Daybreak

Thursday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, 1902-1975; born in Barbastro, Spain, the second of six children of Jose and Dolores Escriva; in 1915, he observed the fresh footprints in the snow of a barefoot monk, and wondered what God wanted of him; in 1928, as a priest, he solved the mystery, seeing holiness all around him, and founded Opus Dei; Monsignor Escriva died at the age of 73 in 1975 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/26/25 Gospel: Matthew 7:21-29

Wednesday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. William of Vercelli, 1085-1142; became a hermit on Monte Vergine, Italy after a pilgrimage to Compostella and attracted so many followers that a monastery was buillt; by 1119 his followers were united in the Benedictine congregation; but William's rule was so austere that it caused dissension; to keep peace, he left, and was taken under the protection of Roger I of Naples, who built a monastery for him; William founded monasteries throughout Naples, and died near Nusco, Italy Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/25/25 Gospel: Matthew 7:15-20

Solemnity of the Birth of St. John the Baptist Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/24/25 Gospel: Luke 1:57-66, 80

Monday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Joseph Cafasso, 1811-1860; crippled throughout his life; ordained in 1833; became professor of moral theology at the ecclesiastical college in Turin in 1836, and was superior of the college from 1846 to 1860; renowned confessor; friend and advisor to St. John Bosco; ministered to condemned prisoners; since many were hanged immediately after confession and absolution, Joseph referred to them as "hanged saints"; Joseph died in Turin Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/23/25 Gospel: Matthew 7:1-5

Solemnity of Corpus Christi - The Body and Blood of Christ Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/22/25 Gospel: Luke 9:11-17

Saturday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, 1568-1591; entered the Jesuit novitiate, and spent four years studying philosophy with his advisor, St. Robert Bellarmine; in 1591, a plague struck Rome, and Aloysius contracted it from nursing patients; he maintained his great discipline of prayer, knowing that he would die three months later within the octave of Corpus Christi, at the age of 23 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/21/25 Gospel: Matthew 6:24-34

Friday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. John of Pulsano, 1070-1139; born in Naples, and entered the Benedictines, but was disliked for his austerity; joined the community of St. William of Vercelli for a time, leaving to breach at Ban; lived as a hermit in Sicily, and was imprisoned; he escaped, and went to Capua; he later founded a monastery at Pulsano; famous for his lpreaching, prophecy, and miracles Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/20/25 Gospel: Matthew 6:19-23

Thursday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Romuald, 950-1027; witnessed his father kill a relative in a duel, and fled to a monastery; the monks found him "uncomfortably holy" and eased him out; tried to preach in Hungary, but was taken ill when he arrived, and the illness returned whenever he tried to proceed; at a monastery where he stayed, he was accused of a scandalous crime by a nobleman, which the monks accepted, and excommunicated Romuald, forbidding him to celebrate mass, an unjust punishment which he served for six months; Romuald's father became a monk, and when he wavered, Romuald's encouragement helped him Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/19/25 Gospel: Matthew 6:7-15

Wednesday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Gregory Barbarigo, 1625-1697; from a distinguished Venetian family; he embraced a diplomatic career, and later was ordained a priest, and then bishop of Bergamo; he became a cardinal and was also given authority over the diocese of Padua; he guided his flock with wisdom and understanding, and carried out the reforms of the Council of Trent; under his leadership, seminaries at Padua and Bergamo were enlarged, and he added a library and printing press at Padua Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/18/25 Gospel: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Tuesday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Teresa of Portugal, 1178-1250; daughter of royal parents; married her cousin, King Alfonso IX of Leon, and bore him several children, but the marriage was declared invalid due to consanguinity; she returned to Portugal and founded a monastery, accomodating 300 nuns, and she lived there; in about 1231, at the request of Alfonso's second wife and widow, Berengaria, she settled a dispute among their children over the succession of the throne of Leon; she returned to Lorvao and became a nun Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/17/25 Gospel: Matthew 5:43-48

