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Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Monday of the Second Week of Advent Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/8/25 Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

Second Sunday of Advent Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/7/25 Gospel: Matthew 3:1-12

Saturday of the First Week of Advent Optional Memorial of St. Nicholas, 270-343; bishop of Myra, a city in Lycia, a province of Asia Minor; legend tells the best-known story about Nicholas concerning his charity toward a poor man who was unable to provide dowries for his three daughters of marriageable age; rather than see them forced into prostitution, Nicholas secretly tossed a bag of gold through the poor man’s window on three separate occasions, thus enabling the daughters to be married; over the centuries, this particular legend evolved into the custom of gift-giving on the saint’s feast; in the English-speaking countries, Saint Nicholas became, by a twist of the tongue, Santa Claus Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/6/25 Gospel: Matthew 9:35-10:1, 5-8

Friday of the First Week of Advent Saint of the Day: St. John the Wonder-Worker; Eighth Century bishop of Polybatum, in Phrygia; he was a defender of sacred images in the face of the ascendancy of the Iconoclasts, which placed him in considerable danger with the Ionoclast Emperor Leo V the Armenian, but he performed so many miracles that the ruler did not dare to persecute him; he died in 750 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/5/25 Gospel: Matthew 9:27-31

Thursday of the First Week of Advent Optional Memorial of St. John Damascene, 676-749; spent most of his life in the Monastery of Saint Sabas near Jerusalem, and all of his life under Muslim rule, indeed protected by it; famous for his writings against the iconoclasts, for his treatise, "Exposition of the Orthodox Faith," and for being one of the two greatest poets of the Eastern Church Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/4/25 Gospel: Matthew 7:21, 24-27

Wednesday of the First Week of Advent Memorial of St. Francis Xavier, 1506-1552; an early member of the Society of Jesus; after his ordination he was appointed apostolic nuncio in the East; he traveled to Goa, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, China, and Japan establishing missionary outposts and converting hundreds of thousands; Pius X named him patron of foreign missions Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/3/25 Gospel: Matthew 15:29-37

Tuesday of the First Week of Advent Saint of the Day: St. Chromatius; a native of Aquileia, Italy, and participated in the Synod of Aquileia that condemned Arianism in 381; seven years later, he became bishop of the see; Chromatius was known and revered as a scholar and was described by St. Jerome as “a most learned and most holy man”; he was also a friend of St. John Chrysostom; Chromatius died in 406 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/2/25 Gospel: Luke 10:21-24

Monday of the First Week of Advent Saint of the Day: St. Edmund Campion, 1540-1581; English convert who became a Jesuit, and preached up to three times per day, riding from town to town on horseback, winning many converts; in 1581 he was captured by Elizabethan authorities, and tortured on a rack before being sentenced to death; in December 1581, he was executed by drawing and quartering at Tyburn, London Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/1/25 Gospel: Matthew 8:5-11

First Sunday of Advent Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/30/25 Gospel: Matthew 24:37-44

Saturday of the 34th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Radbod of Utrecht, 850-917; he was educated by his Uncle Gunther, the bishop of Cologne, Germany, and became bishop of Utrecht, Holland in 900; he distinguished himself for his aid to the poor and for his poetry; he was forced to move his see to France after an invasion by the Danes, and he died there Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/29/25 Gospel: Luke 21:34-36

Friday of the 34th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. James of the Marches, 1391-1476; born in Ancona, studied law, and joined the Franciscans in 1416; he became an effective and forceful preacher; he worked as a missionary in Italy and in Germany, Bohemia, Poland, and Hungary, and in 1426 was named inquisitor against the Fraticelli by Pope St. Martin V; in 1462 he became involved with the Inquisition because of a sermon he preached at Brescia; the case was referred to Rome, and no decision was ever rendered; he died in Naples, where he spent the last three years of his life Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/28/25 Gospel: Luke 21:29-33

