Daybreak

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: Matthew 23:13-22

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 23:1-12

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 Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/25/23 Gospel: Matthew 22:34-40

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 children, the elderly, and the sick; when she died, the city turned out for her funeral Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/23/23 Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16

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 Morning Prayer for 8/22/23 Gospel: Matthew 19:23-30

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 encouragement of the frequent reception of Holy Communion, especially by children Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/21/23 Gospel: Matthew 19:16-22

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 and Morning Prayer for 8/18/23 Gospel: Matthew 19:3-12

Thursday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Clare of Montefalco, 1268-1308; born in Montefalco, Italy; joined a convent of Franciscan tertiaries where her sister Joan was the abbess; when Joan died, Clare succeeded her; Clare was devoted to the Passion of Christ and His cross; when she died, an image of the Cross was found imprinted on her heart, and her body remained incorrupt Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/17/23 Gospel: Matthew 18:21-19:1

Wednesday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Stephen of Hungary, 975-1038; born a pagan, baptized at 10; when he became chief of the Magyars, he adopted a policy of Christianization for both political and religious reasons; he established a system of tithes to support churches and pastors and to relieve the poor; he abolished pagan customs, and was easily accessible to all, especially the poor; his son Emeric died in 1031; he and his son were canonized in 1083 Office of Reading and Morning Prayer for 8/16/23 Gospel: Matthew 18:15-20

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven; declared a dogma by Pope Pius XII in 1950 Tuesday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/15/23 Gospel: Luke 11:27-28

Monday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe, 1894-1941; Franciscan priest from a portion of Poland which is now part of Ukraine; founded the Militia of the Immaculata, and the magazine, "Knight of the Immaculata"; arrested by Nazis in 1939, and then released; arrested again in 1941, and was sent to a starvation bunker; a prisoner had escaped, and ten men were to die as punishment; St. Maximilian offered to replace one of those, who had a wife and family; St. Maximilian died by lethal injection Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/14/23 Gospel: Matthew 17:22-27

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/13/23 Gospel: Matthew 14:22-33

Saturday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Jane Frances de Chantal, 1572-1641; after being widowed, she fell into depression at her family home; at the age of 32, she met St. Francis de Sales, who became her spiritual director; with him, she helped to found an order which would exemplify the virtues of Mary at the Visition--hence, their name, the Visitation Nuns; Jane Frances underwent great spiritual trials, and died while on a visit to convents of the community Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/12/23 Gospel: Matthew 17:14-20

Friday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Clare of Assisi, 1194-1253; moved by the preaching of St. Francis, who placed her in a convent; sixteen days later, her sister Agnes joined her, and others followed; they lived a simple life of great poverty, austerity, and complete seclusion from the world; Clare came from prayer, it was said, with her face so shining it dazzled those about her. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/11/23 Gospel: Matthew 16:24-28

Feast of St. Lawrence, 225-258; Roman deacon under Pope St. Sixtus II, martyred just days before Lawrence; when the Roman prefect demanded that Lawrence present him with "the treasures of the Church," Lawrence assembled a group of blind, lame, maimed, leprous, orphaned, and widowed persons, and said, "These are the treasures of the Church"; Lawrence was martyred on a gridiron over hot coals, and was known to remark, "It is well done. Turn me over!”" Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/10/23 Gospel: John 12:24-26