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Feast of the Baptism of the Lord Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/8/24 Gospel: Mark 1:7-11

Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/7/24 Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12

Saturday before Epiphany Optional Memorial of St. André Bessette, 1845-1937; entered the Congregation of Holy Cross at the age of 25, and was given the job of doorkeeper at Notre Dame College in Montreal, with additional duties as sacristan, laundry worker and messenger; spent most nights on his knees in prayer; when he heard that someone was ill, he visited the person to bring them cheer and pray...

Twelfth Day of Christmas Memorial of St. John Neumann, 1811-1860; born in what is now the Czech Republic, came to New York at 25, was ordained a priest, and joined the Redemptorists; at 41, as bishop of Philadelphia, he organized the parochial school system into a diocesan one, attracting teaching communities of sisters and the Christian Brothers to the city; first American bishop to be beatified;...

Eleventh Day of Christmas Memorial of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, 1774-1821; she was the "belle of New York" when she married William Magee Seton; they had five children when William died of tuberculosis; when she converted to the Catholic faith, many of her relatives and friends rejected her; to support her children, she opened a school in Baltimore, following the lines of a religious community; her...

Tenth Day of Christmas Optional Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/3/24 Gospel: John 1:29-34

Ninth Day of Christmas Memorial of Saints Basil the Great (329-379)  and Gregory Nazianzen (329-390); bishops and friends, both from families of saints; both lived as hermits for a time, with Basil forming the model for monasticism in the East; they fought the heresy of Arianism, and suffered for it, but remained faithful Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/2/24 Gospel: John 1:19-28

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God Eighth Day of Christmas Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/1/24 Gospel: Luke 2:16-21

Feast of the Holy Family Seventh Day of Christmas Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/31/23 Gospel: Luke 2:22-40

Sixth Day of Christmas Saint of the Day: St. Egwin of Evesham; English noble who became the  bishop of Worcester, England, in 692; prompted by a vision of Mary he founded Evesham Monastery with the aid of the kingdom of Mercia Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/30/23 Gospel: Luke 2:36-40 

Fifth Day of Christmas Optional Memorial of St. Thomas Becket, 1118-1170; as a friend of King Henry II of England, he became chancellor of England, and then archbishop of Canterbury; Henry and Thomas immediately disagreed on the rights of the Church; Henry eventually cried out, "Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest?"; two of Henry's knights killed Thomas in Canterbury Cathedral Office of...

Feast of the Holy Innocents Fourth Day of Christmas Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/28/23 Gospel: Matthew 2:13-18

Feast of St. John, apostle and evangelist, 6-100 A.D.; "the apostle whom Jesus loved"; John's is the Gospel of Jesus' glory Third Day of Christmas Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/27/23 Gospel: John 20:1-8

Feast of St. Stephen; first martyr, and one of the first ordained deacons; died about 34 A.D. Second Day of Christmas Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/26/23 Gospel: Matthew 10:17-22

Solemnity of Christmas Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/25/23 Gospel: Luke 2:1-14

Fourth Sunday of Advent/Christmas Eve Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/24/23 Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

Saturday of the Third Week of Advent Optional Memorial of St. John of Kanty, 1390-1473; a country boy who did well in the city and University of Krakow, Poland; after ordination, he became a professor of theology; he was then sent to be a parish priest; he returned to Krakow and taught scripture for the remainder of his life; he slept little, ate sparingly, and took no meat Office of Readings and...

Friday of the Third Week of Advent Saint of the Day: St. Zeno; martyred soldier at Nicomedia (modern Turkey); he was seized and condemned to death for laughing while Emperor Diocletian offered a sacrifice  to the Roman  god Ceres; Zeno had his jaws shattered and was then beheaded in 303 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/22/23 Gospel: Luke 1:46-56

Thursday of the Third Week of Advent Optional Memorial of St. Peter Canisius, 1521-1597; born in Holland; he had edited and written several volumes on Church history and theology, been a delegate to the Council of Trent, and reformed the German  universities from heresy; he was called to Vienna to reform their university, and administered the diocese for a year; in 1565, the pope called on him to...

Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent Saint of the Day: St. Dominic of Silos, 1000-1073; Benedictine abbot who refused to surrender some of the order's lands to the crown, so he was exiled to Castile; King Ferdinand I made him  abbot  of  St. Sebastian   Abbey at Silos, now called St. Dominic's; Dominic reformed the abbey, built the cloisters in Romanesque style, and started a  scriptorium that be...

Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent Saint of the Day: St. Anastasius I; a Roman by birth, elected pope in 399; he was among the first to condemn the works of Origen; he also urged the church in North  Africa to continue its struggle against Donatism; died in 401 and was buried in the cemetery of Pontian Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/19/23 Gospel: Luke 1:5-25

Monday of the Third Week of Advent Saint of the Day: St. Winebald; born in Wessex, England, the brother of Saints Willibald and Walburga; traveled to Rome, and at the invitation of St. Boniface, gathered together a group of English missionaries and went to  Germany in 739; with his brother, he founded the monastery of Heidenheim, Germany, where he served as abbot with his sister as abbess; helped...

Third Sunday of Advent Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/17/23 Gospel: John 1:6-8, 19-28

Saturday of the Second Week of Advent Saint of the Day: St. Adelaide, 932-999; entered an arranged marriage at about 15 to Lothair of Italy; when Lothair died, his successor tried to force Adelaide to marry his son; she appealed to Otto of Germany, who conquered Italy and married Adelaide; the two became rulers of the Holy Roman Empire; after Otto's death, Adelaide established many monasteries and...

Friday of the Second Week of Advent Saint of the Day: St. Maria Crocifissa di Rosa, 1813-1855; born in Brescia, Italy; cared for the spiritual needs of young girls working in her father's mills, volunteered at the Brescia hospital during the cholera epidemic of 1836, and founded a home for girls and a school for deaf mutes; in 1840, she became superior of a group of religious who cared for the sic...