Daybreak

Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr; Blaise was a good Fourth Century bishop in Armenia, but was forced to flee to the back country due to persecution; when hunters encountered him and began to carry him off to prison, he was approached by a woman whose son had a fishbone caught in his throat; at Blaise's command, the boy coughed up the bone, leading to the ongoing custom of the blessing of throats on St. Blaise Day; Blaise was eventually beheaded in in 316 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/3/25 Gospel: Mark 5:1-20

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/2/25 Gospel: Luke 2:22-40

Saturday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Brigid of Ireland, 451-525; born into slavery to Brocca--a Christian, who was a slave--and Dubthach, a Leinster chieftain; many stories of Brigid's purity followed her childhood; Dubthach took her to the king of Leinster, intending to sell her, but the king convinced him to set Brigid free, saying, "Her merit, before God, is greater than ours"; Brigid founded a monastery in Kildare, and was reputedly a good friend of St. Patrick; she died of natural causes on February 1, 525 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/1/25 Gospel: Mark 4:35-41

Friday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. John Bosco, 1815-1888; ordained in 1841, and began serving young people; after serving as chaplain in a hospice for working girls, Don Bosco opened the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales for boys; by 1856, the institution had grown to 150 boys and had added a printing press for publication of religious and catechetical pamphlets; with the encouragement of Pope Pius IX, John gathered 17 men and formed the Salesians Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/31/25 Gospel:  Mark 4:26-34

Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Bathidis, 626-680; born in England, enslaved and taken to Neustria in the Frankish kingdom; she became friends with King Clovis III, married him in 649, and bore him three sons; when Clovis died in 657, Bathildis served as regent for Clotaire III; she had founded a Benedictine convent at Chelles, as well as St. Denis Monastery and Corbie; when Clotaire took the throne, Bathildis retired to Chelles, where she died Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/30/25 Gospel: Mark 4:21-25

Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Dallan Forgaill; a Sixth Century kinsman of St. Edan of Ferns, born in Connaught and a great scholar who, through his application to study, became blind.he composed a poem in honor of St. Columba, published after Columba's death, upon which Dallan's sight was restored; murdered by pirates in 598 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/29/25 Gospel: Mark 4:1-20

Tuesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas, 1225-1274; joined the Dominicans in 1243; studied under Albert the Great; held two professorships at Paris, lived at the court of Pope Urban IV, and directed the Dominican schools at Rome and Viterbo; his greatest contribution to the Church is his writings; the Summa Theologiae deals with the whole of Catholic theology; left unfinished, he said, "I cannot go on…. All that I have written seems to me like so much straw compared to what I have seen and what has been revealed to me.” Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/28/25 Gospel: Mark 3:31-35

Monday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Angela de Merici, 1474-1540; born in Italy; joined the Third Order of St. Francis and embraced austerity; in a visionary experience, she felt called to found a “company” of women; at age 60, Angela and 12 other women began the Company of St. Ursula, the first model for a "secular institute"--the women lived in the world, wore no special clothing, and took no vows; Angela died in Brescia in 1540; the Company of St. Ursula was eventually re-organized into the Religious Order of St. Ursula, for the purpose of teaching girls Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/27/25 Gospel: Mark 3:22-30

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/26/25 Gospel: Luke 1:1-4, 4:14-21

Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul Saturday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/25/25 Gospel: Mark 16:15-18

Friday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, 1567-1622; studied law in Padua, and then entered formation for priesthood; after his ordination, he was elected provost of the Diocese of Geneva, then a center for Calvinists; through his preaching and distribution of pamphlets explaining true Catholic doctrine, he was quite successful; at 35, he became bishop of Geneva, continuing to preach, hear confessions, and catechize the children; he collaborated with St. Jane Frances de Chantal, in the work of establishing the Sisters of the Visitation; he is the patron of the Catholic press Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/24/25 Gospel: Mark 3:13-19

Thursday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Marianne Cope, 1838-1918; born in Germany; her family migrated and settled in Utica, New York, in 1840; she entered the Sisters of the Third Order of Saint Francis in Syracuse, New York, in 1862; in 1883, she and six sisters left for Hawaii; in 1888, Mother Marianne and two sisters went to Molokai to open a home for “unprotected women and girls” there; she took charge of the home that Saint Damien de Veuster had established for men and boys; Mother Marianne changed life on Molokai by introducing cleanliness, pride, and fun to the colony; her sisters still work on Molokai Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/23/25 Gospel: Mark 3:7-12

Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Vincent the Deacon; born at Huesca, Spain, he became a deacon and served St, Valerius at Saragossa until their martyrdom; St. Valerius was exiled, but Vincent was tortured because he would not surrender the holy books. he converted the warden of the prison and then died, in 304. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/22/25 Gospel: Mark 3:1-6

Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Agnes, virgin and martyr; reputed to be a beautiful girl, desired by many men for marriage; one whom she refused reported her to authorities as a Christian, and she was arrested, and confined to a house of prostitution; according to legend, a man who looked at her lustfully lost his sight, but it was restored through Agnes' prayers; she was condemned, executed, and buried in about 258 in a catacomb near Rome which was eventually named after her; the daughter of Constantine built a basilica in her honor Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/21/25 Gospel: Mark 2:23-28

Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Fabian, 200-250; a Roman layman who came to the city as preparations were being made for the election of a new pope; a dove settled on Fabian's head, that was taken as a sign, and he was elected unanimously; he led the church for 14 years, and died in the persecution of Decius in 250; St. Cyprian wrote that Fabian was an "incomparable" man whose glory in death matched the holiness and purity of his life Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/20/25 Gospel: Mark 2:18-22

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/19/25 Gospel: John 2:1-11

Saturday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Margaret of Hungary, 1242-1271; daughter of King Bela IV; became a Dominican novice at the age of 12 in a royal convent on an island in the Danube; she was a princess among nuns of nobility, but insisted upon no special treatment; she performed menial tasks, and served the poor and most advanced hospital cases; she died of fatigue on January 18, 1271 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/18/25 Gospel: Mark 2:13-17

Friday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Anthony the Abbot, 251-356; at the age of 20, he gave up his large inheritance to the poor, and embraced the eremetical life; he gave the Church and the world the witness of solitary asceticism, great personal mortification and prayer; he also drew many people to himself for spiritual healing and guidance; at 54, he founded a monastery of scattered cells; at 60, he hoped to be a martyr in the renewed persecution of 311; at 88, he fought the Arian heresy; he died in solitude at the age of 105 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/17/25 Gospel: Mark 2:1-12

Thursday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Joseph Vaz, 1651-1711; a Catholic Oratorian Priest from Goa, sent to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) during the Dutch occupation, when Calvinism was the official religion; he brought the eucharist and other sacraments to clandestine Catholics in the region; he later found shelter in the Kandyan kingdom, where he was able to work freely; by the time of his death, he was able to rebuild the Catholic church on the island Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/16/25 Gospel: Mark 1:40-45

Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Paul the Hermit, 229-342; went to the desert at the age of 22, and found the eremetical life was much to his personal taste; he lived in a desert cave for the rest of his long life; his contemplation was "disturbed" by St. Anthony, who visited the aged Paul; Anthony also buried Paul in a cloak which he had received from St. Athanasius Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/15/25 Gospel: Mark 1:29-39