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33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning  Prayer for 11/19/23 Gospel: Matthew 25:14-30

Saturday of the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, 1769-1852; born in Grenoble, France; joined the Society of the Sacred Heart, and was sent to the United States at the age of 49; founded a boarding school for daughters of pioneers near St. Louis and opened the first free school west of the Missouri; at the age of 71, she began a school for Native Americans; known...

Friday of the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, 1207-1231; married to Louis of Thuringia at the age of 14, and bore him three children; she led a life of prayer, sacrifice, and service to the poor and sick; her husband died in the Crusades, and his family had Elizabeth thrown out of the palace; she was reinstated when her husband's allies returned from the Crusades;...

Thursday of the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Margaret of Scotland, 1045-1093; shipwrecked with her family off the coast of Scotland, and befriended by King Malcolm, who married Margaret; Margaret helped Malcolm to become a virtuous king; she promoted the arts and education, encouraged synods, and helped to correct religious abuses; she and Malcolm founded several churches; s...

Wednesday of the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Albert the Great, 1206-1280; master of Thomas Aquinas; wrote a compendium of all knowledge--natural science, logic, rhetoric, mathematics, astronomy, ethics, economics, politics, and metaphysics; defended the mendicant orders and preached the Crusade in Germany and Bohemia; patron of scientists and philosophers Office of Readings...

Tuesday of the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Lawrence O'Toole, 1128-1180; named archbishop of Dublin in 1161; negotiated with the English following their invasion of Ireland; convened a synod at Cashel in 1172; attended the general Lateran Council in Rome in 1179; died in Normandy, France, while on a mission to King Henry II of England Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1...

Monday of the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, 1850-1917; after being refused admission to the order which had educated, her, she began charity work at the House of Providence Orphanage in Cadogno, Italy; made her vows there in 1877; traveled with six sisters to New York City to work with the thousands of Italian immigrants living there; in 35 years, Frances Xavie...

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/12/23 Gospel: Matthew 25:1-13

Friday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Leo the Great; elected pope in 440; known as one of the best administrative popes of the ancient Church; he worked to control heresies, clarified the doctrine of the two natures of Christ, and served as peacemaker when Rome was under barbarian attack; died November 10, 461 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/10/23 Gospel: Luke...

Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome Thursday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/9/23 Gospel: John 2:13-22

Wednesday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: The Four Crowned Martyrs; There were two such groups--one, a group of carvers who refused to carve a pagan statue, martyred by Diocletian; the second group was martyred at Albano, Italy, and a basilica was erected in their honor in Rome Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/8/23 Gospel: Luke 14:25-33

Tuesday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Engelbert; the 13th Century son of the count of Berg; he became the archbishop  of  Cologne in 1217, at the age of thirty; in this office, he became tutor to the son of Emperor Frederick II; in 1222 he crowned Henry King of the Romans; Engelbert  was slain by his cousin Frederick, whom he had thwarted in an attempt to steal from the ...

Monday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Illtyd; revered Welsh saint; reputed to be a cousin of King Arthur, and one of the knights of the Holy Grail; he and his wife became hermits; he eventually founded the abbey of Llanilltud Fawr in Glamorgan, Wales; died in the Seventh Century Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/6/23 Gospel: Luke 14:12-14

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/5/23 Gospel: Matthew 23:1-12

Saturday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Charles Borromeo, 1538-1584; belonged to Milanese nobility, but decided to work for the Church; as archbishop of Milan, he was key in keeping the Council of Trent in session when it was about to break up; he instituted much needed reforms in his diocese for both clergy and laity; he gave most of his income to charity, forbade himself all l...

Friday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Martin de Porres, 1579-1639; the son of a freed woman of Panama, probably black but also possibly of indigenous stock, and a Spanish grandee of Lima, Peru, who ultimately deserted the family; Martin was raised in poverty; after nine years as a Dominican "lay helper," Martin was requested by the community to make full religious profe...

Commemoration of All of the Faithful Departed - All Souls Day Thursday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/2/23 Gospel: John 6:37-40

Solemnity of All Saints Wednesday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/1/23 Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12a

Tuesday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Wolfgang; 10th Century bishop and reformer, born in Germany; became a Benedictine; appointed bishop of Regensburg in 972; he brought the clergy into his reforms, promoted education, preached enthusiastically, and was renowned for his charity and aid to the poor; died near Linz, Austria Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/31/2...

Monday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, 1532-1617; born in Segovia, Spain; after being widowed, he became a Jesuit lay brother, and served for 24 years as the porter on the island of Majorca; he influenced young students, including St. Peter Claver, as well as local civic and social leaders who came to him for advice; obedience and  penance  were the hal...

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/29/23 Gospel: Matthew 22:34-40

Friday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Abraham the Poor; born in Menuf, Egypt; became a disciple of St. Pachomius, the founder of cenobitic monasticism; spent almost two decades in a cave near Pachomius' foundations in the Delta Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/27/23 Gospel: Luke 12:54-59

Thursday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Alfred the Great, 848-899; fifth son of the Wessex king; received as a godson by Pope Leo IV; became king, and spent most of his reign in conflict with the Danes; he was a patron of the arts, literature, and especially the Church Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/26/23 Gospel: Luke 12:49-53

Wednesday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. John Houghton, 1486-1535; native of Essex; became prior of the Carthusian Charterhouse in London; he opposed King Henry VIII's Acts of Succession and Supremacy, and was arrested, but released temporarily; he was the first to refuse to swear the oath of Supremacy, and was arrested and executed at Tyburn, with four companions; he was...

Monday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. John of Capistrano, 1386-1456; born in Capistrano, Italy; after serving as governor of Perugia, he entered the Franciscans; began his preaching apostolate in 1420, and traveled throughout Italy, Germany, Bohemia, Austria, Hungary, Poland, and  Russia  preaching  penance and establishing numerous communities of Franciscan renewal; at...