Daybreak

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

Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Felix of Nola; lived in the Third Century, born in Nola, near Naples, Italy; on the death of his father, Felix distributed his inheritance to the poor, was ordained by Bishop St. Maximus of Nola, and became his assistant; Maximus fled to the desert at the beginning of persecutions in 250, and Felix was seized and imprisoned in his stead; released by an angel, who directed him to the ailing Maximus, whom he brought back to Nola; Felix spent the rest of his life on a small piece of land sharing what he had with the poor, and died there on January 14, 255 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/14/25 Gospel: Mark 1:21-28

Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Hilary of Poitiers, 315-368; raised a pagan, converted when he found his God of nature in the scriptures; became bishop of Poitiers, France, and took up the battle against Arianism, which denied the divinity of Christ; he was eventually exiled to Phrygia; some semi-Arians invited him to a council, hoping for a reconciliation; but Hilary sought a debate with the heretical bishop who had exiled him; the Arians pleaded with the emperor to "send this troublemaker back home," where Hilary was welcomed by his people Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/13/25 Gospel: Mark 1:14-20

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the final day of the Christmas season Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/12/25 Gospel: Luke 3:15-16, 21-22

Saturday after Epiphany Saint of the Day: St. Palaemon; a third and fourth century Egyptian hermit who is best known for serving as mentor to St. Pachomius; Palaemon and Pachomius organized the hermits of the Egyptian desert into cenobitic communities, laying the groundwork for the development of monasticism; Palaemon died in 325 at Tabennisi, the vast monastic center that sheltered the early Desert Fathers Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/11/25 Gospel: John 3:22-30

Friday after Epiphany Saint of the Day: St. Gregory of Nyssa, 335-394; became bishop of Nyssa in about 371; Arians accused him of mismanagement and deposed him in 376; two years later, he was restored to his see; defended his Christology while on a trip to Jerusalem, even though he was well-known for his Trinitarian theology; attended a synod in Constantinople in 394, and died shortly thereafter Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/10/25 Gospel: Luke 5:12-16

Thursday after Epiphany Saint of the Day: St. Adrian the Abbot, 637-710; born in Africa, and became abbot of the monastery at Nerida, near Naples; turned down an appointment to become Archbishop of Canterbury, but accompanied St. Theodore when he was appointed to the post; Theodore appointed Adrian abbot of Saints Peter and Paul Monastery (later known as St. Augustine's) in Canterbury; under his rule, the monastery became known as a center of learning; Adrian died in Canterbury Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/9/25 Gospel: Luke 4:14-22

Wednesday after Epiphany Saint of the Day: St. Gudula, 646-712; daughter of Count Witger and St. Amalberga; educated by St. Gertrude of Nivelles; lived in the family castle until Gertrude died; dedicated her life to God in 664; known for her great charity; patroness of Brussels, Belgium, and of single laywomen Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/8/25 Gospel: Mark 6:45-52

Tuesday after Epiphany Optional Memorial of St. Raymond of Pennafort, 1175-1275; became a Dominican, and founded the Order of Our Lady of Ransom; went with King James to Majorca to preach; King James, however, was ruled by his passions, and set a bad example; Raymond commanded the king to send the woman away; the king said that he would, but he did not; Saint Raymond spread his cloak upon the water, tied up one corner of it to a stick for a sail, made the Sign of the Cross, stepped onto the cloak, and sailed along for six hours until he reached Barcelona; St. Raymond died at the age of 100 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/7/25 Gospel: Mark 6:34-44

Monday after Epiphany Saint of the Day: St. Peter of Canterbury; a monk in the monastery of St. Andrew's, Rome, and was chosen by Pope St. Gregory the Great to embark with St. Augustine of Canterbury and other monks on the missionary enterprise to England in 596; became the first abbot of the monastery of Saints. Peter and Paul at Canterbury in 602; died by drowning at Ambleteu, near Boulogne while on a mission to France, in 607 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/6/25 Gospel: Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25

Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord Twelfth Day of Christmas Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/5/25 Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12

Eleventh Day of Christmas Memorial of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, 1774-1821; raised Episcopalian, but knew the value of prayer, scripture, and a nightly examination of conscience; married William Magee Seton when she was 19, and bore him five children before he died of tuberculosis; while in Italy with her dying husband, she saw Catholicity in action through friends; she became Catholic because of belief in the Real Presence, devotion to the Blessed mother, and her conviction that the Catholic Church led back to the apostles and to Christ; she opened a school in Baltimore to support her children; over the years, she grew from ordinary goodness to heroic sanctity; she was the first American-born citizen to be canonized a saint Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/4/25 Gospel: John 1:35-42

Tenth Day of Christmas Optional Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/3/25 Gospel: John 1:29-34

Ninth Day of Christmas Memorial of Saints Basil the Great (330-379) and Gregory Nazianzen (329-390); good friends, who met at university; Basil became bishop of Caesarea in 374, and he was called upon to refute the Arian heresy, which held that Jesus was not God; when one town was falling away from the faith, Basil ordained Gregory bishop and sent him there; Basil died at age 49; Gregory resigned from Constantinople because of opposition and spent his last years reading, writing his autobiography, and enjoying his gardens Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/2/25 Gospel: John 1:19-28

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God Eighth Day of Christmas Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/1/25 Gospel: Luke 2:16-21

Seventh Day of Christmas Optional Memorial of Pope St. Sylvester I; became pope in 314 A.D.; preserved the essential independence of the Church in the face of the overpowering figure of the Emperor Constantine; the bishops generally remained loyal to the Holy See, and at times expressed apologies to Sylvester for undertaking important ecclesiastical projects at the urging of Constantine; Sylvester died in 335 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/31/24 Gospel: John 1:1-18

Sixth Day of Christmas Saint of the Day: St. Egwin of Evesham; English noble who became bishop of Worcester, England, in 692. thought by his clergy to be too strict; went to Rome, and on his return founded Evesham Monastery, prompted by a vision of Mary; in 709, Egwin returned to Rome, and died in 717 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/30/24 Gospel: Luke 2:36-40