Daybreak

Third Sunday of Easter Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/4/25 Gospel: John 21:1-19

Feast of Saints Philip and James, apostles Saturday of the Second Week of Easter Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/3/25 Gospel: John 14:6-14

Friday of the Second Week of Easter Memorial of St. Athanasius, 296-373; became a theological advisor to the Council of Nicaea while still in his late 20's; an ardent opponent of Arianism and defender of the divinity of the Son of Man; wrote many works on the Incarnation and the Trinity as well as  The Life of Anthony , which helped define and foster both monastic living and the writing of sa...

Thursday of the Second Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker; instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1955 to foster devotion to St. Joseph, and in response to the celebrations for workers sponsored by Communists Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/1/25 Gospel: John 3:31-36

Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter Optional Memorial of Pope St. Pius V, 1504-1572; as pope, he had the task of implementing the reforms of the Council of Trent; he ordered the founding of seminaries, published a new missal. a new breviary, and a new catechism, and established the Confraternity of Christian doctrine classes for the young; he continued to wear his Dominican habit, which led to...

Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter Memorial of St. Catherine of Siena, 1347-1380; entered the Dominican Third Order at age 18, and spent the next three years in seclusion, prayer, and austerity; a group of followers developed; Catherine's letters began to take more note of public affairs, as she worked tirelessly for the crusade against the Turks and for peace between Florence and the pope; the...

Monday in the Second Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Peter Chanel, 1803-1841; born in France; as a young priest, he revived a parish simply by showing great devotion to the sick; joined the Marists at the age of 28, and taught seminary for five years; he then traveled to West Oceana; on the island of Futuna, northeast of Fiji, the accompanying bishop said he would be back in six months, bu...

Second Sunday of Easter - Divine Mercy Sunday Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/27/25 Gospel: John 20:19-31

Saturday in the Octave of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Cletus; the third bishop of Rome, succeeding St. Linus; Cletus reigned as pope from 76 to 89 A.D.; he is styled as a martyr; he was buried near St. Linus, on the Vatican, and his relics remain in that church Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/26/25 Gospel: Mark 16:9-15

Feast of St. Mark Friday in the Octave of Easter Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/25/25 Gospel: John 21:1-14

Thursday in the Octave of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, 1577-1622; born in Germany; he was a practicing lawyer, traveling across  Europe as a tutor to aristocrats but then started defending the poor; in 1612, he became a Franciscan Capuchin monk; his mission to Swtzerland was so successful that some Protestants believed him to be a spy for the Austrian emperor; he was s...

Wednesday in the Octave of Easter Saint of the Day: St. George, 280-303; a martyr who suffered at Lydda in Palestine, probably before the time of Constantine; however, the story of George’s slaying the dragon, rescuing the king’s daughter, and converting Libya is a 12th-century Italian fable; George was a favorite patron saint of crusaders Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/23...

Tuesday in the Octave of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Tarbula; Fourth-Century virgin and martyr, the sister of St. Simeon, the Persian bishop and martyr; she was a consecrated virgin, and met her own martyrdom soon after the death of her brother; accused of practicing witchcraft  and of causing sickness to befall the wife of the ardently anti-Christian Persian king Shapur, she was condemned a...

Monday in the Octave of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Conrad of Parzham, 1818-1894; born in Bavaria, and became a Capuchin lay brother in 1849; for more than thirty years, Conrad served as porter  or  doorkeeper  of the shrine of Our Lady of Altotting, and he was known for his  Marian devotions; he had the gift of prophecy, and of reading people's hearts; he died in Altotting Of...

Easter Sunday of the Lord's Resurrection Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/20/25 Gospel: John 20:1-9

Saturday of Holy Week Saint of the Day: St. Timon; one of the seven deacons chosen by the apostles to minister to the Nazarene community of Jerusalem; mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/19/25 Gospel: Luke 24:1-12

Good Friday - The observance of the Lord's Passion and Death on Calvary Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/18/25 Gospel: John 18:1-19:42

Holy Thursday Saint of the Day: St. Robert of Chaise Dieu; 11th Century Benedictine abbot and founder, born in Auvergne, France; after becoming a priest  and  canon of St. Julian’s in Brioude, he founded a hospice; he then gave himself over to the  spiritual direction  of  St. Odilo at Cluny, France; after making a pilgrimage to Rome, he was moved to give up his life...

Wednesday of Holy Week Saint of the Day: St. Bernadette Soubirous, 1844-1879; first child of an extremely poor miller in the town of Lourdes in southern France; on February 11, 1858, she received the first of 18 apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary; few visions have ever undergone the scrutiny that these appearances of the Immaculate Virgin were subject to; Lourdes became one of the most popular...

Tuesday of Holy Week Saint of the Day: St. Hunna, the "Holy washerwoman"; she was a Seventh-Century noblewoman who devoted herself to the poor of Strasbourg, France; she was the daughter of a duke and wife of Huno of Hunnaweyer; she even washed the poor Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/15/25 Gospel: John 13:21-33, 36-38

Monday of Holy Week Saint of the Day: St. Lydwine, 1380-1433; born in Holland; suffered a fall while ice skating in 1396, when a friend collided with her and caused her to break a rib on the  right side; she never fully recovered; an abscess formed inside her body which later burst and caused Lydwine extreme suffering; she later suffered a series of mysterious illnesses which in retrospect se...

Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/13/25 Gospel: Luke 23:1-49

Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Zeno of Verona; a native of Africa, he became bishop in 362, and was an ardent opponent of the Arian heresy; he promoted discipline among the clergy and in liturgical life, built a Cathedral, and founded a convent; he wrote extensively on the virgin birth of Christ and other matters, and was the subject of many legends; St. Zeno died in 371...

Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent Commemoration of St. Stanislaus of Krakow, 1030-1079; after ordination, he was appointed preacher and archdeacon to the bishop of Krakow, and then became bishop of Krakow himself in 1072; during an expedition against the Grand Duchy of Kiev, Stanislaus became involved in the political situation of Poland; he attacked the evils of the peasantry and the king, especia...

Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Michael de Sanctis, 1591-1625; born in Catalonia, Spain, and announced his intention to become a monk when he was six; joined the Trinitarian Friars at Barcelona in 1603; he was ordained a  priest  and twice served as  Superior of the house in Valladolid; after his death at the age of 35, many miracles were attributed to him O...