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Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Scholastica; sister of St. Benedict; governed a monastery of nuns five miles from Monte Cassino, and visited her brother annually, conferring on spiritual matters; once, Scholastica begged her brother to stay overnight, and he refused; so she prayed, and a fierce thunderstorm broke out; they spent the night in spiritual conferences; Scholas...

Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Alto; Eighth Century hermit and missionary, Irish, or possibly Anglo-Saxon; given land near Altmunster in modern Friesling Diocese in Bavaria, and founded an abbey; St. Boniface dedicated the abbey church in 750; died 760 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/9/23 Gospel: Mark 7:24-30

Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Josephine Bakhita, 1869-1947; lived for many years as a slave; became Catholic, and was eventually freed, and she entered the Institute of St. Magdalen of Canossa; became well-loved by the children and local citizens Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/8/23 Gospel: Mark 7:14-23

Tuesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Luke the Younger; tried to become a religious, but was arrested as an escaped slave and imprisoned for a time; finally became a hermit on Mount Joannitsa, near Corinth, revered for his holiness and miracles; died 946 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/7/23 Gospel: Mark 7:1-13

Monday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Paul Miki and companions, the Japanese martyrs; Paul Miki joined the Jesuits in 1850, and was known for eloquent preaching; along with 25 other Catholics, he was crucified during a persecution of Christians Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/6/23 Gospel: Mark 6:53-56

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/5/23 Gospel: Matthew 5:13-16

Saturday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Joseph of Leonissa, 1556-1612; Capuchin who went to Constantinople to care for Christian galley slaves working under Turkish masters; he was imprisoned, and warned not to resume on his release; he resumed his work for the galley slaves, and was condemned to death; he was miraculously freed, and returned to Italy where he preached t...

Friday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Blaise; Fourth Century bishop of Sebastea, Armenia; fled to the back country to escape persecution, and made friends with wild animals; hunters found him praying, surrounded by wolves, lions, and bears; as they hauled him to prison, a mother came with her son who had a fish bone lodged in his throat, and at Blaise's command, the b...

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord Thursday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/2/23 Gospel: Luke 2:22-40

Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Brigid of Ireland, 451-525; founded a monastery in Kildare; organized communal consecrated religious life for women in Ireland; later founded a school of art that included metalwork and illumination; evidence exists that she was a friend of St. Patrick Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/1/23 Gospel: Mark 6:1-6

Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. John Bosco, 1815-1888; his principle ministry was to young boys, placing them in surrounding removed from the likelihood of committing sin; opened the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales for boys, and added a printing press for religious and catechetical pamphlets; in 1854, he and his followers informally banded together, inspired by St. Fran...

Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Bathidis, 626-680; born in England, enslaved and sent to Neustria in the Frankish kingdom; married King Clovis II in 649, and bore him three sons, who all became kings; she served as regent for one of them; founded a Benedictine convent at Chelles, as well as St. Denis Monastery and Corbie; died in Chelles Office of Readings and Morn...

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/29/23 Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12

Saturday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas, 1225-1274; joined the Dominicans, and completed his studies under Albert the Great. The unity, harmoney and continuity of faith and reason, of revealed and natural human knowledge, pervades his writings; when asked why he stopped writing, he replied, "All that I have written seems to me like so much straw compared to what...

Friday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Angela Merici, 1474-1540; on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, she was struck with blindness, but continued to visit the sacred shrines, and had her sight restored on the way back while praying before a crucifix; at age 60, she founded the Company of St. Ursula, the first "secular institute"--single women consecreated Christ and livin...

Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus; Timothy was a convert of St. Paul, around the year 47, and later joined him in his apostolic work; Titus was a close friend and disciple of Paul, and a fellow missionary; known as a peacemaker, administrator, and great friend; both died around 95 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/26/23 Gospel: Mark 4:2...

Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/25/23 Gospel: Mark 16:15-18

Tuesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, 1567-1622; studied law at Padua, and later was ordained and elected provost of the Diocese of Geneva, then a center for the Calvinists, whom he worked to convert; became bishop of Geneva at 35; wrote "Introduction to the Devout Life" and "A Treatise on the Love of God"; worked with St. Jane Frances de Chantal to establish...

Monday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Marianne Cope; as provincial of the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis in Syracuse, New York, she led a team to Hawaii to run the receiving station for those suspected of having leprosy; opened a hospital and school for girls on the island of Maui; opened a home for "unprotected women and girls" on Molokai, where she also took...

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/22/23 Gospel: Matthew 4:12-23

Saturday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Agnes; lived in the Third Century; legend has it that she was a beautiful young woman, desired by many men; one whom she refused reported to authorities as a Christian; she was arrested and confined to a house of prostitution; one man who looked at her lustfully was blinded, but regained his sight as a result of her prayer; she was conde...

Friday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Fabian, 200-250; a Roman layman who came into the city as the next pope was about to be elected, when a dove rested on his head, and he was selected unanimously; led the Church for 14 years, and died a martyr's death Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/20/23 Gospel: Mark 3:13-19

Thursday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Henry of Sweden; Englishman residing at Rom; named bishop of Uppsala, Sweden, in 1152; journey with King Eric to Finland, where a battle erupted, and was won by the Swedes; Henry remained to baptize and evangelize; slain by a convicted murderer whom he had excommunicated Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/19/23 Gospel: Mar...

Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Margaret of Hungary, 1242-1272; a princess, entered the Dominican novitiate at the age of 12; objected to any special treatment, and went out of her way to perform the most menial tasks, and serve the poor and sick Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/18/23 Gospel: Mark 3:1-6

Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Anthony of Egypt, 251-356; gave his large inheritance to the poor at the age of 20, and spent most of his life in solitude; at 54, he founded a sort of monastery with scattered cells; at 60, he hoped to be a martyr in the Roman persecution; at 88, he fought the Arian heresy; died in solitude at age 105 Office of Readings and Morning Praye...