Daybreak

Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter Memorial of St. Charles Lwanga and companions; Charles is the patron of youth and Catholic action in most of tropical Africa; he and his companions were martyred by the Bagandan ruler, Mwanga, for refusing his immoral sexual advances; Charles was burned to death on June 3, 1886 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/3/25 Gospel: John 17:1-11a

Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter Optional Memorial of Saints Marcellinus and Peter; Marcellinus was a priest, and Peter was an exorcist; they were beheaded in the persecution of Diocletian in 304 A.D.; Pope Damasus wrote an epitaph apparently based on the report of their executioner, and Constantine erected a basilica over the crypt in which they were buried in Rome Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/2/25 Gospel: John 16:29-33

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord (in many areas) Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/1/25 Gospel: Luke 24:46-53

Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/31/25 Gospel: Luke 1:39-56

Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Joan of Arc, 1412-1431; born southeast of Paris, Joan was only twelve when she heard the voices of Saints Michael the Archangel, Catherine of Alexandria, and Margaret of Antioch; during the Hundred Years War, Joan led French troops against the English and recaptured the cities of Orléans and Troyes; Joan was captured near Compiegne, and accused of heresy and witchcraft; in the end, she was condemned for wearing men's clothes, and was burned at the stake; a second Church trial 25 years later nullified the verdict, which was reached under political pressure Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/30/25 Gospel: John 16:20-23

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord (for some dioceses) Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/29/25 Gospel: Luke 24:46:53

Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Bernard of Montjoux, 923-1008; born in Italy, became a priest, and was made vicar general of Aosta, and spent more than four decades doing missionary work in the Alps; he built schools and hospices, but is best remembered for the hospices he built to aid lost travelers; Bernard is the patron of mountaineers, skiiers, and the Alps Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/28/25 Gospel: John 16:12-15

Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury; left Rome in 596 to evangelize the Anglo-Saxons in England; King Ethelbert welcomed him kindly, set up a residence for Augustine and his monks in Canterbury, and was, himself, baptized on Pentecost Sunday, 597; Augustine was consecrated a bishop in France, and returned to Canterbury, where he built a church and monastery near the present site of the cathedral; he is the "Apostle of England" Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/27/25 Gospel: John 16:5-11

Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter Memorial of St. Philip Neri, 1515-1595; moved to Rome at a young age, to devote his life to God; he spent 13 years engaged in prayer and apostolate; laypeople gathered around him, and they met as an informal prayer and discussion group, and also served poor people in Rome; at the urging of his confessor, Philip was ordained a priest and soon became an outstanding confessor himself, gifted with the knack of piercing the pretenses and illusions of others, though always in a charitable manner and often with a joke; some of Philip's followers became priests and lived in community, the beginning of the Oratory; Philip's characteristic virtues were humility and gaiety; he died after suffering a hemorrhage on the feast of Corpus Christi, 1595 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/26/25 Gospel: John 15:26-16:4a

Sixth Sunday of Easter Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/25/25 Gospel: John 14:23-29

Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Joanna; wife of Chuza, steward of King Herod Antipas; she was one of the women who helped provide for Jesus and the apostles; she was also one of the three women who discovered the empty tomb of Jesus on the first Easter morning Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/24/25 Gospel: John 16:20-23

Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Crispin of Viterbo, 1668-1750; born in Viterbo, Italy, studied, at the Jesuit college, and became a shoemaker; joined the Capuchin Franciscans at the age of 25, and served as gardener and cook; he called himself "the little beast of burden of the Capuchins"; during an epidemic, he effected many miraculous cures; he was also venerated for prophecies and spiritual wisdom Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/23/25 Gospel: John 15:12-17

Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Rita of Cascia, 1381-1457; born in central Italy, and wanted to become a nun, but was pressured into marrying a harsh and cruel man; she bore and raised two sons; after her husband was killed in a brawl and her sons died, she became an Augustinian nun; her austerity, prayerfulness, and charity became legendary; she frequently meditated on Christ's passion; along with St. Jude, she acquired the reputation as being a saint of impossible cases Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/22/25 Gospel: John 15:9-11

Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Christopher Magallanes (1869-1927) and companions; they lived under a very anti-Catholic government in Mexico, one determined to weaken the Catholic faith of its people; churches, schools, and seminaries were closed; foreign clergy were expelled; Cristópher established a clandestine seminary; he and the other priests were forced to minister secretly to Catholics; they were martyred over 22 years in eight Mexican states Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/21/25 Gospel: John 15:1-8

Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Bernardine of Siena, 1380-1444; ran the hospital in Siena at the age of 20, during the plague; at 22, he became a Franciscan, and was ordained two years later; lived in solitude and prayer for a dozen years, but his gifts called him to go out and preach; he was known for his devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus, and devised a symbol—IHS, the first three letters of the name of Jesus in Greek—in Gothic letters on a blazing sun; the devotion spread; as general of the Friars of the Strict Observance, he emphasized scholarship and further study of theology and canon law; he died while traveling Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/20/25 Gospel: John 14:27-31

Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Pudentiana; legend has her as the daughter of the Roman senator named in St. Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy who gave away her wealth to the poor, aided the burials of Christians, and died at the age of sixteen Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/19/25 Gospel: John 14:21-26

Fifth Sunday of Easter Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/18/25 Gospel: John 13:31-35

Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Simon Stock; brought the Carmelite order from the Holy Land to Europe, and changed it from a hermit order to one of mendicant friars; received an apparition from the Blessed Mother in 1251, in which she gave him the brown scapular Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/16/25 Gospel: John 14:1-6

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Isidore the Famer, 1070-1130; born in Madrid, Spain, and spent most of life as a laborer on a farm outside of the city; he was favored with celestial visions, and it is said that angels sometimes assisted with his field work; he the patron of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference in the United States Office of Readings and Morning Prayer Gospel: John 13:16-20

Feast of St. Matthias; after the Ascension, Matthias was chosen to replace Judas in the college of Apostles Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/14/25 Gospel: John 15:9-17

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/13/25 Gospel: John 10:22-30

Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Pancras; born at the end of the Third Century, and brought up by an uncle; they both became Christians; Pancras, age 14, was beheaded in the persecution of Diocletian; he is highly venerated in England Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/12/25 Gospel: John 10:1-10

Fourth Sunday of Easter - Good Shepherd Sunday Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/11/25 Gospel: John 10:27-30

Saturday of the Third Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Damien de Veuster of Molokai, 1840-1889; joined the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and was assigned to the Hawaiian Islands; in 1873, he went to the government's leper colony on Molokai, and volunteered to remain permanently, caring for the people’s physical, medical, and spiritual needs; Damien contracted Hansen's disease--i.e., leprosy--himself, and died of its complications Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/10/25 Gospel: John 6:60-69

Friday of the Third Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Beatus of Lungern; monk and hermit, the apostle of Switzerland; baptized in England by St. Barnabas, ordained by St. Peter, he went to Switzerland; he lived and died on Mount Beatenburg above Lake Thun Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/9/25 Gospel: John 6:52-59

Thursday of the Third Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Desideratus; brother of Desiderius and Deodatus; as courtier in the court of King Clotaire, he fought heresy and simony; in 541, he became bishop of Bourges; he attended several councils that condemned Nestorianism and Eutychianism; Desideratus was reputed to have performed miracles and was known for his peace making abilities; he died in 550 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/8/25 Gospel: John 6:44-51

Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. John of Beverly; became a monk at Whitby, and was then named bishop of Hexham in 687; he was transferred to York in 705 as metropolitan; John was known for his holiness, his preference for the contemplative life, and his miracles, many of which are recounted in Bede's Ecclesiastical History, the author of which he had ordained; he retired to Beverly Abbey, which he had founded, in 717, and remained there until his death in 721 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/7/25 Gospel: John 6:35-40

Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Petronax, 670-747; became a Benedictine in Brescia in 717, and was asked by Pope St. Gregory to visit the ruins of Monte Cassino, which had been damaged by the Lombards in 580; Petronax visited St. Benedict's tomb, and then gathered the hermits who occupied the old abbey, and began to rebuild; he was elected abbot, and ruled Monte Cassino for three decades; Petronax is often called the "second founder of Monte Cassino" Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/6/25 Gospel: John 6:30-35

