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Saturday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguori, 1696-1787; founder of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer--the Redemptorists--focused on serving adults on the fringes of society; he was consecrated Bishop of Santa Agata dei Goti and spent much of his time devoted to writing Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/1/26 Gospel: Matthew 14:1-12

Friday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola, 1491-1556; became a knight in his teens, but a leg wound left him convalescing for months; during that time, he read scripture and saintly works, ultimately leading to his conversion; he was ordained in 1537; in 1539, he founded the Society of Jesus, focusing on a vow of obedience to the pope, strong spiritual formation,...

Thursday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Peter Chrysologus; 5th century Church Father; he studied under Bishop Cornelius and was ordained Bishop of Ravenna by Pope Sixtus; he was given the name Chrysologus or “golden-worded” by Empress Galla Placidia, daughter of Roman Emperor Theodosius I; he died in 450 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/30/26 Gosp...

Wednesday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus; three siblings who were friends of the Lord; Martha generously offered him hospitality, Mary listened attentively to his words and Lazarus promptly emerged from the tomb at the command of the One who humiliated death; in 2021, Pope Francis this feast from Martha to include Mary and Lazarus Office of Readings...

Tuesday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception, 1910-1946; Catholic Franciscan Religious sister; the first person of Indian origin to be canonized a saint; the first canonized saint of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic Church of the Saint Thomas Christian community Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/28/26 Gospel: M...

Monday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Titus Brandsma, 1881-1942; born in the Netherlands, and became a Carmelite as a young man; in 1935 he became an ecclesiastical advisor to  Catholic journalists; when the Nazis occupied the Netherlands, he was labeled as an enemy; Titus was sent to various concentration camps where he demonstrated charity and concern; in 1942, he w...

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/26/26 Gospel: Matthew 13:44-52

Feast of St. James, brother of John Saturday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/25/26 Gospel: Matthew 20:20-28

Friday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St, Sharbel Makhlūf, 1828-1898; born in Lebanon; at 23, he joined a Maronite monastic community; after his ordination to the priesthood, he spent many years in his monastery living a very ascetical way of life; in 1875 he received permission to live as a hermit in a chapel overseen by the monastery; for 23 years, he lived there as a her...

Thursday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Bridget of Sweden, 1303-1373; she and her husband had eight children, including the future St. Catherine of Sweden; after her husband’s death, she formed the Order of the Most Holy Savior; and experienced many visions, which she wrote down and asked clerics to translate into Latin; they were widely read; she supported the re...

Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, the "apostle to the apostles"--the first to see the risen Christ Wednesday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/22/26 Gospel: John 20:1-2, 11-18

Tuesday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Lawrence of Brindisi, 1559-1619; a master of multiple languages; joined the Capuchins at 16; he was elected major superior of the Capuchin Franciscan province of Tuscany at the age of 31, and minister general of the Capuchins in 1602; he was appointed a papal emissary and peacemaker, a job which took him to a number of foreign coun...

Monday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Apollinaris; born in Antioch, and became a disciple of St. Peter; his successor as bishop of Ravenna, St. Peter Chrysologus, preached a sermon in his honor in the 5th century, recalling how in the Church’s infancy, St. Apollinaris showed deep faith and dedication in the face of punishment; two beautiful churches in the onetime...

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/19/26 Gospel: Matthew 13:24-43

Saturday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Camillus de Lellis, 1550-1614; born in Italy, and worked for a Capuchin friary, but suffered from a leg wound and compulsive gambling; in Rome, he worked at a hospital, became a nurse, and eventually director of the hospital; at age 32, he decided to become a priest; he founded a religious order focused on caring for the sick Offi...

Friday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time Saints of the Day: Carmelite Nuns of Compiegne; they were sixteen Carmelites caught up in the French Revolution and martyred; on July 12, 1794, the Carmelites were taken to  Paris and five days later were sentenced to death; they went to the guillotine singing the Salve Regina; the martyrdom of the  nuns was immortalized by the composer Francois P...

Thursday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel; patroness of the Carmelite order; it was on Mount Carmel that God publicly answered the prophet Elijah’s prayer, consumed the offering, and confirmed He was a living God; centuries later, in the 12th century after Christ, a group of hermits gathered on the mountain and committed their lives to prayer an...

Wednesday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Bonaventure, 1221-1274; entered the Franciscan Order in his early twenties, and studied in Paris, where, in 1248, he received a doctorate in theology; in 1257, he was elected Minister General of the Order' in 1273, he became Cardinal of Albano and played a prominent role at the Council of Lyons, which aimed to unite the Latin and Greek Ch...

Tuesday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, 1656-1680; Indian virgin of the Mohawk tribe; orphaned, due to smallpox, and raised by her village; when Jesuit missionaries arrived, she asked to be baptized; many in her clan could not accept this, so she was forced to retreat to a town north on the St. Lawrence River; when she died, it is said that the smallpox scars o...

Monday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Henry, 972-1024; King of Germany and Italy and crowned Holy Roman Emperor, the last in the Ottonian (Saxon) dynasty; Henry and his wife were very generous to the poor and to monasteries; he founded a cathedral and monastery in Bamberg he is the only German king to be elevated to sainthood Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/...

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 7/12/26 Gospel: Matthew 13:1-23

Saturday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Benedict, 480-547; born in Italy, educated in Rome, but he was disillusioned by the behavior of other students; so, he retreated to a cave deep in the mountains for spiritual seclusion; he relocated to Monte Cassino, and wrote a rule for his monks which became so popular that it helped shape the civilization and culture of Europe; Benedict...

Friday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Anthony Pechersky, 983-1073; born in Ukraine, and went to Mount Athos in Greece to become a hermit; after several years, he returned to Ukraine and built a hermitage in Kiev, which was to become known as the "Caves of Kiev," the first Ukrainian monastery founded by Ukrainians; Anthony founded another monastery, but died in the Caves of...

Thursday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Augustine Zhao Rong and 119 companions, the martyrs of China; they were holy men and women who gave their lives for Christ between 1648 and 1930; they included 87 native Chinese and 33 foreign missionaries; Augustine Zhao Rong, the first martyred Chinese priest, had earlier witnessed the persecution of Monsignor Dufresse and became ordaine...

Wednesday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Jeanne-Marie Kerguin, 1864-1900; born in France to a peasant family; joined the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary in 1887; she was assigned first to Paris, then to Carthage in Northern Africa; she encountered health problems and was sent to Rome to recover; there she answered the call of her Order to work as a missionary; she arrived...