Daybreak

Monday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Denis and companions, martyrs; sent to Gaul from Rome, and was beheaded in the persecution of Emperor Valerius in 258; Denis is regarded as the first bishop of Paris; one legend has him carrying his own head--after his martyrdom--to a village northeast of Paris; he is the patron saint of France Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/9/23 Gospel: Luke 10:25-37

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/8/23 Gospel: Matthew 21:33-43

Saturday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary - originally, "Our Lady of Victory," celebrating the Christian defeat of the Turks at Lepanto in 1571 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/7/23 Gospel: Luke 10:17-24

Friday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of Blessed Marie Rose Durocher, 1811-1849; born in St. Antoine, Quebec, Canada; established the first Canadian parish Sodality for young women; founded the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, dedicated to Christian education; the community flourished, in spite of great obstacles; Marie Rose remained unswerving in her concern for the poor; she died at the age of 38 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/6/23 Gospel: Luke 10:13-16

Thursday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, 1819-1867; born in Germany, joined the Redemptorists, and came to America; served in Pittsburgh with St. John Neumann, then returned to Baltimore, later being transferred to Cumberland and then Annapolis; he was an expert confessor, a watchful and prudent spiritual director and a pastor always joyfully available and attentive to the needs of the poor and the abandoned; he was a full-time itinerary missionary preacher from 1863 to 1869; he was then assigned to New Orleans, where he died of the yellow fever epidemic Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/5/23 Gospel: Luke 10:1-12

Wednesday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226; following an illness, prayer led Francis to a self-emptying like that of Christ, climaxed by embracing a leper he met on the road; he gave up all of his possessions; he had no intention of founding an order, but once it began, he protected it and accepted all legal structures needed to support it; during his last years, blind and seriously ill, he received the stigmata; on his deathbed, he repeated the last addition to his "Canticle of the Sun," "Be praised, O Lord, for our Sister Death.”  Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/4/23 Gospel: Luke 9:57-62

Tuesday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Mother Theodore Guerin, 1798-1856; foundress of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana; a visionary, a model of virtue, and a source of inspiration and hope; canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006; patron of the Roman Catholic diocese of Lafayette, in Indiana Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/3/23 Gospel: Luke9:51-56

Monday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of the Guardian Angels; celestial beings assigned to represent us before God, watch over us always, aid our prayer, and present our souls to God at death Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/2/23 Gospel: Matthew 18:1-5, 10

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/1/23 Gospel: Matthew 21:28-32

Saturday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Jerome, 345-420; eminent scripture scholar; responsible for the translation of the Bible which came to be known as the Vulgate; a mystic, he traveled extensively in Palestine, marking each spot of Christ's life with devotion; he settled in Bethlehem, living in the cave believed to be the birthplace of Christ; Jerome died in Bethlehem Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/30/23 Gospel: Luke 9:43-45

Feast of the Archangels, Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael Friday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/29/23 Gospel: John 1:47-51

Thursday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Wenceslaus, 907-929; raised as a Christian by his aunt, to become the ruler of Bohemia; his rule was marked by efforts toward unification within Bohemia, support of the Church, and peace-making negotiations with Germany; in a plot against him, his brother Boleslav invited him to the celebration of Saints Cosmas and Damian, and murdered him on the way to mass; he is revered as a martyr to the faith; patron of the Bohemian people and of the Czech Republic Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/28/23 Gospel: Luke 9:7-9

Wednesday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Vincent de Paul, 1580-1660; founder of the Congregation of the Mission, aka the Vincentians; with the help of St. Louise de Marillac, he also helped to found the Daughters of Charity; patron of all charitable societies, including the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/27/23 Gospel: Luke 9:1-6 

Tuesday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of Saints Cosmas and Damian; brothers born in Arabia, known for their skill in the science of medicine; as Christians, they took no money for their services; under the persecution of Diocletian, they became targets; they were arrested, tortured, and martyred in about the year 283 A.D.; they are the patrons of pharmacists Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/26/23 Gospel: Luke 8:19-21

Monday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Albert of Jerusalem, 1149-1215; born in Parma, Italy, llikely of a noble family; as Patriarch of Jerusalem, the hermits on Mount Carmel asked him to establish a rule of life for them, constituting the beginning of the Carmelite order; Albert was assassinated on his way to the Lateran council Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/25/23 Gospel: Luke 8:16-18

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/24/23 Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16a

Saturday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, aka Padre Pio, 1887-1968; grew up in a family of farmers in southern Italy; joined the Capuchins at age 15; ordained in 1910; in 1918, after mass, he received a vision of Jesus; after the vision, he had the stigmata on his hands, feet, and side; busloads of people came to see him, and he heard confessions for up to ten hours per day; many penitents said that Padre Pio knew details of their lives which they had not mentioned Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/23/23 Gospel: Luke 8:4-15

Friday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Phocas the Gardener; lived in the Third and Fourth Centuries in Sinope, earning his living cultivating a garden; he shared with the poor, and provided lodging to travelers; when his identity as a Christian became known to the pagan Roman authorities, soldiers were dispatched to arrest Phocas; they stopped at his home for lodging, unaware of who he was; Phocas revealed himself the next morning, and the soldiers--though reluctant to carry out their orders--ultimately beheaded him, around 303 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/22/23 Gospel: Luke 8:1-3

Feast of St. Matthew, apostle and evangelist Thursday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/21/23 Gospel: Matthew 9:9-13

Wednesday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and companions, martyrs; during the 19th Century persecutions of Christians in Korea, 103 gave their lives as martyrs, including some bishops and priests, and lay people--men and women, married and unmarried, children, young people, and the elderly Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/20/23 Gospel: Luke 7:31-35