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Friday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of Saints Marcellinus and Peter; priest and exorcist, respectively; beheaded in 304 A.D.,during the persecution of Emperor Diocletian; Pope Damasus wrote an epitaph based on the report of their executioner, and Constantine erected a basilica over the crypt in which they were buried in Rome Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/2/23...

Thursday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Justin, 100-165; philosopher who converted, because Christianity answered the great question of life and existence better than the ancient philosophers; became an apologist, defending Christianity against attacks and misunderstandings; for his stuanch adherence to Christinity, Justin was beheaded Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for...

Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth Wednesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/31/23 Gospel: Luke 1:39-56

Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Joan of Arc, 1412-1431; born of a fairly well-to-do couple southeast of Paris; began having visions at the age of 12; led French troops against the English and recaptured Orleans and Troyes; Joan was captured in 1430, sold to the English, and placed on trial for heresy and witchcraft; burned at the stake in 1431; a second Church tri...

Monday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/29/23 Gospel: John 19:25-34

Solemnity of Pentecost Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/28/23 Gospel: John 7:37-39

Saturday of the Seventh Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury; set out in 596 to evangelize the Anglo-Saxons in England; founded the see of Canterbury, and followed the missionary principles suggested by Pope Gregory--purify rather than destroy pagan temples, let pagan festivals be transformed into Christian feasts, and retain local customs as far as possible; the full fr...

Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter Memorial of St. Philip Neri, 1515-1595; founder of the religious institute, The Oratory; an outstanding confessor, gifted with the knack of piercing the pretenses and illusions of others, in a charitable manner, and often with a joke; known for his sense of humor; one of the influential figures of the Counter-Reformation Office of Readings and Morning Prayer fo...

Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Bede the Venerable, 673-735; spent most of his adult life in the monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow, England; wrote commentaries on the Pentateuch and various other books of the Bible, theological and scientific treatises, historical works, and biographies; he the patron of English writers and historians, and was the first to date events "...

Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Joanna; wife of Chuza, steward of King Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee; she was one of the women who helped provide for Jesus and the apostles, and she was one of the three women who discovered the empty tomb Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/24/23 Gospel: John 17:11-19

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