Thursday after Ash Wednesday Saint of the Day: St. Fridolin; Sixth century Benedictine abbot, an Irishman venerated as “the Apostle of the Upper Rhine”; settled in Poitiers, France, and rebuilt the monastery of St. Hilary, destroyed by Vandals; then, he became a hermit on the Rhine, and built the Abbey of Sackingen; he was often called "The Wanderer" because of his many evangelizing journeys in the area; Fridolin died in 540 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/6/25 Gospel: Luke 9:22-25

Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/5/25 Gospel: Matthew 6: 1-6. 16-18

Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Casimir, 1458-1483; lived a disciplined, holy life from his teens; when the people of Hungary asked Casimir's father, the king of Poland, to come and take over their country, Casimir obeyed--but was outnumbered; when his troops started deserting, Casimir decided to return home; his father punished him by confining him for three months, while Casimir returned to study and prayer; Casimir reigned briefly as king of Poland during his father’s absence; he died of lung trouble in 1493, at the age of 25 while visiting Lithuania, of which he was also Grand Duke Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/4/25 Gospel: Mark 10:28-31

Monday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Katharine Drexel, 1858-1955; born in Philadelphia, and grew up in a privileged atmosphere; but when nursing her terminally ill stepmother, her life took a turn; on a trip to Europe, Pope Leo XIII invited her to become a missionary, and she returned to the United States to begin her systematic aid to Indian missions; Mother Drexel and her band of nuns opened a boarding school in Santa Fe; in all, she opened 50 missions for Indians in 16 states; at 72, she suffered a heart attack, and spent almost 20 years of quiet, intense prayer from a small room overlooking the sanctuary Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/3/25 Gospel: Mark 10:17-27

Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/2/25 Gospel: Luke 6:39-45

Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Aubin, aka St. Albinus, 470-550; entered the monastery of Tincillac as a youth, was elected Abbot when he was thirty-five, and was named Bishop of Angers in 529; known for his generosity to the sick and the indigent, widows, and orphans, for his work in ransoming slaves, and for his holiness and the many miracles he is reputed to have performed both during his lifetime and after his death Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 3/1/25 Gospel: Mark 10:13-16

Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Oswald, 925-992; a Dane by birth, St. Oswald studied in the household of his uncle, Archbishop Odo of Fleury, France, where he was ordained; he returned to England in 959, and was made Bishop of Worcester in 962; in 972, he became archbishop of York; for most of his public life, he was associated with St. Dunstan and St. Ethelwold, and the three have been regarded as the saints who restored English monasticism Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/28/25 Gospel: Mark 10:1-12

Thursday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Baldomerus; Seventh Century locksmith until he entered the monastery of St. Justus; he is depicted in liturgical art as carrying blacksmith tools and pincers; he is the patron of locksmiths Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/27/25 Gospel: Mark 9:41-50

Wednesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Isabel of France, 1225-1270; sister of St. Louis, and daughter of King Louis VIII of France; refused offers of marriage to continue her life consecrated to God; she ministered to the sick and the poor, and after the death of her mother, founded the Franciscan Monastery of the Humility of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Paris; she lived there in austerity, but never became a nun and refused to become abbess; she died there in 1270

Tuesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Walburga, 710-779; born in Devonshire, England, the daughter of a West Saxon Chieftain, and sister of Saints Willebald and Winebald; she was educated at Wimborne Monastery in Dorset, where she became a nun; she was later sent to Germany to help St. Boniface in his missionary work; she became Abbess of the double monastery at Heidenheim founded by her brother Winebald; on Winebald's death, she was appointed abbess of both monasteries by her brother Willebald, who was then bishop of Eichstadt; she remained the superior of both the men and women until her death Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/25/25 Gospel: Mark 9:30-37

Monday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Adela; youngest daughter of William the Conqueror; marries Stephen of Blois in 1080; she had an active role in English politics, and was famed for endowing churches and monastic institutions Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/24/25 Gospel: Mark 9:14-29

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/23/25 Gospel: Luke 6:27-38

Feast of the Chair of St. Peter Saturday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/22/25 Gospel: Matthew 16:13-19

Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Peter Damian, 988-1072; became a professor, but left his teaching to devote full-time prayer with the Benedictines; Peter succeeded the abbot, and founded five additional hermitages; Pope Stephen IX made Peter the cardinal-bishop of Ostia; he worked to combat simony, and encouraged his priests to observe celibacy and to live together, observing scheduled times of prayer and religious observance; after retiring as cardinal-bishop, he was still called upon as a papal legate; on one such mission to Ravenna, he developed a fever, and died with his monks surrounding him, praying the Divine Office Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/21/25 Gospel: Mark 8:34-9:1

Thursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Saints of the Day: Saints Jacinta and Francisco Marto; in 1917 three Portuguese children received apparitions of Our Lady near Fatima, Portugal; Mary asked them to learn to read and write, and to pray the rosary for peace and for the end of the war; they were also to pray for sinners and for the conversion of Russia; less than two years later, Francisco died of influenza; Jacinta died of influenza in 1920, offering her suffering for the conversion of sinners, peace in the world, and for the Holy Father; their cousin, Lucia dos Santos, became a Carmelite nun, and died in 2005 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/20/25 Gospel: Mark 8:27-33

Wednesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Barbatus of Benevento, 610-682; born in Italy, ordained in Marcona, and sent to Benevento; in 663, the city was under siege by Emperor Constans II, and Barbatus predicted that the assault would end; when peace came, he was named bishop of Benevento; he attended the council of Constantinople in 680, and died in Benevento Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/19/25 Gospel: Mark 8:22-26

Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Colman of Lindisfarne, 605-675; Irish bishop of Lindisfarne, England; born at Connaught; defended the Celtic ecclesiastical practices, and refused to accept King Oswy's decision on the Roman rites; moved his Irish and English monks to the Isle of Innishboffin, and later moved the English monks to Mayo; praised by Blessed Alcuin and St. Bede Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/18/25 Gospel: Mark 8:14-21

Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of the Seven Founders of the Order of Servites; in 1240, seven noblemen of Florence mutually decided to withdraw from the city to a solitary place for prayer and direct service of God; in 1244, they adopted a religious habit, similar to the Dominican habit, and chose to live under the rule of St. Augustine; they came to the United States from Austria in 1852 and settled in New York and later in Philadelphia; community members combined monastic life and active ministry Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/17/25 Gospel: Mark 8:11-13

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/16/25 Gospel: Luke 6:17, 20-26

Saturday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Jordan; met St. Dominic in Paris in 1220, and became a Dominican; on the death of Dominic in 1222, Jordan was elected second master general of the Dominicans; he expanded the order; he was a powerful preacher; St. Albert the Great became a Dominican after hearing one of Jordan's sermons; Jordan died in a shipwreck in 1227, on his way to the Holy Land Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/15/25 Gospel: Mark 8:1-10

Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Saints Cyril and Methodius; Ninth Century brothers in a part of Greece inhabited by many Slavs; they became missionaries, teachers, and patrons of the Slavic peoples; when the Duke of Moravia requested political independence and ecclesiastical autonomy, it changed the lives of Cyril and Methodius; Cyril invented an alphabet; together they translated the Gospels, the psalter, Paul's letters, and the liturgical books into Slavonic; Cyril and Methodius journeyed to Rome, and saw their Slavonic liturgy approved by Pope Adrian II; Cyril, long an invalid, died in Rome 50 days after taking the monastic habit; Methodius continued mission work for 16 more years; they were named co-patrons of Europe by Pope John Paul II Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/14/25 Gospel: Mark 7:31-37

Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Catherine de Ricci, 1522-1589; born in Florence, Italy; entered the convent of Dominican nuns in Prat, Tuscany, in her fourtheenth year; became novice mistress, and then subprioress; at 25, she became perpetual prioress; she corresponded with St. Philip Neri, and--while yet living--appeared to him in Rome in a miraculous manner; she experienced the "Ecstacy of the Passion" every week for twelve years from Thursday noon to Friday at 4 p.m.; died after a long illness Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/13/25 Gospel: Mark 7:24-30

Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Julian the Hospitaler; killed his noble parents in a case of mistaken identity; he and his wife went to Rome, and received absolution; on returning home, he built an inn and a hospital for the poor, caring for a leper--reputed to be an angel Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/12/25 Gospel: Mark 7:14-23

Tuesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/11/25 Gospel: Mark 7:1-13

Monday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Scholastica, 480-542; twin sister of St. Benedict; founded a religious community for women near Monte Cassino, where Benedict governed; the twins visited each other once per year; on their final visit, Scholastica sensed that he death was near, and asked Benedict to stay until the next morning; he refused, so Scholastica asked God to make it happen--which resulted in a severe thunderstorm; three days later, Benedict, in prayer, saw the soul of his sister rising heavenward Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/10/25 Gospel: Mark 6:53-56

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/9/25 Gospel: Luke 5:1-11

Friday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Luke the Younger; Tenth Century hermit and wonder-worker whose solitary hermitage in Thessaly, Greece, became known as the Soterion, “the place of healing”; he tried to become a religious but was arrested as an escaped slave and imprisoned for a time; he finally became a hermit on Mount Joannitsa. near Corinth; there he was revered for his holiness and miracles, which earned him the surname Thaumaturgus, or "wonder-worker"; he died in 946 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/7/25 Gospel: Mark 6:14-29

Thursday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Paul Miki and companions, the Japanese martyrs; in 1597, 26 martyrs of Japan were crucified on a hill, now known as the Holy Mountain, overlooking Nagasaki; among them were priests, brothers, and laymen, Franciscans, Jesuits, and members of the Secular Franciscan Order; Brother Paul Miki, a Jesuit and a native of Japan, has become the best known among the martyrs of Japan; while hanging upon a cross, Paul Miki preached to the people, forgiving his executioners; when missionaries returned to Japan in the 1860's, they found that thousands of Christians around Nagasaki had secretly preserved the faith Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/6/25 Gospel: Mark 6:7-13

Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Agatha, 230-251; arrested as a Christian in Sicily during the persecution of Decius; she was tortured, and sent to a house of prostitution to be mistreated; she was preserved from being violated, but was put to death; patroness of Palermo and Catania Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/5/25 Gospel: Mark 6:1-6

Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Andrew Corsini, 1302-1373; born in Florence, he was wild in his youth, but converted to a holy life and became a Carmelite monk; he became known in Florence as a prophet and a miracle worker; he was named bishop of Fiesole in 1349, a post which he held for twelve years; he was sent by Pope Urban V to Bologna to settle disputes between nobles and commoners; he died in Fiesole Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/4/25 Gospel: Mark 5:21-43

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