Monday of the Third Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Hilary of Arles, 400-449; born in Lorraine, and joined Honoratus at Lerins Abbey; Honoroatus became bishop of Arles, and when he died in 429, Hilary succeeded him; Hilary was known for his austerities, his aid to the poor, and for ransoming captives; two disagreements with Pope Leo the Great ended in reconciliation; Hilary's sanctity brought him great veneration Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/5/25 Gospel: John 6:22-29

Third Sunday of Easter Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/4/25 Gospel: John 21:1-19

Feast of Saints Philip and James, apostles Saturday of the Second Week of Easter Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/3/25 Gospel: John 14:6-14

Friday of the Second Week of Easter Memorial of St. Athanasius, 296-373; became a theological advisor to the Council of Nicaea while still in his late 20's; an ardent opponent of Arianism and defender of the divinity of the Son of Man; wrote many works on the Incarnation and the Trinity as well as The Life of Anthony, which helped define and foster both monastic living and the writing of saints’ lives Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/2/25 Gospel: John 6:1-15

Thursday of the Second Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker; instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1955 to foster devotion to St. Joseph, and in response to the celebrations for workers sponsored by Communists Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/1/25 Gospel: John 3:31-36

Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter Optional Memorial of Pope St. Pius V, 1504-1572; as pope, he had the task of implementing the reforms of the Council of Trent; he ordered the founding of seminaries, published a new missal. a new breviary, and a new catechism, and established the Confraternity of Christian doctrine classes for the young; he continued to wear his Dominican habit, which led to the custom of the pope wearing a white cassock Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/30/25 Gospel: John 3:16-21

Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter Memorial of St. Catherine of Siena, 1347-1380; entered the Dominican Third Order at age 18, and spent the next three years in seclusion, prayer, and austerity; a group of followers developed; Catherine's letters began to take more note of public affairs, as she worked tirelessly for the crusade against the Turks and for peace between Florence and the pope; the Great Schism began in 1378, and Catherine spent the last two years of her life in Rome, in prayer and pleading on behalf of the cause of Pope Urban VI and the unity of the Church Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/29/25 Gospel: John 3:7b-15

Monday in the Second Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Peter Chanel, 1803-1841; born in France; as a young priest, he revived a parish simply by showing great devotion to the sick; joined the Marists at the age of 28, and taught seminary for five years; he then traveled to West Oceana; on the island of Futuna, northeast of Fiji, the accompanying bishop said he would be back in six months, but didn't return for five years; Peter baptized a few natives, and instructed a few more; when the chieftain's son sought baptism, Peter was clubbed to death; in two years, the entire island had become Catholic, and remains so Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/28/25 Gospel: John 3:1-8

Second Sunday of Easter - Divine Mercy Sunday Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/27/25 Gospel: John 20:19-31

Saturday in the Octave of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Cletus; the third bishop of Rome, succeeding St. Linus; Cletus reigned as pope from 76 to 89 A.D.; he is styled as a martyr; he was buried near St. Linus, on the Vatican, and his relics remain in that church Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/26/25 Gospel: Mark 16:9-15

Feast of St. Mark Friday in the Octave of Easter Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/25/25 Gospel: John 21:1-14

Thursday in the Octave of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, 1577-1622; born in Germany; he was a practicing lawyer, traveling across Europe as a tutor to aristocrats but then started defending the poor; in 1612, he became a Franciscan Capuchin monk; his mission to Swtzerland was so successful that some Protestants believed him to be a spy for the Austrian emperor; he was stabbed to death in a church id Seewis Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/24/25 Gospel: Luke 24:35-48

Wednesday in the Octave of Easter Saint of the Day: St. George, 280-303; a martyr who suffered at Lydda in Palestine, probably before the time of Constantine; however, the story of George’s slaying the dragon, rescuing the king’s daughter, and converting Libya is a 12th-century Italian fable; George was a favorite patron saint of crusaders Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/23/25 Gospel: Luke 24:13-35

Tuesday in the Octave of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Tarbula; Fourth-Century virgin and martyr, the sister of St. Simeon, the Persian bishop and martyr; she was a consecrated virgin, and met her own martyrdom soon after the death of her brother; accused of practicing witchcraft and of causing sickness to befall the wife of the ardently anti-Christian Persian king Shapur, she was condemned and executed by being sawed in half Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/22/25 Gospel: John 20:11-18