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Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul Saturday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/29/24 Gospel: Matthew 16:13-19

Friday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Irenaeus, 130-202; as bishop of Lyons, he foughts the Gnostics, who claimed "secret" knowledge which Jesus had only revealed to a few; Irenaeus' work gradually ended the influence of the Gnostics; circumstances of his death remain unclear, but he is regarded as a martyr Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/28/24 Gospel: Matthew 8:1-4

Thursday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria, 378-444; began his career as archbishop of Alexandria with impulsive--often violent--actions; but he championed the cause of orthodoxy against the heresy of Nestorius, who taught that in Christ there were two persons, one human and one divine; at the Council of Ephesus in 431, Cyril condemned Nestorianism and proclaimed Mary truly the “God-bearer”—the mother of the one Person who is truly God and truly human Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/27/24 Gospel: Matthew 7:21-29

Wednesday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, 1902-1975; knew, in 1918, that God was asking something of him; ordained a priest in 1925; in 1928, he realized that his mission was to found Opus Dei, an institution within the Catholic Church dedicated to helping people in all walks of life to follow Christ, to seek holiness in their daily life and grow in love for God and their fellow men and women; Opus Dei eventually spread first in Spain, and then in other countries; in 1946, St. Josemaria moved to Rome and worked closely with some the Vatican II council fathers; died suddenly in 1975 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/26/24 Gospel: Matthew 7:15-20

Tuesday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. William of Vercelli, 1085-1142; became a hermit on Monte Vergine, Italy, and attracted so many followers that a monastery was built; in time, the austerity of his rule led to dissension, and to keep peace, he left, and was taken under the care of Roger I of Naples; Roger built him a monastery at Salermo; William founded monasteries throughout Naples, and died at the Guglielmo monastery near Nusco Italy Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/25/24 Gospel: Matthew 7:6, 12-14

Solemnity of the Birth of St. John the Baptist Monday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/24/24 Gospel: Luke 1:57-66, 80

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/23/24 Gospel: Mark 4:35-41

Saturday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of Saints John Fisher, 1469-1535, and Thomas More, 1478-1535; the two great martyrs of England; condemned and executed for essentially the same reasons--refusal to acknowledge the divorce and remarriage of King Henry VIII, and refusal to accept the king as head of the Church in England, which would deny the pope as head Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/22/24 Gospel: Matthew 6:24-34

Friday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Aloyisius Gonzaga, 1568-1591; grew up in royal courts and army camps, but the more that he saw of court life, the more disillusioned he became; his spiritual awakening began at the age of 7; eventually, his father allowed him to renounce his right to succession, and join the Society of Jesus; during the 1591 plague in Rome, Aloysius assisted patients and caught the disease; fever persisted after his recovery, but 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 6/21/24 Gospel: Mark 6:19-23

Thursday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. John of Matera, 1070-1139; longed to become a hermit, and served for a time as a shepherd at a monastery--but his exceptional austerity was so irksome to the less fervent monks, that he had to leave; later, he rebuilt a dilapidated church dedicated to St. Peter; in Bari, he preached with great efficacy; eventually founded a Benedictine monastery of which he was the first abbot Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/20/24 Gospel: Matthew 6:7-15

Wednesday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Romuald, 950-1027; after seeing his father kill a relative in a duel, he fled to a monastery; after three years, he was asked to leave; for thirty years, he founded monasteries and hermitages across Italy; he was falsely accused of a crime, and was excommunicated--an unjust punishment which he endured for six months; in later life, his father became a monk, and was encouraged by his son Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/19/24 Gospel: Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18

Tuesday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St Gregory Barbarigo, 1625-1697; embraced a diplomatic career, but became a priest, and then first bishop of Bergamo; he was later elevated to cardinal and given additional authority over the diocese of Padua; he worked to carry out the reforms set forth by the Council of Trent; through his efforts the seminaries of both Bergamo and Padua were substantially enlarged; at Padua he also added a library and a printing press Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/18/24 Gospel: Matthew 5:43-48

Monday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Nectan of Hartland, 468-510; possibly a native of Wales or Ireland, best known through legends; lived as a hermit in Devonshire, England, founding churches there and in Cornwall, England; beheaded by robbers, and in some traditions was a relative of the chieftain Brychan; much revered during the Middle Ages Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/17/24 Gospel: Matthew 5:38-42

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/16/24 Gospel: Mark 4:26-34

Saturday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Alice, 1220-1250; born near Brussels, and entered a Cistercian convent at a young age; contracted leprosy, and was isolated; her greatest consolation was reception of the Holy Eucharist; known for visions and ecstasies Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/15/24 Gospel: Matthew 5:33-37

Friday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Joseph the Hymnographer, 810-886; the most prolific of the Greek hymn writers; a native of Sicily, he was forced to journey to Thessalonica in 830 because of an invasion by the Arabs; he went to Constantinople, and attempted to travel to Rome, but was captured by pirates; escaping, he founded a monastery in Constantinople; for his defense of the icons, he was sent into exile; Joseph is credited with the composition of about 1,000 canons Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/14/24 Gospel: Matthew 5:27-32

Thursday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua, 1195-1231; Franciscan friar, and dedicated patron of the poor; hoped to preach to the Saracens, but became seriously ill on his way to Morocco, and returned home; taught theology in Italy and Southern France, and ended up in Padua, where he is believed to have founded a Franciscan community; died on his way to Padua, where he is buried; invoked for assistance in finding lost things Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/13/24 Gospel: Matthew 5:20-26

Wednesday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Peter of Mount Athos; first hermit to reside on Mount Athos is northern Greece; according to legend, he was a soldier captured by Muslims, and released through the intervention of St. Simeon; went to Rome, and received the monastic habit directly from the pope; took up residence on Mount Athos, where he remained for half-a-century; died in the Eighth Century Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/12/24

Tuesday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Barnabas; closely associated with Saint 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; Paul and Barnabas were sent to preach to the Gentiles; when Paul wanted to revisit the places they had evangelized, Barnabas wanted to take along his cousin John Mark, author of the Gospel, but Paul insisted that since Mark had deserted them once, he was not fit to take along now; the disagreement that followed was so sharp that Barnabas and Paul separated; later they were reconciled—Paul, Barnabas and Mark Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/11/24 Gospel: Matthew 5:13-16

Monday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Landericus; bishop of Paris in the mid 7th Century; known for his care for the poor and the sick; founded the first true hospital in Paris, dedicated to St. Christopher, which eventually be came the Hotel-Dieu; he welcomed the Benedictines to Paris, and encouraged them to set up the Abbey of Denis; died about 661 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/10/24 Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12