Daybreak

Friday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226; a poor little man who astounded and inspired the Church by taking the gospel literally—not in a narrow fundamentalist sense, but by actually following all that Jesus said and did, joyfully, without limit, and without a sense of self-importance; he had no intention of founding an order, but once it began he protected it and accepted all the legal structures needed to support it; his devotion and loyalty to the Church were absolute; two years before his death he received the stigmata, the real and painful wounds of Christ in his hands, feet and side Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/4/24 Gospel: Luke 10:13-16

Thursday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Theodora Guérin, 1798-1856; born in France; joined the Sisters of Providence in 1823; at the invitation of the bishop of Vincennes, Indiana, Sister Theodora and five sisters were sent to St. Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, in 1840, to teach and care for the sick poor; they persevered despite fires, crop failures, prejudice against Catholic women religious, misunderstandings, and separation from their original religious congregation; she once told her sisters, "With Jesus, what shall we have to fear?” Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/3/24 Gospel: Luke 10:1-12

Wednesday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of the Guardian Angels Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/2/24 Gospel: Matthew 18:1-5, 10

Tuesday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, 1873-1897; lived a cloistered life of obscurity in the convent of Lisieux, France, and her preference for hidden sacrifice converted souls; in her own words, she came to the Carmel convent “to save souls and pray for priests”; shortly before her death of tuberculosis, she wrote, “I want to spend my heaven doing good on earth” Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/1/24 Gospel: Luke 9:51-56

Monday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Jerome, 345-420; scripture scholar; translated most of the Old Testament from the Hebrew, and made a translation of the Bible which came to be called the Vulgate; traveled extensively in Palestine, and settled in Bethlehem, living in a cave believed to have been Christ's birthplace Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/30/24 Gospel: Luke 9:46-50

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/29/24 Gospel: Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

Saturday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Wenceslaus, 907-929; son of the duke of Bohemia, and raised by his grandmother, Ludmilla, who was murdered; Wenceslaus assumed leadership of the government, and worked toward unification within Bohemia, support of the Church, and peace-making negotiations with Germany; he was assassinated by his brother Boleslav and companions Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/28/24 Gospel: Luke 9:43-45

Friday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Vincent de Paul, 1580-1660; born in Gascony, France, and came to lead what became known as the Congregation of the Mission, or the Vincentians; he later established confraternities of charity for the spiritual and physical relief of the poor and sick of each parish; with the help of Saint Louise de Marillac, he founded the Daughters of Charity; he was a pioneer in clerical training and was instrumental in establishing seminaries; patron of all charitable societies Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/27/24 Gospel: Luke 9:18-22

Thursday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of Saints Cosmas and Damian; Arab-born Christians who were brothers, known for their skill in medicine; they refused payment for their services; their prominence made them targets in the persecution of Diocletian; they were tortured and killed in about 283; patron saints of pharmacists Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/26/24 Gospel: Luk 9:7-9

Wednesday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Albert of Jerusalem, 1149-1215; born in Parma, Italy; became a canon of Holy Cross Abbey in Mortoba; later appointed bishop of Bobbio, Italy, then to the see of Vercelli, where he served as a mediator between the pope and the emperor; in 1205, he was appointed patriarch of Jerusalem; near Albert's residence was Mount Carmel, where a group of hermits lived in separate caves; they asked Albert to provide them with a rule of life, which constituted the beginning of the Carmelite order; Albert was assassinated prior to leaving Palestine for the general Lateran council; he is the patron of the Carmelite orders Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/25/24 Gospel: Luke 9:1-6

Tuesday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Rupert of Salzburg; bishop of Worms when Childeric III asked that he evangelize Bavaria; he converted Duke Theodo II, and the duke gave him land at Iuvavum where he established the Abbey of St. Peter and the Nonnberg Convent; Rupert also converted pagan temples into Christian churches and established the salt-mining industry from which the city takes its present name, Salzburg Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/24/24 Gospel: Luke 8:19-21

Monday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Pius of Pietrelcina, better known as Padre Pio, 1887-1968; joined the Capuchins at the age of 15; in 1918, as he was making his thanksgiving after Mass, Padre Pio had a vision of Jesus; when the vision ended, he had the stigmata in his hands, feet, and side; the authenticity of the stigmata was questioned, with restrictions placed upon Padre Pio, which were soon reversed; busloads of people came to see him, and his confessional ministry soon took ten hours per day; Padre Pio died in 1968 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/23/24 Gospel: Luke 8:16-18

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/22/24 Gospel: Mark 9:30-37

Feast of St. Matthew, apostle Saturday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/21/24 Gospel: Matthew 9:9-13

Friday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and companions, the Korean martyrs; Andrew was the first native Korean priest; he was arrested and beheaded while trying to arrange water passage for more missionaries; Paul was a lay apostle and married man, also died in 1839 at age 45; along with Andrew and Paul, 98 other Koreans and three French missionaries who were martyred between 1839 and 1867 were canonized by Pope John Paul II Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/20/24 Gospel: Luke 8:1-3

Thursday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Januarius; martyred in Diocletian's persecution of 305; he was thrown to the bears in the amphitheatre, along with his companions, but the bears failed to attack, so they were beheaded; Januarius' blood was taken to Naples, where it liquifies 18 times per year, eluding any natural explanation Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/19/24 Gospel: Luke 7:36-50

Wednesday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Joseph of Cupertino, 1603-1663; born in the kingdom of Naples; joined the Franciscan Friars Minor Conventual; after his ordination to the holy priesthood, he gave himself up entirely to a life of devotion to the Lord and his church; grew so in love with God, that 70 times people saw him levitating in prayer and while celebrating mass; often went into ecstasy, and would be caught up in talking with God; helped many people in the confessional Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/18/24 Gospel: Luke 7:31-35

Tuesday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Robert Bellarmine, 1542-1621; ordained in 1570, and made a cardinal by Pope Clement VIII, saying that “he had not his equal for learning”; became the pope's theologian, and prepared two catechisms; had to deliver a message from the Holy Office to his friend, Galileo, admonishing him not to present theories as proven fact Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/17/24 Gospel: Luke 7:11-17

Monday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Saints Cornelius and Cyprian; Cornelius greatest concern during his two years as pope involved the Sacrament of Penance and the readmission of Christians who had denied their faith during persecution; he held a synod at Rome in 251 and ordered the “relapsed” to be restored to the Church with the usual “medicines of repentance”; his friendship with Cyprian was strained for a time when one of Cyprian’s rivals made accusations about him, but the problem was cleared up; Cornelius died in 253 as a result of the hardships of his exile in what is now Civitavecchia Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/16/24 Gospel: Luke 7:1-10

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/15/24 Gospel: Mark 8:27-35