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Monday of Holy Week Saint of the Day: St. John Climacus, 525-606; called "Climacus" because of his famous book, "The Climax," or, "The Ladder of Perfection"; a Syrian or Palestinian who started his eremitical  life at sixteen, living for many years as a hermit on Sinai, then went to Thale; he authored "The Ladder of Perfection" to provide a comprehensive treatise on the ideal of Christian per...

Palm Sunday Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/29/26 Gospel: Matthew 27:11-54

Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Tutilo; Ninth and Tenth Century Benedictine monk and artist; a member of the Benedictines at St. Gall, Switzerland, he distinguished himself through his abilities as a painter, sculptor, musician, poet, metalworker, and orator; he taught at the  abbey school and was noted for his particular adherence to obedience; he died in 915 Office...

Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. John of Egypt; lived in the Fourth Century, and was one of the most famous early  desert  hermits, a noted  prophet of his era; he was born in Egypt, and became a hermit at the age of 20; his hermitage had a single window opening to the public, from which he preached to vast crowds each weekend; he died in 394 Office of Readings...

Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Basil the Younger; Tenth Century hermit with gifts of prophecy; living near Constantinople, he was imprisoned and tortured as a spy; miracles and prophecies won him his freedom, and he returned to his hermitage with a disciple, Gregory; there he denounced the immorality of the aristocracy, including Princess Anastasia, an activity that broug...

Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/25/26 Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Aldemar; Eleventh Century abbot and miracle worker; born in Capua, Italy, and became a monk at Monte Cassino; Princess Aloara built a new convent, and Aldemar became the director of the religious in the established house; his abbot reassigned him to Monte Cassino, which angered the princess; there were even attempts on Aldemar's life; he fled...

Fifth Sunday of Lent Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/22/26 Gospel: John 11:1-45

Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Enda; an Irishman, who became a monk and went on pilgrimage to Rome, where he was ordained; he returned to Ireland, built churches at Drogheda, and then secured from his brother-in-law King Oengus of Munster the island of Aran, where he built the monastery of Killeaney, from which ten other foundations on the island developed; with St. Finn...

Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Photina; according to Greek legend, the Samaritan woman Jesus met at the well; she took to preaching the Gospel, received imprisonment, and was finally martyred at Carthage; another tradition states that Photina was put to death in Rome  after converting the daughter of Emperor  Nero and one hundred of her servants; she supposedly d...

Solemnity of St. Joseph, husband of Mary Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/19/26 Gospel: Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24

Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent Commemoration of St. Cyril of Jerusalem; Fourth Century bishop; 24 of his catechetical instructions survive; he spent 16 of his 35 years as bishop in exile, the first inflicted by Acacius, Bishop of Caesarea, an ardent Arian who claimed jurisdiction over Jerusalem Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/18/26 Gospel: John 5:17-30

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent Commemoration of St. Patrick; born in 387 in Roman Britain; kidnapped and forced into slavery at age 16; he escaped Ireland and returned to Scotland, but soon became aware that he longed to minister to the Irish people; he returned to his old master, paid his own ransom, and began preaching the word of God; he is said to have baptized thousands, converted wealthy...

Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Finian Lobhar; Sixth Century Irish abbot, a disciple of St. Columba; tradition credits him with founding a church and monastery at Innisfallen; after a stay in Clonmore, Finian Lobhar became abbot  of Swords  Abbey near Dublin; he may have returned to Clonmore in his later years; he became known as "Lobhar"--"the leper"--because he...

Fourth Sunday of Lent - Laetare Sunday Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/15/26 Gospel: John 9:1-41

Saturday of the Third Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Boniface Curitan; Seventh Century evangelist to the Picts and Scots; probably a Roman by birth, Boniface was the bishop of Ross, England; he introduced Roman observances into the British territories and founded a vast number of parishes; he died in 660 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/14/26 Gospel: Luke 18:9-14

Friday of the Third Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Euphrasia of Constantinople, 380-410; a noble Roman; her mother entered a  convent in Egypt, and Euphrasia, at the age of five, went with her; at the age of twelve, orphaned, she was commanded by Emperor Arcadius to marry a senator but received permission to give her wealth to the poor and remain a nun; she was known for her holiness Offi...

Thursday of the Third Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Peter of Nicomedia; Fourth Century chamberlain  at the court of Emperor  Diocletian at Nicomedia; arrested for being a  Christian  when the last great  persecution of the Church was launched; he was tortured, and eventually martyred in 303 A.D.; he is ranked as one of the first victims of the last  persecution &...

Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Eulogius of Cordoba; Ninth Century Martyred  priest of Cordoba, Spain, slain by the Moors, after his arrest in 850; Eulogius was a noted scholar of Scripture he wrote Exhortation to Martyrdom for two young virgin martyrs, Flora and Mary, who were beheaded; released, Eulogius was named archbishop of Cordoba or Toledo; before being conse...

Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Macarius of Jerusalem; Fourth Century bishop of Jerusalem who helped St. Helena to locate the True Cross; when Helena discovered three crosses in Jerusalem, Macarius suggested that a seriously ill woman be touched with each one; one cured the woman instantly, and was identified as the True Cross; Macanus built a church over Christ’s sep...

Monday of the Third Week of Lent Commemoration of St. Frances of Rome, 1384-1440; at the age of 12, she was arranged to marry Lorenzo Ponziani; the marriage lasted forty years and bore three children; Frances’ two daughters were killed, her husband seriously wounded, and her son nearly escaped ransom; these events led her into deep prayer and a life of service; caring for the sick and poor o...

Third Sunday of Lent Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/8/26 Gospel: John 4:5-42

Saturday of the Second Week of Lent Commemoration of Saints Perpetua and Felicity; African martyrs who became Christian catechumens; they were arrested but stayed true to their faith despite deplorable prison conditions and earnest pleas from Perpetua’s father to renounce her faith; along with three other catechumens, they were executed in the amphitheater at Carthage in 203 Office of Readin...

Friday of the Second Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Fridolin; Sixth Century Irishman, venerated as the "Apostle of the Upper Rhine"; he traveled to  France  and settled in Poitiers, rebuilding the monastery of  St. Hilary which had been destroyed by Vandals; he then became a hermit on the Rhine, and built the  abbey of Sackingen; he was known as "The Wanderer" because of hi...

Thursday of the Second Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Philip of Jesus, 1572-1597; born in Mexico City, he entered the Franciscans at Puebla but then departed the order in 1589 to journey to the Philippines as a trader; in 1590, he repented and returned to the Franciscan fold; his superiors commanded him to sail back to Mexico  to be ordained a  priest and, while on the way, his ship...