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Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent Commemoration of St. John of God, 1495-1550; abandoned the faith until age 40, then went to Africa hoping to free captive Christians; returned to Spain, and ran a religious goods store; moved by a sermon of St. John of Avila, he publicly beat himself, begging mercy and repenting--for which he was committed to a mental hospital; St. John of Avila advised him to...

Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent Commemoration of Saints Perpetua and Felicity; Perpetua was a noblewoman of Carthage in North Africa, and Felicity--an expectant mother--was her slave; despite threats of persecution and death they and three companions refused to renounce their Christian faith; Perpetual and Felicity were beheaded, the others killed by beasts, in 203 A.D. Office of Readings and M...

Monday of the Second Week of Lent Saint of the Day: st. Colette, 1380-1447; became a Franciscan tertiary and lived at Corby Abbey in Picardy, France, as a solitary; but she left her cell in response to a dream which instructed her to reform the Poor Clares; she founded seventeen convents with the reformed rule, and reformed several older ones; known for sanctity, ecstasies', and visions of the Pas...

Second Sunday of Lent Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/5/23 Gospel: Matthew 17:1-9

Saturday of the First Week of Lent Commemoration of St. Casimir, 1458-1483; born in the line of kings, but lived an austere life even as a teen; his father, the king of Poland, sent him to take over Hungary, but Casimir's army was outnumbered, and he returned home, and returned to prayer and study; reigned briefly as king of Poland during his father's absence; died of lung trouble at 25 Office of...

Friday of the First Week of Lent Commemoration of St. Katharine Drexel, 1858-1955; gave up her wealth and place in society to minister to Native and African-Americans; opened a boarding school in Santa Fe, New Mexico, followed by a string of foundations; by 1942, she had a system of black Catholic schools in 13 states, plus 40 mission centers, and 23 rural schools; forced to retire following a hea...

Thursday of the First Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Agnes of Bohemia, 1211-1282; engaged twice as a child, but petitioned Pope Gregory IX to intercede for her; built a convent for the Friars Minor in Prague, where she took the veil; became abbess and was known for her humility, aid to the poor, and dedication to poverty Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/2/23 Gospel: Matthew 7:7-12

Wednesday of the First Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. David of Wales, 500-589; became a priest and engaged in missionary work, and founded many monasteries; in 550, he attended a synod where he was elected primate of the region; ruled to an old age, and told his monks and subjects, "Be joyful, brothers and sisters. Keep your faith, and do the little things that you have seen and heard with me....

Tuesday of the First Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Oswald, 925-992; a Dane by birth, he studied in Fleury, France, where he was ordained; became Bishop of worcester in 962, and Archbishop of York in 972; worked to improve the morals of his clergy and increase their theological knowledge; revered as one of the three--along with Saints Dunstand and Ethelwold--who revived English monasticism Off...

Monday of the First Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Anne Line; English martyr; disowned by her father when she married a Catholic; hid Catholic priests in a London safe house; aided Jesuit Father John Gerard until her arrest; hanged in Tyburn, February 27, 1601; one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/27/23 Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46

First Sunday of Lent Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/26/23 Gospel: Matthew 4:1-11

Saturday After Ash Wednesday Saint of the Day: St. Walburga, 710-779; sister of St. Willibald and Winebald; became a nun, and assisted St. Boniface in his missionary work in Germany; eventually became abbess of the double monastery at Heidenheim, founder by her brother Winebald Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/25/23 Gospel: Luke 5:27-32

Friday After Ash Wednesday Saint of the Day: St. Adela, 1067-1137; youngest daughter of William the Conqueror; married Stephen of Blois in 1080; active in English politics, and famed for endowing churches and monastic institutions Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/24/23 Gospel: Matthew 9:14-15

Thursday After Ash Wednesday Commemoration of St. Polycarp, 69-155; bishop of Smyrna, disciple of St. John the Apostle, and friend of St. Ignatius of Antioch; at age 86, he was to be burned alive, but the flames did not harm him, so he was killed with a dagger Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/23/23 Gospel: Luke 9:22-25

Ash Wednesday: The beginning of Lent, a period of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, in preparation for Easter Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/22/23 Gospel: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Tuesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Peter Damian, 988-1072; left a teaching career to become a Benedictine; ultimately became abbot of his community and founded five other hermitages; Pope Stephen IX appointed him cardinal-bishop of Ostia, where he worked to wipe out abuses and encourage the holiness of the clergy; after retiring, he was called to serve as a papal...

Monday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Saints of the Day: Saints Jacinta (1920-1920) and Francisco (1908-1919) Marto; two of the three Portuguese shepherd children who received apparitions of Our Lady near Fatima, Portugal, from May to October of 1917; Mary asked the children to pray the rosary to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war, and for the conversion of Russia, which was s...

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/19/23 Gospel: Matthew 5:38-48

Saturday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Gertrude Caterina Comensoli, 1847-1903; born in Bienne, Valcamonica, under the kingdom of Lombady-Venetia; founded the Institute of the Sisters Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament; opened a house of huns in 1894 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/18/23 Gospel: Mark 9:2-13

Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of the Seven Founders of the Servite Order; in 1240, seven noblemen of Florence withdrew from the city to a solitary place for prayer and direct service of God; they eventually moved to the deserted slopes of Monte Senario; they adopted the name, Servants of Mary, combining monastic life and active ministry Office of Readings and Morning...

Thursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Onesimus; mentioned by Paul in his letter to Philemon; Onesimus was an escaped slave, baptized by Paul, and sent back to Philemon; Paul urged Philemon to treat him "no longer as a slave, but than a slave, a brother, beloved especially to me, but even more so to you, as a man in the Lord"; died about 68 A.D. Office of Readings and Mo...

Wednesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Claude de la Colombière, 1641-1682; ordained in 1675, and was made superior of a small Jesuit residence in Burgundy, where he met Margaret Mary Alacoque; he served as her confessor for many years while promoting devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus; he was sent to England, and converted a number of Protestants, but was imprisoned...

Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Saints Cyril (827-869) and Methodius (818-885); brought Christianity to the Slavic people in their native tongue; translated the liturgy and most books of the Bible into the Slavonic language; to that end, they invented an alphabet, which is today known as "Cyrillic" Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/14/23 Gospel: Mark 8:14-21

Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Catherine de Ricci, 1522-1589; became perpetual prioress of the Dominican nuns at Prat in Tuscany at the age of 25; her sanctity drew many to her side, including three who later sat in the chair of Peter; corresponded with St. Philip Neri, and--while living--appeared to him in Rome in a miraculous manner; experienced the "Ecstacy of t...

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/12/23 Gospel: Matthew 5:17-37