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Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord Eleventh Day of Christmas Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/4/26 Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12

Tenth Day of Christmas Optional Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/3/26 Gospel: John 1:29-34

Ninth Day of Christmas Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen; Fourth Century Doctors of the Church; they studied in Athens, and began to follow a monastic way of life; as Bishop of Caesarea, St. Basil wrote rules for monks and integrated social programs into monasteries; St. Gregory, Bishop of Constantinople, defended the Church against the Arian conspiracies, clarified the divinity of the Holy Spirit, and presided in the Council of Constantinople; they preached fervently, wrote extensively, and are beloved as the Cappadocian Fathers, along with St. Gregory of Nyssa Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/2/26 Gospel: John 1:19-28

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God Eighth Day of Christmas Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/1/26 Gospel: Luke 2:16-21

Seventh Day of Christmas Optional Memorial of Pope St. Sylvester I; only a very strong and wise man could have preserved the essential independence of the Church in the face of the overpowering figure of the Emperor Constantine; in general, the bishops remained loyal to the Holy See, and at times expressed apologies to Sylvester I for undertaking important ecclesiastical projects at the urging of Constantine; Sylvester reigned as pope from 314 to his death in 335 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/31/25 Gospel: John 1:1-18

Sixth Day of Christmas Saint of the Day: St. Egwin of Evesham; a Seventh- and Eighth-Century English noble who became the bishop of Worcester, England, in 692; his clergy found him too strict, so he went to Rome; when he returned, he founded Evesham Monastery, at the prompting of a vision of Mary; . in 709, Egwin returned to Rome, accompanied by King Cenred of Mercia and King Offa of the East Saxons; St. Egwin died in 717 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/30/25 Gospel: Luke 2:36-40

Fifth Day of Christmas Optional Memorial of St. Thomas Becket, 1118-1170; chancellor of England, then archbishop of Canterbury, thanks to his friend, King Henry II; Thomas warned Henry that he might not agree with his intrusions into Church affairs; Henry insisted upon usurping Church rights; Thomas fled to France for safety, for seven years; upon his return to England, he refused to remit the censures of bishops favored by the king; in a rage, Henry cried out, "Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest?"; four knights, taking this as his wish, slew Thomas in the Canterbury cathedral Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/29/25 Gospel: Luke 2:22-35

Feast of the Holy Family Fourth Day of Christmas Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/28/25 Gospel: Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

Feast of St. John, apostle and evangelist Third Day of Christmas Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/27/25 Gospel: John 20:1-8

Feast of St. Stephen, First Christian Martyr Second Day of Christmas Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/26/25 Gospel: Matthew 10:17-22

Solemnity of Christmas Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/25/25 Gospel: Luke 2:1-14

Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent Saint of the Day: St. Adela; Eighth Century disciple of St. Boniface; she was a Frankish princess, the daughter of King Dagobert II and sister of St Irmina; after the death of her husband, she became the foundress of a monastery in France, and died in 735 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/24/25 Gospel: Luke 1:67-79

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent Optional Memorial of St. John of Kanty, 1390-1473; he was ordained a priest and became a professor of theology at the University of Krakow, Poland; he was sent to be a parish priest, but later returned to Krakow to teach scripture for the rest of his life; he was a serious, humble man, known to all of the poor of Krakow for his kindness; he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, hoping to be martyred by the Turks; he made four subsequent pilgrimages to Rome, carrying his luggage on his back; when warned to watch over his health, he remarked that, for all of their austerity, the fathers of the desert lived long lives Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/23/25 Gospel: Luke 1:57-66

Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent Saint of the Day: St. Zeno; martyred soldier at Nicomedia (modern-day Turkey); he was seized and condemned to death for laughing while Emperor Diocletian offered a sacrifice to the Roman god Ceres; Zeno had his jaws shattered and was then beheaded Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/22/25 Gospel: Luke 1:46-56

Fourth Sunday of Advent Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/21/25 Gospel: Matthew 1:18-24

Saturday of the Third Week of Advent Saint of the Day: St. Dominic of Silos, 1000-1073; born in Navarre, Spain; when, as Benedictine abbot, he refused to surrender lands to the crown, he was exiled; he went to King Ferdinand I of Castile and Leon, who made him abbot of St. Sebastian Abbey at Silos, now called St. Dominic’s; one of the most beloved saints in Spain, Dominic also rescued Christian slaves from the Moors; the mother of St. Dominic of Guzman--founder of the Order of Preachers--visited Dominic's shrine, begging for a child; he was also noted for miracles of healing Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/20/25 Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

Friday of the Third Week of Advent Saint of the Day: St. Nemesius; martyred in Alexandria under the persecution of Decius; Nemesius was arrested, scourged, and burned alive; like Christ, he was killed between two criminals Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/19/25 Gospel: Luke 1:5-25

Thursday of the Third Week of Advent Saint of the Day: St. Auxentius; soldier in the Roman army, but refused to take part in sacrifices to pagan gods, and was persecuted for the faith; after his release from military service, he was ordained a priest and became the bishop of Mopsuestia, in Cilicia; he died in 321 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/18/25 Gospel: Matthew 1:18-25

Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent Saint of the Day: St. Wivina, 1103-1170; she was a native of Oisy, Flanders, Belgium; she refused all offers of marriage until the age of 23, when she became a hermitess at GrandBigard, near Brussels; she gathered disciples, and accepted the offer of land from Count Godfrey of Brabant and built a convent over which she served as first abbess Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/17/25 Gospel: Matthew 1:1-17

Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent Saint of the Day: St. Adelaide, 931-999; married Lothair of Italy, and when he died, his successor and usurper, Berengar of Ivrea, tried to force her to marry his son; she escaped to Canossa, and sought the help of Otto of Germany; Otto conquered Italy, married Adelaide, and Pope John XII proclaimed the couple rulers of the Holy Roman Empire; she established many monasteries, and became interested in evangelism; she became regent for her grandson, Otto III, and died at the convent at Seltz, which she had founded Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/16/25 Gospel: Matthew 21:28-32