Thursday of the 34th Week in Ordinary Time - Thanksgiving Day in the United States Saint of the Day St. James Interecisus; in the Fifth Century, he was a favorite of King Yezdigerd I of Persia, and James was a Christian; but James renounced his faith when the king began a persecution of Christians; when Yezdigerd died, James repented and once again professed Chrstianity; when he refused to apostasize, he was executed by having his body cut apart in pieces--thus, his name, "Intercisus"--cut in pieces--and he was beheaded. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/27/25 Gospel: Luke 17:11-19

Wednesday of the 34th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Leonard of Port Maurice; born in Port Maurice, Italy, and joined the Franciscans of the Strict Observance in 1697; after ordination in 1703, he began preaching through Tuscany in Italy, and attracted huge crowds; he erected almost 600 Stations of the Cross through the lands; in 1744, Leonard was sent by Pope Benedict XIV to preach on Corsica, returning to Rome in 1751 after receiving a summons from the pope; he died at his friary in 1751 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/26/25 Gospel: Luke 21:12-19

Tuesday of the 34th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Catherine of Alexandria; became Christian after receiving a vision; debated 50 pagan philosophers, who became Christian, along with 200 soldiers and members of the emperor's family, and all were martyred; Catherine touched the spiked wheel on which she was to be executed, and it shattered; she was beheaded in about 310 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/25/25 Gospel: Luke 21:5-11

Monday of the 34th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Andrew Dung-Lac and companions, the Vietnamese martyrs; Andrew Dung-Lac, a Catholic convert ordained to the priesthood, was one of 117 people martyred in Vietnam between 1820 and 1862; members of the companions group gave their lives for Christ in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, and received beatification during four different occasions between 1900 and 1951; all were canonized during the papacy of Saint John Paul II Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/24/25 Gospel: Luke 21:1-4

Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe; Christ the King 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/23/25 Gospel: Luke 23:35-43

Saturday of the 33rd Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Cecilia; legend has it that was a young Christian of high rank betrothed to a Roman named Valerian; through her influence, Valerian converted, and was subsequently martyred, along with his brother; Cecilia is reputed to have been struck three times on the neck with a sword, but lived for three days, and asked the pope to convert her home into a church; she died in about 230 A.D.; since the time of the Renaissance she has usually been portrayed with a viola or a small organ; she is the patroness of musicians Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/22/25 Gospel: Luke 20:27-40

Friday of the 33rd Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary; a feast of the Universal Church since the 16th Century; this celebration continues the impact of the feasts of the Immaculate Conception and of the birth of Mary Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/21/25 Gospel: Luke 19:45-48

Thursday of the 33rd Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Edmund Rich, 1175-1240; he studied at Oxford and Paris, and taught art and mathematics, and was ordained; he taught theology for eight years, and became canon and treasurer of the Salisbury Cathedral; he preached a Crusade for Pope Gregoy IX, and was made Archbishop of Canterbury; he resigned his see in 1240, and went to France, where he became a Cistercian; he died at Soissons Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/20/25 Gospel: Luke 19:41-44

Wednesday of the 33rd Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Raphael Kalinowski, 1835-1907; Polish Discalced Carmelite friar; he was a teacher, engineer, prisoner of war, royal tutor, and priest, who founded many monasteries around Poland after the suppression by the Russians Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/19/25 Gospel: Luke 19:11-28

Tuesday of the 33rd Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, 1769-1852; born in Grenoble, France, to a family of the "new rich"; at 19, she entered the convent of the Visitation of Mary; when the French revolution broke out, the convent was closed, and she began taking care of the poor and sick, opened a school for homeless children, and risked her life helping priests in the underground; when the situation cooled, Rose entered the infant Society of the Sacred Heart; but her ambition was to go to America to work with the Indians; she spent 11 weeks at sea en route to New Orleans, and seven weeks more on the Mississippi to St. Louis; the bishop had no place for Rose and her nuns to work with native Americans; he sent her to St. Charles, Missouri; when Rose was 72, a mission was founded at Sugar Creek, Kansas, among the Potawatomi and she was taken along; she was unable to learn their language, but they nicknamed her "Woman-Who-Prays-Always"; she died in 1852, at the age of 83 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/18/25 Gospel: Luke 19:1-10

