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Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Crispin of Viterbo, 1668-1750; Franciscan Capuchin who served as gardener and cook; called himself "the little beast of burden of the Capuchins"; effected many miraculous cures during an epidemic; known for his prophecies and spiritual wisdom Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/23/23

Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Rita of Cascia, 1381-1457; spent 18 years in an arranged marriage to a harsh man; Rita was widowed when her husband died in a brawl; tried to enter the Augustinians, but was refused; she was finally allowed entry in 1413, and became known for her austerity, devotion to prayer, and charity; she received visions and wounds on her forehead...

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/21/23 Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20

Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Bernardine of Siena, 1380-1444; Franciscan known for his devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus; the greatest preacher of his time, journeying across Italy, calming strife-torn cities, attacking paganism, and attracting crowds of 30,000 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/20/23 Gospel: John 16:23-28

Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Theophilus of Corte, 1676-1740; born in Corsica of rich and noble parents; entered the Franciscans, was ordained, and assigned to a retreat house near Subiaco; inspired by the austere life lived there, he founded other houses in Corsica and Tuscany; became famous for his preaching and missionary efforts Office of Readings and Morning Prayer...

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/18/23 Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20

Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Paschal Baylon, 1540-1592; Franciscan lay brother, known for rigorous asceticism and love for the Blessed Sacrament; on a mission to France, he debated the doctrine of the Real Presence against a Calvinist preacher; patron of Eucharistic congresses and Eucharistic associations Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/17/23 Gospel: John...

Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Simon Stock, 1165-1265; accompanied a Carmelite community from the Holy Land to Europe, and founded many Carmelite communities; received an apparition from the Virgin Mary in 1251, in which she said, "Receive, my beloved son, this scapular of thy Order; it is the special sign of my favor, which I have obtained for the and for thy children o...

Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Isidore the Farmer, 1070-1130; born in Madrid, Spain, and spent most of his life as a laborer on a farm outside of the city; he was favored with celestial visions, and it is said that angels sometimes helped in his work; patron of farmers, and of the National Rural Life Conference in the United States Office of Readings and Morning Prayer...

Sixth Sunday of Easter Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/14/23 Gospel: John 14:15-21

Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter Optional Memorial of Saints Nereus and Achilleus; First Century martyrs, written of by Pope St. Damasus some 300 years after their deaths; they were soldiers in the Roman army, and converted by a "miracle of faith"; martyred, but by what means unknown Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/12/23 Gospel: John 15:12-17

Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Odilo of Cluny, 962-1049; born to a noble family in Auvergne, France; became a Benedictine in 990, and was elected abbot in 994; sold treasures of the Church to feed the poor during a famine in 1006; trusted advisor to popes and kings Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/11/23 Gospel: John 15:9-11

Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Damien de Veuster of Molokai, 1840-1889; born in Belgium joined the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary; went to the Hawaiian leper colony on Molokai in 1873, and remained permanently, caring for the people's physical, medical, and spiritual needs; contracted Hansen's disease himself, and died of its complications Offic...

Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Pachomius, 292-348; after his discharge from the emperor's army, he was baptized, and joined an anchorite, Palemon; the two build a monastery on the banks of the Nile, and in a short time some one hundred monks joined them; ten other monasteries were built for men, and two nunneries for women; before Pachomius' death, there were seven thous...

Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Victor Maurus; native of Mauretania; a Christian from his youth, but not arrested for the faith until he was an elderly man; tortured and executed under Maximian in Milan around 303 A.D.; a church was erected over his grave, and many miracles were reported at the shrine Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/8/23 Gospel: John 14:21-26

Fifth Sunday of Easter Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/7/23 Gospel: John 14:1-12

Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Petronax, 670-747; joined the Benedictines in Brescia, italy; in 717 he was asked by Pope St. Gregory to examine the ruins of Monte Cassino, damaged by the Lombards in 580; he gathered the hermits who were living there and began rebuilding; he was elected abbot, and ruled Monte Cassino for three decades; known as the "second founder of Mo...

Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Hilary of Arles, 400-449; born of a noble family in Lorraine, France; joined St. Honoratus at Lerins Abbey; Honoratus became bishop of Arles, and when he died Hilary succeded him in 429; known for his austerities, aid to the poor, and ransoming captives Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/5/23 Gospel: John 14:1-6

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. John Payne, 1532-1582; born in England, and was ordaine in Douai in 1576; he went back to England, and was arrested within a year; after release, he left England, but returned in 1579, and was again arrested after having been betrayed; he was imprisoned and tortured in the Tower of London, and finally condemned to death; one of the Martyr...

Feast of Saints Philip and James, apostles; little is known of James, the Son of Alphaeus, also known as "James the Lesser"; Philip came from Bethsaida, and took a long time to realize who Jesus was, as evidenced by his request, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/3/23 Gospel: John 14:6-14

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter Memorial of St. Athanasius, 296-373; became bishop of Alexandria, Egypt, and continued the fight against Arianism, fought by his predecessor; he was exiled five times for his defense of the doctrine of Christ's divinity; almost all of his dogmatic and historical writings are polemic, directed against every aspect of Arianism Office of Readings and Morning Praye...

Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker; instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1955 to foster devotion to St. Joseph, and as a response to the "May Day" celebrations of the Communists Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/1/23 Gospel: John 10:11-18

Fourth Sunday of Easter Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/30/23 Gospel: John 10:1-10

Saturday of the Third Week of Easter Memorial of St. Catherine of Siena, 1347-1380; entered the Dominican Third Order at 18; became very influential, publicly; worked for the crusade against the Turks, and for Church unity during the Great Schism Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/29/23 Gospel: John 6:60-69

Friday of the Third Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Peter Chanel, 1803-1841; born in France, and joined the Marists after ordination; went as a missionary to Futuna Island, northeast of Fiji, where he learned the language and maintained a serene and gentle spirit, plus endless patience; when the chieftain's son asked to baptized, the chieftain ordered Fr. Peter to be clubbed to death; but...