Monday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Luthgard, 1182-1246; born in Belgium, and was placed in the Benedictine convent at the age of 12; a vision of Christ compelled her to become a Benedictine; she had many mystical experiences, levitated, and had a form of the stigmata; to avoid being made abbess, she joined the Cistercians; she was known for her spiritual wisdom and miracles; she was blind during the last eleven years of her life. Luthgard is revered as a leading mystic of the Thirteenth Century Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/26/25 Gospel: Matthew 5:38-42

Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/15/25 Gospel: John 16:12-15

Saturday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Joseph the Hymnographer, 810-886; the most prolific of the Greek hymn writers; born in Sicily, he left in 830 to escape an invasion by the Arabs; he went to Thessalonica, and then to Constantinople, and left in 841 to escape the iconoclast persecution; returning to Constantinople, he founded a monastery; for his defense of the icons, he was sent into exile; Joseph is credited with the composition of about one thousand canons Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/14/25 Gospel: Matthew 5:33-37

Friday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua, 1195-1231; joined the Augustinians at a young age, and then the Franciscans; he became recognized as a great man of prayer and a great Scripture and theology scholar, Anthony became the first friar to teach theology to the other friars; soon, he was called to preach to the Albigensians in France; after leading the friars in northern Italy for three years, he made Padua his headquarters;in the spring of 1231 Anthony withdrew to a friary at Camposampiero where he had a sort of treehouse built as a hermitage; he fell ill on June 13, 1231, and died at Padua Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/13/25 Gospel: Matthew 5:27-32

Thursday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Peter of Mount Athos; the first hermit to reside on the famous Mount Athos in Greece; legend has it that he was a soldier, captured by Muslims, and held until released through the intervention of St. Simeon; he went to Rome, and is believed to have received the monastic habit directly from the pope; he was graced with a vision from Our Lady, and traveled to Mount Athos, where he took up residence as a hermt, and remained for nearly half-a-century; died in the Eighth Century Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/12/25 Gospel: Matthew 5:20-26

Wednesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Barnabas; he was closely associated with St. Paul; he introduced Paul to Peter and the other apostles—and served as a kind of mediator between the former persecutor and the still suspicious Jewish Christians; Barnabas and Paul instructed in Antioch for a year, after which they took relief contributions to Jerusalem; later, they were sent by Antioch officials to preach to the Gentiles; but they were expelled from one town, they had to go to Jerusalem to clear up the ever-recurring controversy about circumcision; Paul and Barnabas separated over a disagreement about Barnabas' cousin, John Mark, joining them after he had once deserted them Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/11/25 Gospel: Matthew 5:17-19

Tuesday of the Tenth Week of Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Landericus; as bishop of Paris from 650 to 661, he worked zealously to improve the lot of the poor; he sold his own possessions to feed the hungry during a famine, and even sold some of the Church vessels and furniture; he erected the city's first real hospital; he welcomed the Benedictines into his diocese, and encouraged them to set up the Abbey of Denis; he died about 661 after having commissioned the monk Marculfus to compile a collection of Ecclesiastical Formulas Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/10/25 Gospel: Matthew 5:13-16

Monday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/9/25 Gospel: John 19:25-34

Solemnity of Pentecost Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/8/25 Gospel: John 20:19-23

Saturday of the Seventh Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Willibald, 700-786; brother of Saints Winebald and Walburga, and related through his mother to St. Boniface; went on a pilgrimage to Rome and Jerusalem, and was captured by Saracens who thought him a spy; he was eventually released and continued on to all of the holy places and then to Constantinople; When he returned to Rome he spent ten years at Monte Cassino, serving as sacristan, dean, and porter; Pope St. Gregory III sent him to Germany to assist his cousin St. Boniface; Boniface ordained him in 741 and soon appointed him bishop of Eichstatt, in Franconia; he founded a double monastery at Heidenheim, naming Winebald abbot and his sister Walburga abbess; Willibald served as bishop for some four decades Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/7/25 Gospel: John 21:20-25