Daybreak

Monday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of Blessed Marie Rose DuRocher, 1811-1849; born at St. Antoine, Quebec, Canada; she helped her brother, a parish priest, and in the process established the first Canadian parish Sodality for young women; in 1843, she was invited by Bishop Bourget to found a new congregation of women dedicated to Christian education; she founded the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary; in spite of many obstacles, her community flourished, and she remained unswerving in her concern for the poor; worn out by her many labors, Marie Rose DuRocher died at the age of 38 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/6/25 Gospel: Luke 10:25-37

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/5/25 Gospel: Luke 17:5-10

Saturday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226; a serious illness caused him to abandon his frolicking life as leader of Assisi's youth; lengthy and difficult prayer led him to a self-emptying; from the cross in the neglected field-chapel of San Damiano, Christ told him, “Francis, go out and build up my house, for it is nearly falling down”; 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 the legal structures needed to support it; his devotion and loyalty to the Church were absolute; two years before his death, received the stigmata, the painful wounds of Christ in his hands, feet, and side; Francis died in 1221 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/4/25 Gospel: Luke 10:17-24

Friday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Adalgott; he was a monk in the Benedictine Monastery of Clairvaux, where St. Bernard trained his successors; he was appointed the abbot of the Benedictines in Dissentis, where he became known for his care of the sick and poor; when Adalgott was named bishop of Chur, he conducted an apostolate for the suffering of the region, founding a hospital in 1150; he died in 1165 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/3/25 Gospel: Luke 10:13-16

Thursday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of the Guardian Angels Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/2/25 Gospel: Matthew 18:1-5, 10

Wednesday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Therese of Lisieux, 1873-1897; lived a cloistered life of obscurity in the convent of Lisieux, France and her preference for hidden sacrifice converted souls; her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, is read and loved throughout the world; Thérèse Martin entered the convent at the age of 15 and died in 1897 at the age of 24; she came to Carmel “to save souls and pray for priests”; shortly before she died, she wrote: “I want to spend my heaven doing good on earth” Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/1/25 Gospel: Luke 9:57-62

Tuesday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Jerome, 345-420; known for his bad temper; but he was a great scripture scholar, translating most of the Old Testament from the Hebrew; he also wrote commentaries which are a great source of scriptural inspiration for us today; he was an avid student, a thorough scholar, a prodigious letter-writer and a consultant to monk, bishop, and pope; Saint Augustine said of him, “What Jerome is ignorant of, no mortal has ever known”; he made a translation of the Bible which came to be called the Vulgate; he spent five years in the desert, and then settled in Bethlehem, where he died Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/30/25 Gospel: Luke 9:51-56

Feast of the Archangels, Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael Monday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/29/25 Gospel: John 1:47-51

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/28/25 Gospel: Luke 16:19-31

Saturday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Vincent de Paul, 1580-1660; Vincent became the leader of what is now known as the Congregation of the Mission, or the Vincentians; these priests, with vows of poverty, chastity, obedience, and stability, were to devote themselves entirely to the people in smaller towns and villages; he also founded several hospitals, collected relief funds for the victims of war, and ransomed over 1,200 galley slaves from North Africa; he was zealous in conducting retreats for clergy; known as an irascible person, even to his friends, Vincent became a tender and affectionate man, very sensitive to the needs of others Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/27/25 Gospel: Luke 9:43b-45

Friday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of Saints Cosmas and Damian, brothers born in Arabia, who were proficient in the science of medicine; as Christians, they refused payment for their treatment; when the persecution of Diocletian broke out, they became marked objects of persecution; they were apprehended and underwent various torments in about the year 283; they are the patrons of pharmacists Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/26/25 Gospel: Luke 9:18-22

Thursday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Cleophas; he was one of the two disciples who met Christ on the road to Emmaus; he was also identified as the father of Mary, one of whom stood with the Mother of God at the foot of the Cross; he has been identified as the father of St. James the Less and as brother of St. Joseph; he died in the First Century Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/25/25 Gospel: Luke 9:7-9

Wednesday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Rupert of Salzberg; he was bishop of Worms in the Seventh Century when he was called to evangelize Bavaria; Duke Theodo II gave him land, on which he established the Abbey of St. Peter and the Nonnburg Convent; he converted pagan temples into Christian churches, and established the salt-mining industry, from which the city of Salzberg gets its name; when Rupert died in about 710, he was buried in St. Peter's Abbey, but his relics were later translated to the Cathedral at Salzberg Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/24/25 Gospel: Luke 9:1-6

Tuesday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Pius of Pietrelcina, better known as Padre Pio, 1887-1968; grew up in a farming family in southern Italy; joined the Capuchins at the age of 15; on September 20, 1918, he had a vision of Jesus, and at the end of the vision, he had the stigmata in his hands, feet, and side; busloads of people came to see him, and in time his confessional ministry lasted ten hours per day Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/23/25 Gospel: Luke 8:19-21

