Daybreak

Tuesday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Mary; a counterpart to the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus; the feast began in Spain in 1513, and was extended to the entire Church by Pope Innocent XI Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/12/23 Gospel: Luke 6:12-19

Monday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Paphnutius; Egyptian who became bishop of Upper Thebaid; tortured under Emperor Maximinus; returned to his flock when peace was restored; zealous in defending the Catholic faith against the Arian heresy; a major figure in the first General Council of the Church at Nicea in 325 A.D.; date of death unknown Office of Readings and Morning...

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/10/23 Gospel: Matthew 18:15-20

Saturday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Peter Claver, 1581-1654; left his native Spain for the New World, and became a "slave to the slaves"; as soon as a slave ship entered the port, Peter Claver moved into its infested hold to minister to the ill-treated and exhausted passengers; in his 40 years of ministry, he is believed to have baptized 300,000 slaves Office of Readings and...

Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Friday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/8/23 Gospel: Matthew 1:18-23

Thursday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Cloud, 522-560; heir apparent to the kingdom of the Franks, but was usurped by his uncle; he fled to Provence for safety, and was under the direction of St. Severinus, a recluse near Paris; he instructed the people of the neighboring countryside and ended his days at about the age of 36 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/7/2...

Wednesday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Eleutherius; Sixth Century abbot of St. Mark's near Spoleto, and favored by God with miracles; died in St. Andrew's monastery in Rome, 585 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/6/23 Gospel: Luke 4:38-44

Tuesday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Teresa of Calcutta, 1910-1997; at age 18, she entered the Loreto Sisters of Dublin; in 1946, she felt called to leave the convent and help the poor while living among them; she returned to Calcutta, and for the next four decades, she worked tirelessly on behalf of the poor; in 1979, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize Office of Read...

Monday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Rosalia; daughter of Sinibald,  Lord of Roses and Quisquina, and a descendant of Charlemagne; took up her abode in a cave, and was in constant communion with God; she died alone in 1160; her body was discovered several centuries later, in 1625, during the pontificate of Pope Urban VIII Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/4/23 G...

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/3/23 Gospel: Matthew 16:21-27

Saturday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Ingrid of Sweden; born in the 13th Century, and lived under the spiritual direction of Peter of Dacia, a Dominican priest; she was the first Dominican nun in Sweden; in 1281, she founded the first Dominican cloister there, St. Martin's;  she died in 1282, surrounded by an aura of sanctity Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/2...

Friday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Giles, 650-710; Athenian of noble birth; left his home and sailed for France, first taking up his abode in a wilderness near the mouth of the Rhone river, afterward near the river Gard, and, finally, in the  diocese of Nimes; he spent many years conversing only with God; he was esteemed by the French king; he admitted several disciples...

Thursday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Aidan of Lindisfarne; Seventh Century bishop of Lindisfarne, who was known throughout the kingdom for his knowledge of the Bible, his learning, his eloquent preaching, his holiness, his distaste for pomp, his kindness to the poor, and the miracles attributed to him; died 651 A.D. at Bamburgh Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for...

Wednesday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Jeanne Jugan, 1792-1879; after years of serving the sick and elderly, she and her companions formed an association, the Little Sisters of the Poor; by 1853 the association numbered 500 and had houses as far away as England Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/30/23 Gospel: Matthew 23:27-32

Tuesday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist; John was sent to prepare the way for the Messiah; in the end, a king with a shallow sense of honor, a seductive dance, and a hateful queen brought about his martyrdom Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/29/23 Gospel: Mark 6:17-29

Monday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Augustine of Hippo, 354-430; sinner-turned-saint; having been so immersed in the creature comfort of his day, it's not surprising that he turned against the evil of his time so fiercely; he fulfilled the role of prophet; like Jeremiah, he was hard-pressed, but could not keep quiet Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/28/23 Gospel: Mat...

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/27/23 Gospel: Matthew 16:13-20

Saturday of the 20th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Jeanne-Elisabeth Bichier des Ages, 1773-1838; foundress of the Congregation of the Daughters of the Cross, a disciple  of  St. Andrew Fournet; of noble birth, but dedicated her life to serving others; her congregation was designed for teaching and hospital service Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/26/23 Gospel: Matthew 23:1...

Friday of the 20th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Louis of France, 1214-1270; was devoted to his people, founding hospitals, visiting the sick, and caring even for people with leprosy; every day he had 13 special guests from among the poor to dine with him; led a crusade to North Africa in 1270, where the army was decimated by disease, including King Louis, who died Office of Readi...

Feast of St. Bartholomew, apostle; Jesus told him that he was a true Israelite, without "guile" or "duplicity"; mentioned only in the lists of apostles in the New Testament Thursday of the 20th Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/24/23 Gospel: John 1:45-51

Wednesday of the 20th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Rose of Lima, 1586-1617; first canonized saint of the New World; born to parents of Spanish descent in Lima, Peru; her parents refused to let her enter a convent, so she continued her life of penance and solitude at home as a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic; in the last few years of her life, she cared for homeless chi...

Tuesday of the 20th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary; established by Pope Pius XII in 1954, but with roots in scripture; at the Annunciation, Gabriel announced that Mary’s Son would receive the throne of David and rule forever; at the Visitation, Elizabeth calls Mary “mother of my Lord”; Her queenship is a share in Jesus’ kingship Office of Readings and Mo...

Monday of the 20th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Pope St. Pius X, 1835-1914; born of a poor Italian family; one of the Twentieth Century's greatest popes; ended the supposed right of governments to interfere with papal elections; denounced the ill treatment of indigenous peoples on the plantations of Peru; foresaw World War I, which began just before his death; best remembered for his encourag...

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/20/23 Gospel: Matthew 15:21-28

Friday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Helena; mother of Emperor Constantine the Great; Helena's husband divorced her, but Constantine remained faithful to his mother; when he became emperor, he returned her to the inner circle, and tasked her with locating relics of Christian tradition; she is credited with finding the True Cross; Helena died 330 A.D. Office of Readings an...