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Feast of the Presentation of the Lord Friday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/2/24 Gospel: Luke2:22-40

Thursday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Brigid of Ireland, 451-525; Brigid and her mother were slaves on a farm, but Brigid would give milk, eggs, and butter to the poor; eventually, they were given their freedom; Brigid founded the first convent in Ireland, as well as the first double monastery for monks and nuns, and a school of art; she is the patron of scholars, and...

Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. John Bosco, 1815-1888; ordained in 1841; served as a chaplain in a hospice for working girls, and then opened the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales for boys; in 1854, he and his followers informally banded together, inspired by Saint Francis de Sales; in 1859 he and 17 men founded the Salesians; he later organized a group of Salesian sist...

Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Bathildis, 626-680; born in England, where she was enslaved and taken to the Frankish kingdom; she became a trusted member of King  Clovis Il's court and married him in 649; when Clovis died in 657, Bathildis served as regent for their son, Clotaire III; she had founded a Benedictine convent at Chelles, as well as St. Denis Monaster...

Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Dallan; Sixth Century kinsman of St. Edan of Ferns; born in Connaught and a great scholar who, through his application to study, became blind; wrote a poem honoring St. Columba, and when it was published after Columba's death, Dallan regained his sight; Dallan was murdered by pirates at Triscoel in 598 A.D.; his head was thrown into...

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/28/24 Gospel: Mark 1:21-28

Saturday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Angela Merici, 1474-1540; born in Italy; 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, constituting a new way of life--single women consecrated to Christ and living in the world rather than in a monastery, what today is called a "Sec...

Friday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus; Timothy was a convert of Paul around 47 A.D., and later joined him in his apostolic work; one of Paul's most trusted friends; Titus is seen as a peacemaker, administrator, great friend; Paul’s second letter to Corinth affords an insight into the depth of his friendship with Titus, and the great fellowship they had in p...

Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, apostle Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/25/24 Gospel: Mark 16:15-18

Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, 1567-1622; studied for law, but was ordained a priest and elected provost of the Diocese of Geneva, then a center for the Calvinists, whom Francis attempted--with considerable success--to convert; he preached and distributed little pamphlets explaining true Catholic doctrine; he became bishop of Geneva at 35, still prea...

Tuesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Marianne Cope, 1838-1918; born in Germany, came to the United States two years later with her family, and settled in Utica, New York; she worked in a factory until 1862, and then joined the Sisters of the Third Order of Saint Francis in Syracuse, New York; in 1883, Mother Marianne and six other sisters left for Hawaii where they t...

Monday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Day of Prayer for Legal Protection of the Unborn Saint of the Day: St. Vincent Saragossa; protomartyr of Spain, a deacon of the Third Century; Vincent and his bishop, Valerius, were apprehended during a persecution; Valerius was banished, but Vincent was tortured to death Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/22/24 Gospel: Mark 3:22-30

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/21/24 Gospel: Mark 1:14-20

Saturday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Fabian, 200-250; a layman who came to the city of Rome when a new pope was about to be elected; a dove alighting on his was taken as a sign, and he was elected; he led the Church for 14 years, and died a martyr in the persecution of Decius Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/20/24 Gospel: Mark 3:20-21

Friday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Henry of Sweden, 1100-1156; Englishman residing at Rome, who became bishop of Uppsala, Sweden, in 1152; accompanied King Eric in an expedition against the Finns; when Eric returned to Sweden, Henry remained behind to convert the Finns; Henry was slain by a former soldier whom Henry had excommunicated Office of Readings and Morning Pr...

Thursday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Margaret of Hungary, 1242-1271; daughter of King Bela IV; became a Dominican novice at 12; though a princess, she objected to any special treatment and went out of her way to perform the most menial tasks for the poor and sick; her labors, prayers, and fasting brought on the fatigue from which she died Office of Readings and Mornin...

Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Anthony of Egypt, 251-356; spent most of his life in solitude, but drew many people to himself for spiritual healing and guidance; at 54, he founded a sort of monastery of scattered cells; at 60, he hoped to be a martyr in the renewed Roman persecution of 311; at 88, he was fighting the Arian heresy; died in solitude at age 105 Office o...

Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Joseph Vaz, 1651-1711; Catholic Oratorian priest from Goa; entered Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) during the Dutch occupation, when Calvinism was the official religion; brought the sacraments to clandestine groups of Catholics; later, in the Kandyan kingdom,  he was able to work freely; managed to rebuild the Catholic church on the island b...

Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Arnold Jansen, 1837-1909; ordained in 1861, and served as a parish priest and as a chaplain at an Ursuline convent; in 1875, he founded the Society of the Divine Word in Holland to provide priests and lay brothers for the missions; Arnold  also founded the Servant Sisters of the  Holy Ghost  for the missions in 1889 Office of Reading...

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/14/24 Gospel: John 1:35-42

Saturday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of Saint Hilary of Poitiers, 315-368; raised a pagan, he was converted to Christianity when he met his God of nature in the Scriptures; chosen, against his will, to be the bishop of Poitiers in France, and he took up the battle against the Arian heresy; for his defense of the faith, he was banished from France to far off Phrygia; he was...

Friday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: Saint Aelred of Rievaulx, 1110-1167; son of a Saxon priest, educated at Roxburgh; became steward to King David of Scotland, but left to join the Cistercian community at Rievaulx; wrote his most famous work, "The Mirror of Charity," at the request of Bernard of Clairvaux Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/12/24 Gospel: Mark 2:1-12

Thursday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: Saint Paulinus of Aquileia, 726-802; born near Friuli, Italy, and grew up a farmer with an excellent education; summoned to the court of Charlemagne in 774; sent back to Italy in 776 and was appointed Patriarch of Aquileia; he represented Charlemagne  at various Church Councils, wrote against and denounced the heresy  of Adoptionism, an...

Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Gregory of Nyssa, 335-394; brother of at least five saints; became bishop of Nyssa in about 371; Arians deposed him in 376, but he was able to return two years later; attended the first council of Constantinope, and helped to settle disputes among church in Arabia; he attended a  synod  in  Constantinople and is thought to have die...

Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Adrian, the Abbot; also known as St. Adrian of Canterbury; born in Africa in the Seventh Century, he was appointed abbot of the monastery of Saints Peter and Paul in Canterbury; it became one of the most important centers of learning; Adrian taught there for 40 years, and died in about 710 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer f...