Monday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Phocas the Gardener; in the third century, he cultivated a garden near the city gate of Sinope, now in Turkey; he shared with the poor what he earned from his gardening, and opened his home to travelers lacking a place to stay; the the pagan Romans became aware of him, and sent soldiers to find and arrest him; soldiers stopped at Phocas’ door and received lodging from him, unaware that their host was the man they were charged to capture; the next morning, he revealed to them his identity; at first, the soldiers were reluctant to carry out their orders against their kind host, but in the end they beheaded him; Phocas is venerated as a patron saint of both gardeners and mariners Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/22/25 Gospel: Luke 8:16-18

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/21/25 Gospel: Luke 16:1-13

Saturday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Taegon and Paul Chong Hasan, and companions, the Korean martyrs; Christianity came to Korea during the Japanese invasion in 1592 when some Koreans were baptized, probably by Christian Japanese soldiers; yhe first native Korean priest, Andrew Kim Taegon was the son of Christian converts; following his baptism at the age of 15, Andrew traveled 1,300 miles to the seminary in Macao, China, and was ordained a priest in Shanghai; Paul Chong Hasang, a lay apostle and married man, died in 1839 at age 45; besides Andrew and Paul, Pope John Paul II canonized 98 Koreans and three French missionaries who had been martyred between 1839 and 1867 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/20/25 Gospel: Luke 9:18-22

Friday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Januarius; in Diocletian's persecution of 305, Januarius and his companions were thrown to the bears in the amphitheatre, but the animals failed to attack, so they were beheaded; Januarius' blood was eventually brought to Naples, where it liquifies 18 times per year; the phenomenon eludes natural explanation Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/19/25 Gospel: Luke 8:1-3

Thursday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Joseph of Cupertino, 1603-1663; "the flying saint"; entered the Franciscan order, and was ordained a priest; over seventy times, people say they saw him rise from the ground while offering mass or praying; at Mass he is said to have frequently floated in the air in rapture; once as Christmas carols were being sung, he soared to the high altar and knelt in the air, in ecstatic prayer; endured many severe trials and temptations in his life Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/18/25 Gospel: Luke 7:36-50

Wednesday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Robert Bellarmine, 1542-1621; ordained in 1570, and devoted his energy to the study of church history and the early church fathers; Pope Clement VIII made him a cardinal, saying that "he had not his equal for learning"; he relaxed none of his austerities, limiting his household expenses to what was barely essential, and eating only food made available to the poor; in 1616, representing the Holy Office, he cautioned his friend Galileo not to put forward--except as a hypothesis--theories not yet fully proven Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/17/25 Gospel: Luke 7:31-35

Tuesday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Saints Cornelius and Cyprian; Cornelius was elected pope in 251; one of his great challenges was the question of whether the Church could pardon and receive back into the Church those who had apostacized in the face of martyrdom; Cornelius insisted that they be welcomed back; in 253, Cornelius was exiled, and died of the hardships of his exile; Cyprian was a close friend of Pope Cornelius, and supported him both against the anti-pope Novatian and in his views concerning the re-admittance of apostates into the Church; he was martyred in 258 during the persecutions of the emperor Valerian Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/16/25 Gospel: Luke 7:11-17

Monday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/15/25 Gospel: John 19:25-27

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross; commemorating the discovery of the True Cross in 326, its initial exaltation for public veneration in 335, and the recovery of the Cross from the Persians in 628 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/14/25 Gospel: John 3:13-17

Saturday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. John Chrysostom, 349-407; his name is a tribute to his preaching, meaning "golden-mouthed"; he reluctantly became bishop of Constantinople; but his zeal led him to decisive action, including deposing bishops who had bribed their way into office; he called for concrete steps to share wealth with the poor; Theophilus, the bishop of Alexandria, and the Empress Eudoxia were determined to discredit John; the empress finally had him exiled, where he died Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/13/25 Gospel: Luke 6:43-49

Friday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Mary Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/12/25 Gospel: Luke 6:39-42

Thursday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Theodora of Alexandria; a maiden of Alexandria, Egypt, who fell into a life of sin, repented, and spent her remaining days in virtual anonymity as a hermit in the Thebaid, in the southern region of Egypt, atoning through abstinence and mortifications; the fact that she was a woman was not discovered until her death in 491 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/11/25 Gospel: Luke 6:27-38

Wednesday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Apollinaris Franco; born in Old Castile, Spain, educated in law at Salamanca; he entered the Franciscans, and was sent to Japan in 1614; he served as superior of the Franciscan Mission until his arrest in 1617; he was imprisoned in Omura until 1622, and then was burned alive Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/10/25 Gospel: Luke 6:20-26

