Daybreak

Wednesday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Louis, King of France, 1214-1270; on the death of his father, his mother became regent; in 1234, he married Margaret, and two years later took the reigns of government; led two crusades, but died of a pestilence in the second Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/25/21 Gospel: Matthew 23:27-32

Feast of St. Bartholomew, one of the Twelve; also known as Nathanael; Roman Martyrology says he preached in India and Greater Armenia, where he was martyred Tuesday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/24/21 Gospel: John 1:45-51

Monday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Rose of Lima, 1586-1617; worked in the garden all day and sewed all night to help her parents financially; her parents refused to let her enter a convent, so she joined the Third Order of St. Dominic; in the last few years of her life, she care for homeless children, the elderly, and the sick; first canonized saint of the New World...

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/22/21 Gospel: John 6:60-69

Friday of the 20th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, 1090-1153; joined the Cistercian order; was sent to found a new monastery, which later became known as the Abbey of Clairvaux; Bernard founded numerous other monasteries, composed a number of works, and took many journey for the honor of God; endowed with the gift of miracles Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/...

Thursday of the 20th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. John Eudes, 1601-1680; ordained at the age of 24; founded the Eudists, the Congregation of Jesus and Mary, devoted to the formation of clergy by conducting diocesan seminaries; also founded the Sisters of Charity of the Refuge, to assist prostitutes in leaving that live; best known for the central theme of his writings: Jesus as t...

Wednesday of the 20th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Helena; mother of Emperor Constantine, and credited with discovering the True Cross; died about 330 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/18/21 Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16

Tuesday of the 20th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Clare of Montefalco, 1268-1308; joined a convent of Franciscan tertiaries; as abbess, she led an austere life, and was devoted to the Passion of Christ and His Cross Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/17/21 Gospel: Matthew 19:23-30

Monday of the 20th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Stephen of Hungary, 975-1038; born a pagan, baptized at 10 along with his father, chief of the Magyars; succeeded his father, and adopted a policy of christinization of the country; asked the pope to organize the Church in Hungary and requested that he confer on him the title of king; Stephen supported churches, pastors, and the poo...

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/15/21 Gospel: Luke 1:39-56

Memorial of St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe, 1894-1941; Conventual Franciscan priest; founded the Militia of the Immaculata and the magazine, “Knight of the Immaculata”; arrested by Nazis in 1939, but released; arrested by Nazis again in 1941, and volunteered to take the place of a man who was being sent to die Saturday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer...

Friday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of Saints Pontian and Hippolytus; Pontian was the pope, and was arrested during a persecution in the Third Century; Hippolytus had broken from communion with the Church, and was the first anti-pope; both were arrested, separately, and sentenced to slavery in the salt mines of Sardinia; in captivity, they reconciled, and died of torture and...

Thursday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Jane Frances de Chantal, 1572-1641; widowed, she came under the spiritual guidance of St. Francis de Sales; Francis worked with her to found an order for those whose health, age, or other considerations barred them from entering other religious communities, the Visitation Nuns Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/12/21 Gosp...

Memorial of St. Clare of Assisi, 1194-1253; lifelong friend of St. Francis, who placed her in a Benedictine convent, where she was joined by her sister Agnes and others; they lived a simple life of great poverty, austerity, and complete seclusion from the world; she served the sick and washed the feet of the begging nuns; as she came from prayer, her face was so shining that it dazzled those about...

Feast of St. Lawrence, 225-258; deacon under Pope St. Sixtus II, who was martyred days before Lawrence; Lawrence knew that he would be arrested, so he gave all of the church’s money on hand to the poor; the prefect of Rome demanded all other treasures of the church, and Lawrence showed him th blind, lame, maimed, leprous, orphaned, and widowed, and said, “These are the treasures of the...

Monday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, 1891-1942; grew up in a Jewish family and became an atheist at 14; but reading the autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila began a spiritual journey which led to her baptism, and becoming a Carmelite nun; she lived four years in the Cologne Carmel, and then moved to the Carmelite monastery in Echt, Nether...

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/8/21 Gospel: John 6:41-51

Saturday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of Pope St. Sixtus II, and companions; Sixtus restored rlations with the African and Eastern churches; Sixtus and six deacons were martyred under the persection of Valerian in 258; his seventh deacon, Lawrence, was martyred four days later Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/7/21 Gospel: Matthew 17:14-20

Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord Friday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/6/21 Gospel: Mark 9:2-10

Optional Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome Thursday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/5/21 Gospel: Matthew 16:13-23

Memorial of St. John Baptist Vianney, 1786-1859; ordained because of his goodness, even though he had difficulty with his studies; as Curé d’Ars, he was known to spend sixteen to 18 hours per day hearing confessions; patron of all priests Wednesday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/4/21 Gospel: Matthew 15:21-28

Tuesday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Lydia Purpuraria, First Century; born at Thyatira in Asia Minor, a town famous for its dye works; Lydia was a seller of purple goods; she was Paul’s first convert at Philippi, baptized with her household; Paul stayed at her home Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/3/21 Gospel: Matthew 14:22-36

Monday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Eusebius of Vercelli, 300-371; first recorded bishop of Vercelli; attempted to mitigate the Catholic-Arian disagreement, but was exiled to Palestine, then to Asia Minor, and Egypt; was finally allowed to return to Vercelli Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/2/21 Gospel: Matthew 14:13-21

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/1/21 Gospel: John 6:24-35

Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola, 1491-1556; while recovering from a war injury, he read a life of Christ and lives of the saints, and began his conversion; at the age of 43, he and six others began the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits; his spiritual life was centered on the essential foundations of Christianity–the Trinity, Christ, and the Eucharist Saturday of the 17th Week in...