until Gertrude died; dedicated her life to God in 664; known for her great charity; patroness of Brussels, Belgium, and of single laywomen Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/8/25 Gospel: Mark 6:45-52