Monday of the 33rd Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, 1207-1231; at age 14, she married Louis of Thuringia; she led a life of prayer, sacrifice, and service to the poor and sick; her husband died in the Crusades, and his family believed that Elizabeth was squandering the royal purse, and kicked her out of the palace; but she was reinstated when her husband's allies returned home, since her son was the legal heir to the throne; in 1228, Elizabeth joined the Secular Franciscan Order, spending the remaining few years of her life caring for the poor in a hospital which she founded in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi; Elizabeth’s health declined, and she died before her 24th birthday in 1231 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/17/25 Gospel: Luke 18:35-43

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/16/25 Gospel: Luke 21:5-19

Saturday of the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Albert the Great, 1206-1280; German Dominican who decisively influenced the Church’s stance toward Aristotelian philosophy brought to Europe by the spread of Islam; master of St. Thomas Aquinas; over 20 years, he wrote a compendium of all knowledge-- natural science, logic, rhetoric, mathematics, astronomy, ethics, economics, politics, and metaphysics; he is the patron of scientists and philosophers Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/15/25 Gospel: Luke 18:1-8

Friday of the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Lawrence O'Toole, 1128-1180; born at Leinster; he was taken hostage in a raid, and was surrendered to the bishop of Glendalough; he became a monk, and was named Archbishop of Dublin in 1161; he helped negotiate with the English following their invasion of Ireland, and in 1172 convened a synod at Cashel; he also attended the General Lateran Council in Rome in 1179, and was named papal legate to Ireland; he died in Normandy, France, while on a mission to King Henry II of England Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/14/25 Gospel: Luke 17:26-37

Thursday of the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, 1850-1917; made her vows and took the religious habit at the House of Providence Orphanage in Cadogno, Italy; when the orphanage was shut down, she and six nuns went to New York City to serve the Italian immigrants; in 35 years, Frances Xavier Cabrini founded 67 institutions dedicated to caring for the poor, the abandoned, the uneducated and the sick; she died of malaria in her own Columbus Hospital in Chicago in 1917 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/13/25 Gospel: Luke 17:20-25

Wednesday of the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Josaphat, 1580-1623; born in what is now Ukraine, he became a Basilian monk, then a priest, and soon was well known as a preacher and an ascetic; he became bishop of Vitebsk and archbishop of Polotsk; most monks, fearing interference in liturgy and customs, did not want union with Rome; Josaphat went to Vitebsk, where he was martyred, and his body thrown into the river; it was recovered, and is now buried at St. Peter's in Rome; Josaphat is the first saint of the Eastern Church to be canonized by Rome Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/12/25 Gospel: Luke 17:11-19

Tuesday of the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Martin of Tours, 316-397; after discharge from the army, he went to be a disciple of Hilary of Poitiers; Martin became a monk, first living in Milan, and then on an island; he returned to France and established what may have been the first French monastery near Poitiers; the people of Tours wanted Martin to be their bishop; so they invited him on a ruse, to visit a sick person; he was taken to the church and reluctantly allowed himself to be consecrated bishop; as death approached, Martin’s followers begged him not to leave them; he prayed, “Lord, if your people still need me, I do not refuse the work; Your will be done” Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/11/25 Gospel: Luke 17:7-10

Monday of the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Pope St. Leo the Great; elected pope in 440; known as one of the best administrative popes of the ancient Church; it is said of Leo the Great that his true significance rests in his doctrinal insistence on the mysteries of Christ and the Church and in the supernatural charisms of the spiritual life given to humanity in Christ and in his Body, the Church; he died in 461 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/10/25 Gospel: Luke 17:1-6

Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rom 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/9/25 Gospel: John 2:13-22

Friday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Engelbert; son of the count of Berg and became the possessor of many benefices; Engelbert was excommunicated but was restored into union with the Church; he became the archbishop of Cologne in 1217, at the age of thirty; he became tutor to the son of Emperor Frederick II; in 1222 he crowned Henry King of the Romans; Engelbert was slain by his cousin Frederick, whom he had thwarted in an attempt to steal from the nuns of Essen; Engelbert was ambushed at Gevelsberg and murdered on November 7 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/7/25 Gospel: Luke 16:1-8

