Daybreak

Thursday of the Second Week of Lent Commemoration of St. Patrick, 415-493; captured at the age of 16 and sold into slavery in Ireland; escaped, and underwent spiritual conversion; consecrated bishop at the age of 43; returned to Ireland to evangelize, where the faith had never been preached, obtaining protection of local kings, and made numerous converts Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3...

Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Finian Lobhar; Sixth Century disciple of St. Columba; founded a church and monastery at Innisfallen; became abbot of Swords Abbey near Dublin; called "Lobhar"--"the leper"--because he had contracted the disease from a boy whom he had cured; died 560 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/16/22 Gospel: Matthew 20:17-28

Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Louise de Marillac, 1591-1660; after being widowed, she worked with St. Vincent de Paul; became the co-foundress of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, aring for the sick, poor, and neglected Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/15/22 Gospel: Matthew 23:1-12

Monday of the Second Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Matilda, 892-968; married Henry the Fowler, who eventually ascended to the German throne; Matilda was noted for her piety and charitable works; widowed in 936; built three convent and a monastery; died at the monastery at Quedlinburg

Second Sunday of Lent Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/13/22 Gospel: Luke 9:28-36

Saturday of the First Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Seraphina, 1238-1253; born to a poor family; known for self-denial and acts of penance; struck with a mysterious disease which disfigured and paralyzed her; died on the feast of St. Gregory the Great, as foretold by him to her in a dream Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/12/22 Gospel: Matthew 5:43-48

Friday of the First Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. Sophronius of Jerusalem, 560-638; became an ascetic in his late teens or early twenties; fled Persian invaders, and returned to Jerusalem in 619; elected patriarch of Jerusalem in 634 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/11/22 Gospel: Matthew 5:20-26

Thursday of the First Week of Lent Saint of the Day: St. John Ogilvie, 1579-1615. born on Scottish nobility, raised a Calvinist, converted to the Catholic faith and became a Jesuit; brought many people in Scotland back to the Catholic faith; betrayed by one posing as a Catholic, and was ultimately sentenced to death Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/10/22 Gospel: Matthew 7:7-12

Wednesday of the First Week of Lent Commemoration of St. Frances of Rome, 1384-1440; married to a young nobleman who gave his blessing for Frances to serve the poor; in spite of family tragedies, Frances opened a section of her house as a hospital; founded a society of women bound by no vows who served the poor Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/9/22 Gospel: Luke 11:29-32

Tuesday of the First Week of Lent Commemoration of St. John of God, 1495-1550; at the age of 40, went to Africa to free captive Christians and be martyred; after being advised against seeking martyrdom, he returned to Spain to operate a relgious goods store; inspired by St. John of Avila, he publicly beat himself, for which he was committed; eventually, he started a house to care for the sick poor...

Monday of the First Week of Lent Commemoration of Saints Perpetua and Felicity; Perpetua was a noblewoman with an infant son; Felicity was a slave and expectant mother; both were Christians, and were martyred in the public games in Carthage in 203 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/7/22 Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46

First Sunday of Lent Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/6/22 Gospel: Luke 4:1-13

Saturday after Ash Wednesday Saint of the Day: St. John Joseph of the Cross, 1654-1734; joined the Franciscans at the age of 16, and was assigned to establish a new friary even before being ordained; served as novice master, guardian, and provincial; when his term as provincial expired, he dedicated himself to hearing confessions and practicing mortification--in contrast to the so-called "Age of E...

Friday after Ash Wednesday Commemoration of St. Casimir, 1458-1483; son of the King of Poland; lived a highly disciplined life, even as a teenager, sleeping on the ground, spending much of the night in prayer, dedicated himself to lifelong celibacy; died of lung trouble at the age of 25 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/4/22

Thursday after Ash Wednesday Commemoration of St. Katharine Drexel, 1858-1955; gave up a family fortune to become a missionary to Native Americans and other people of color, establishing more than 50 missions in 16 states Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/3/22 Gospel: Luke 9:22-25

Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/2/22 Gospel: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. David of Wales; patron saint of Wales, perhaps the most famous of British saints; founded many monasteries; eventually became primate of the region

Monday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Oswald; a Dane by birth, he became bishop of Worcester, England, in 962, and archbishop of York in 972; he built many monasteries, and is credited, in part, for the revival of English monasticism; died 992 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/28/22 Gospel: Mark 10:17-27

Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/27/22 Gospel: Luke 6:39-45

Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Isabel of France, 1225-1270; sister of St. Louis, daughter of King Louis VIII of France and Blanche of Castile; refused marriage to live a life of virginity consecrated to God; founded the Franciscan Monastery of the Humility of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Paris Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/26/22 Gospel: Mark 10:13-1...

Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Walburga, 710-779; sister of St. Willibald and Winebald; became a nun, and was sent to Germany to assist St. Boniface; later became abbess of the double monastery at Heidenheim founded by her brother Winebald; after Winebald's death, she served as superior of both the men and women until her death Office of Readings and Morning Pray...

Thursday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Adela, 1067-1137; youngest daughter of William the Conqueror; famed for endowing churches and monastic institutions Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/24/22 Gospel: Mark 9:41-50

Wednesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Polycarp, 69-155, bishop and martyr; disciple of St. John the Apostle, friend of St. Ignatius of Antioch; martyred in the Smyrna stadium at the age of 86 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/23/22 Gospel: Mark 9:38-40

Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, commemorating Christ's choosing Peter to sit in his place as the servant-authority of the whole Church Tuesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/22/22 Gospel: Matthew 16:13-19

Monday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Peter Damian, 988-1072; bishop and doctor of the Church; left his teaching duties to devote his life to prayer with the Benedictines; as abbot, he founded five additional hermitages; as cardinal-bishop of Ostia, he fought simony--the buying of church offices--and encouraged priests to live holy lives Office of Readings and Mornin...