Tuesday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Peter Claver, 1581-1654; as a Jesuit, he sailed to Cartagena , a port city in the Caribbean, where the slave trade flourished; 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; after the slaves were herded off of the ship, Peter Claver plunged in among them with medicines, food, bread, brandy, lemons, and tobacco; with the help of interpreters, he gave them basic instruction and assured them of their human dignity; he instructed and baptized an estimated 200,000 slaves; after a long illness, he died in 1854 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/9/25 Gospel: Luke 6:12-19

Feast of the Nativity of Mary Monday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/8/25 Gospel: Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/7/25 Gospel: Luke 14:25-33

Saturday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time Saints of the Day: Saints Felix and Augebert; Englishmen who were captured and sold into slavery in France; they were ransomed by Pope Gregory I the Great; Felix became a priest, Augebert a deacon; while preparing to return to England as mis­sionaries, they were slain by pagans in Champagne, France, in the 7th Century Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/6/25 Gospel: Luke 6:1-5

Friday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Teresa of Calcutta, 1910-1997; while serving as a Sister of Loretto, she received a "call within a call" to serve the poorest of the poor; she established the Missionaries of Charity; in 1948, she went to the slums for the first time; by the early 1960's, she was sending her sisters to other parts of India; the world took note of Mother Teresa, and she received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979; by 1997, her sisters numbered nearly 4,000; after meeting Pope John Paul II for the last time, she returned to Calcutta and spent her final weeks receiving visitors and instructing her Sisters Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/5/25 Gospel: Luke 5:33-39

Thursday 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 the great Charlemagne; lived much of her life alone in a cave; she practiced great mortifications and lived 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 9/4/25 Gospel: Luke 5:1-11

Wednesday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Gregory the Great, 540-604; prefect of Rome before age 30, elected pope at age 50; he removed unworthy priests from office, forbade taking money for many services, emptied the papal treasury to ransom prisoners of the Lombards and to care for persecuted Jews and the victims of plague and famine; he reformed the liturgy and strengthened respect for doctrine; one of the key doctors of the western Church, along with Augustine, Ambrose, and Jerome Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/3/25 Gospel: Luke 4:38-44

Tuesday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Brocard; French by birth, he went to Mount Carmel; he was elected prior, and asked Albert, the patriarch of Jerusalem, to draw up a rule for the monks; this rule became the foundation of the Carmelite order; Brocard ruled for 35 years, and died in 1231 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/2/25 Gospel: Luke 4:31-37

Monday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Simeon the Stylite, 390-459; he entered a monastery and became a hermit; in 423 he imposed on himself the unusual mortification of living atop a pillar only a few feet in diameter and about ten feet high; one bishop even brought him Holy Communion; Simeon devoted himself to prayer, but also gave exhortations twice daily; he urged his listeners to pray for the salvation of souls Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/1/25 Gospel: Luke 4:16-30

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/31/25 Gospel: Luke 14:1, 7-14

Saturday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Narcisa De Jesus Martillo Moran, 1832-1869; born in Ecuador, orphaned at an early age, she worked as a seamstress; she resolved to consecrate her virginity to Christ and to spend the rest of her life offering prayers and penances to God in expiation for mankind’s sins; she spent eight hours per day in prayer, four hours per night in mortifications, ate a very austere diet, and lived in humble living quarters; she was frequently seen in a state of ecstasy; she died at the age of 37 in Lima, Peru Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/30/25 Gospel: Matthew 25:14-30

Friday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist; the drunken oath of a king with a shallow sense of honor, a seductive dance and the hateful heart of a queen combined to bring about the martyrdom of John the Baptist, who prepared the way of the Lord Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/29/25 Gospel: Mark 6:17-29

Thursday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Augustine of Hippo, 354-430; a Christian at 33, a priest at 36, a bishop at 41; after being immersed in creature comforts, following his conversion, Augustine turned, with a holy fierceness, against the many demon-thrusts rampant in his day; he fulfilled the office of prophet; like Jeremiah and other greats, he was hard-pressed but could not keep quiet Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/28/25 Gospel: Matthew 24:42-51

Wednesday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Monica, 330-387; mother of St. Augustine; she ceaselessly prayed for his conversion, and for him to leave his immoral lifestyle; Augustine was baptized by St. Ambrose in 387; after a brief but severe illness, Monica died in 387 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/27/25 Gospel: Matthew 23:27-32

Tuesday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Zephyrinus; pope from 199 to 217; Roman by birth, succeeded Victor I; his papacy was dominated by the troubles caused by several heretical groups and the severe persecution of the Church; the antipope Hippolytus criticized his vacillation in dealing with the Monarchian heretics; according to tradition, Zephyrinus was martyred in 202 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/26/25 Gospel: Matthew 23:23-26