Thursday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Leonard of Noblac; Sixth Century Hermit-abbot, a convert of St. Remigius; he was a French courtier offered a bishopric, but became a recluse at Micy, France; he then lived at Limoges, France, and he was given land by the royal court on which he founded Noblac Abbey, later called Saint-Leonard; he died in 559 A.D.; he is a patron of Women in labor and prisoners of war Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/6/25 Gospel: Luke 15:1-10

Wednesday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Elizabeth; cousin to the Virgin Mary; her husband, Zechariah, desiring a child, went to pray in the temple, and his prayer was answered; Elizabeth became pregnant shortly after; Mary visited Elizabeth, and the baby leaped in Elizabeth's womb; although Elizabeth's neighbors assumed the child would be named Zechariah, her husband insisted that John be his name, as the angel Gabriel had instructed him; he was, of course, later known as John the Baptist Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/5/25 Gospel: Luke 14:25-33

Tuesday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Charles Borromeo, 1538-1584; ordained a priest at age 25, and was then consecrated archbishop of Milan; he deserves the credit for keeping the Council of Trent in session when at several points it was on the verge of breaking up; when he was finally able to spend time on his diocese, St. Charles found it in much need of reform, accomplished through a provincial council of all bishops under him; during the plague and famine of 1576, St. Charles attempted to feed 60,000 to 70,000 per day; St. Charles Borromeo died in 1584 at the age of 46 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/4/25 Gospel: Luke 14:15-24

Monday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Martin de Porres, 1579-1639; son of a black or indiginous freed woman of Peru and a Spanish Grandee; his parents never married, and Martin bore the appearance of his mother; his father abandoned the family, and Martin grew up in poverty; he became a lay helper for the Dominicans, who eventually asked him to make full religious profession; many of his nights were spent in prayer and penitential practices; his days were filled with nursing the sick and caring for the poor; he was instrumental in founding an orphanage, took care of slaves brought from Africa, and managed the daily alms of the priory; many of his fellow religious took Martin as their spiritual director, but he continued to call himself a “poor slave”; he was a good friend of another Dominican saint of Peru, Rose of Lima Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/3/25 Gospel: Luke 14:12-14

Commemoration of all of the Faithful Departed - All Souls Day 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/2/25 Gospel: John 6:37-40

Solemnity of All Saints Saturday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/1/25 Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12a

Friday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Wolfgang; born in Swabia, Germany; became a Benedictine, and was appointed head of the monastery school; in 972, he was named bishop of Regensburg; he brought the clergy of the diocese into his reforms, restored monasteries, promoted education, preached enthusiastically, and was renowned for his charity and aid to the poor; he also served as tutor to Emperor Henry II while he was still king; St. Wolfgang died near Linz, Austria, in 994 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/31/25 Gospel: Luke 14:1-6

Thursday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Serapion of Antioch; much praised by St. Jerome and Eusebius of Caesarea for his theological writings, and he was considered one of the chief theologians of his era; he became bishop of Antioch, Syria, in 190, and. was revered as a theologian; only fragments of his work have survived; among the extant writings are a letter to the Church of Rhossus forbidding the reading of the non-canonical Gospel of St. Peter and a letter against the heresy of Montanism—which held that its leaders were not just messengers of God, but “possessed” by God; St. Serapion died in 211 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/30/25 Gospel: Luke 13:31-35

Wednesday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Abraham of Rostov; born in Galicia, Russia, and practiced the local pagan religion; when struck with a serious illness, he called on Christ, and was miraculously cured; he became a Christian, was baptized, and became a monk; he went to the city of Rostov, where he began his ministry among the pagan peoples; he built two parish churches as well as a monastery, and many institutions for the poor and suffering; he died in the 11th Century Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/29/25 Gospel: Luke 13:22-30

Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, two of the Twelve Apostles Tuesday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/28/25 Gospel: Luke 6:12-16

Monday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Abraham the Poor; sometimes referred to as "the Child," alluding to his purity and simplicity; born in Egypt, he became a disciple of St. Pachomius, the founder of cenobitic monasticism; he spent almost two decades in a cave near Pachomius' foundations; he died in 372 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/27/25 Gospel: Luke 13:10-17