Daybreak

Tuesday after Epiphany Optional Memorial of St. Raymond of Pennafort, 1175-1275; became a Dominican, and founded the Order of Our Lady of Ransom; went with King James to Majorca to preach; King James, however, was ruled by his passions, and set a bad example; Raymond commanded the king to send the woman away; the king said that he would, but he did not; Saint Raymond spread his cloak upon the wate...

Monday after Epiphany Saint of the Day: St. Peter of Canterbury; a  monk in the monastery of St. Andrew's, Rome, and was chosen by Pope St. Gregory the Great to embark with St. Augustine of Canterbury and other monks on the missionary enterprise to England in 596; became the first  abbot of the monastery of Saints. Peter and Paul at  Canterbury in 602; died by drowning at Ambleteu,...

Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord Twelfth Day of Christmas Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/5/25 Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12

Eleventh Day of Christmas Memorial of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, 1774-1821; raised Episcopalian, but knew the value of prayer, scripture, and a nightly examination of conscience; married William Magee Seton when she was 19, and bore him five children before he died of tuberculosis; while in Italy with her dying husband, she saw Catholicity in action through friends; she became Catholic because of be...

Tenth Day of Christmas Optional Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/3/25 Gospel: John 1:29-34

Ninth Day of Christmas Memorial of Saints Basil the Great (330-379) and Gregory Nazianzen (329-390); good friends, who met at university; Basil became bishop of Caesarea in 374, and he was called upon to refute the Arian heresy, which held that Jesus was not God; when one town was falling away from the faith, Basil ordained Gregory bishop and sent him there; Basil died at age 49; Gregory resigned...

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God Eighth Day of Christmas Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/1/25 Gospel: Luke 2:16-21

Seventh Day of Christmas Optional Memorial of Pope St. Sylvester I; became pope in 314 A.D.; preserved the essential independence of the Church in the face of the overpowering figure of the Emperor Constantine; the bishops generally remained loyal to the Holy See, and at times expressed apologies to Sylvester for undertaking important ecclesiastical projects at the urging of Constantine; Sylvester...

Sixth Day of Christmas Saint of the Day: St. Egwin of Evesham; English noble who became bishop of Worcester, England, in 692. thought by his clergy to be too strict; went to Rome, and on his return founded Evesham Monastery, prompted by a vision of Mary; in 709, Egwin returned to Rome, and died in 717 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/30/24 Gospel: Luke 2:36-40

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph Fifth Day of Christmas Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/29/24 Gospel: Luke 2:41-52

Feast of the Holy Innocents Fourth Day of Christmas Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for12/28/24 Gospel: Matthew 2:13-18

Feast of St. John, apostle and evangelist, 6-100 A.D.; "the disciple whom Jesus loved"; the one who reclined next to Jesus at the Last Supper, and the one to whom Jesus gave the exquisite honor of caring for his mother, as John stood beneath the cross; author of the fourth Gospel, and traditionally believed to be the author of three New Testament letters, as well as the Book of Revelation; John's...

Feast of St. Stephen, first Christian martyr Second Day of Christmas Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/26/24 Gospel: Matthew 10:17-22

Christmas Day - The Nativity of Our Lord Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/25/24 Gospel: Luke 2:1-14

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent (Christmas Eve) Saint of the Day: St. Adele; became a nun on the death of her husband; founded a convent near Trier, and became its first abbess; she ruled with prudence, holiness, and compassion; Adele was a disciple of St. Boniface, the Apostle of Germany; she died in 730 A.D.

Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent Optional Memorial of St. John of Kanty, 1390-1473; ordained a priest, and taught theology, later becoming a parish priest; he later returned to Krakow, and taught Scripture for the remainder of his life; he was a serious, humble man, known to all of the poor of Krakow for his kindness; made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, hoping to be martyred by the Turks; made four...

Fourth Sunday of Advent Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/22/24 Gospel: Luke 1:39-45

Saturday of the Third Week of Advent Optional Memorial of St. Peter Canisius, 1521-1597; received a master's degree from the University at Cologne at the age of 19, and joined the Society of Jesus shortly thereafter; he attended several sessions of the Council of Trent, whose decrees he was later assigned to implement; he was entrusted with the mission to Germany, which then became his life's work...

Friday of the Third Week of Advent Saint of the Day: St. Philogonius; originally a lawyer in Antioch, Syria, he entered the Church after the death of his wife, and eventually became bishop of the city; he was one of the first Church leaders to assail the evils of Arianism; he suffered imprisonment in the persecutions, and died in 324 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/20/24 Gospel:...

Thursday of the Third Week of Advent Saint of the Day: St. Nemesius; lived under the persecutions of Emperor Trajanus Decius; Nemesius was arrested, scourged, and burned to death in Alexandria, Egypt; like Christ, he died between two criminals Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/19/24 Gospel: Luke 1:5-25

Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent Saint of the Day: St. Rufus; Rufus and Zosimus were natives of either Antioch or Philippi; they were brought to Rome with Ignatius of Antioch during the reign of Emperor Trajan, and were condemned to death for their Christianity; they were thrown to wild beasts in the arena two days before the martyrdom of Ignatius Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/...

Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent Saint of the Day: St. Wivina, 1103-1170; a native of Flanders, Belgium; refused offers of marriage until, at 23, she became a hermitess; she gathered disciples, and accepted the offer of land from Count Godfrey of Brabant, and built a convent, where she served as first abbess Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/17/24 Gospel: Matthew 1:1-17

Monday of the Third Week of Advent Saint of the Day: St. Adelaide, 932-999; born in Burgundy; at the age of about 15, she married Lothair; he died three years later, and his successor tried to force Adelaide to marry his son; Adelaide escaped to Canossa, where she appealed to Otto of Germany for help; Otto conquered Italy, and married Adelaide in 951; Pope John XII crowned the pair rulers of the H...

Third Sunday of Advent Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/15/24 Gospel: Luke 3:10-18

Saturday of the Second Week of Advent Memorial of St. John of the Cross, 1542-1591; ordained a Carmelite priest at age 25, and worked with Teresa of Avila toward reform of the Carmelite order, stressing observance of the primitive Carmelite rule; John experienced increasing opposition, misunderstanding, persecution, imprisonment; he was unique as a mystic-poet Office of Readings and Morning Prayer...