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Friday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and companions, the Korean martyrs; Andrew was the first native Korean priest; he was arrested and beheaded while trying to arrange water passage for more missionaries; Paul was a lay apostle and married man, also died in 1839 at age 45; along with Andrew and Paul, 98 other Koreans and three French missionaries who were martyred between 1839 and 1867 were canonized by Pope John Paul II Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/20/24 Gospel: Luke 8:1-3

Thursday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Januarius; martyred in Diocletian's persecution of 305; he was thrown to the bears in the amphitheatre, along with his companions, but the bears failed to attack, so they were beheaded; Januarius' blood was taken to Naples, where it liquifies 18 times per year, eluding any natural explanation Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/19/24 Gospel: Luke 7:36-50

Wednesday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Joseph of Cupertino, 1603-1663; born in the kingdom of Naples; joined the Franciscan Friars Minor Conventual; after his ordination to the holy priesthood, he gave himself up entirely to a life of devotion to the Lord and his church; grew so in love with God, that 70 times people saw him levitating in prayer and while celebrating mass; often went into ecstasy, and would be caught up in talking with God; helped many people in the confessional Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/18/24 Gospel: Luke 7:31-35

Tuesday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Robert Bellarmine, 1542-1621; ordained in 1570, and made a cardinal by Pope Clement VIII, saying that “he had not his equal for learning”; became the pope's theologian, and prepared two catechisms; had to deliver a message from the Holy Office to his friend, Galileo, admonishing him not to present theories as proven fact Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/17/24 Gospel: Luke 7:11-17

Monday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Saints Cornelius and Cyprian; Cornelius greatest concern during his two years as pope involved the Sacrament of Penance and the readmission of Christians who had denied their faith during persecution; he held a synod at Rome in 251 and ordered the “relapsed” to be restored to the Church with the usual “medicines of repentance”; his friendship with Cyprian was strained for a time when one of Cyprian’s rivals made accusations about him, but the problem was cleared up; Cornelius died in 253 as a result of the hardships of his exile in what is now Civitavecchia Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/16/24 Gospel: Luke 7:1-10

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/15/24 Gospel: Mark 8:27-35

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Saturday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/14/24 Gospel: John 3:13-17

Friday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. John Chrysostom, bishop and doctor of the church, 349-407; after a dozen years as a priest in Syria, he became archbishop of Contantinople under the cloud of imperial politics; but his zeal led him to decisive action--bishops who bribed their way into office were deposed, and he called for concrete steps to share wealth with the poor; he was accused of gluttony, and there was much gossip about his spiritual direction of the rich widow Olympia; the archbishop of Alexandria and the empress became concerned about John's influence, and he was ultimately exiled, where he died Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/13/24 Gospel: Luke 6:39-42

Thursday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/12/24 Gospel: Luke 6:27-38

Wednesday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Paphnutius; spent several years in the desert under the direction of St. Anthony, then became bishop in the Upper Thebaid; lost his right eye, was hamstrung in one leg, and was sent to work in the mines under Emperor Maximinus; after restoration of peace, Paphnutius returned to his flock; zealous in defending the Catholic faith against the Arian heresy; known for his holiness; he was an outstanding figure of the first General Council of the Church, held at Nicaea in the year 325 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/11/24 Gospel: Luke 6:20-26

Tuesday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Peter Martinez; lived in the Tenth Century; he was a leader of the Spanish Reconquista, a centuries-long series of battles by Christian states to expel the Muslims (Moors), who from the 8th century ruled most of the Iberian Peninsula;  born in Galicia, Spain, he became a Benedictine in about 950; he was appointed abbot of St. Martin of Antealares at Compostela, and he was named archbishop of that see about 986; he is traditionally credited as one of the composers of the Salve Regina Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/10/24 Gospel: Luke 6:12-19

Monday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Peter Claver, 1581-1654; a native of Spain, sailed to the New World in 1610 to be a missionary; settled at Cartegena, a center of slave trade; as soon as a slave ship entered port, he went to the hold and gave the exhausted passengers medicines, food, bread, brandy, lemons, and tobacco; with the help of an interpreter, he gave basic instructions, and assured them of their human dignity and God's love; he instructed and baptized an estimated 300,000 slaves in 40 years; following an illness, he died Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/9/24 Gospel: Luke 6:6-11

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/8/24 Gospel: Mark 7:31-37

Saturday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Cloud, 522-560; grandson of Clovis, king of the Franks; his uncle attempted to assassinate him, but he escaped to Provence, where he put himself under the discipline of St. Severinus; Cloud untiringly instructed the people of the neighboring country, and died at the age of 36 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/7/24 Gospel: Luke 6:1-5

Friday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Eleutherius; lived in the Sixth Century, became abbot of St. Mark's, near Spoleto, and was favored by God with miracles; he once prayed with St. Gregory the Great for his health, and St. Gregory found himself able to participate in the Easter-eve fast; he was reputed to have brought a dead man back to life; he died in St. Andrew's monastery in Rome about the year 585 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/6/24 Gospel: Luke 5:33-39

Thursday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Teresa of Calcutta, 1910-1997; born of Albanian parents; joined the Loreto Sisters of Dublin at age 18; in 1946, she discerned a "call within a call"--to leave the convent and help the poor while living among them; volunteers who helped her became the core of the Missionaries of Charity; for the next four decades, Mother Teresa worked tirelessly on behalf of the poor; she received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/5/24 Gospel: Luke 5:1-11

Wednesday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Rosalia; left her home, and took up abode in a cave "for love of my Lord Jesus Christ"; 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 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/4/24 Gospel: Luke 4: 38-44

Tuesday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Gregory the Great, 540-604; left his position as prefect of Rome, and became a Benedictine monk in his home; ordained a priest, and served as one of the pope's seven deacons; also served as papal representative in Constantinople; elected pope at the age of 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; known for his reform of the liturgy Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/3/24 Gospel: Luke 4:31-37

Monday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time; Labor Day in the United States Saint of the Day: St. Ingrid of Sweden; born in the 13th Century in Sweden, and lived under the spiritual direction of Peter of Dacia, a Dominican priest; she was the first Dominican nun in Sweden and in 1281 she founded the first Dominican cloister there; she died in 1282 surrounded by an aura of sanctity; Swedish bishops introduced her cause for canonization at the Council of Constance; unfortunately, her convent and relics were destroyed in the Reformation Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/2/24 Gospel: Luke 4:16-30

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/1/24 Gospel: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23