Daybreak

Fifth Sunday of Easter Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/2/21 Gospel: John 15:1-8

Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker; instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1955, to emphasize the relationship between St. Joseph and the dignity of human work Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/1/21 Gospel: John 14:7-14

Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter Optional Memorial of Pope St. Pius V, 1504-1572; charged with implementing the reforms of the Council of Trent; continued wearing his Dominican habit which led to the custom of the pope wearing a white cassock Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/30/21 Gospel: John 14:1-6

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter Memorial of St. Catherine of Siena, 1347-1380; entered the Dominican Third Order at the age of 18; when the Great Schism began in 1378, Catherine prayed on behalf of the cause of Pope Urban VI and the unity of the Church Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/29/21 Gospel: John 13:16-20

Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Peter Chanel, 1803-1841; achieved limited success evangelizing natives of Futuna Island, northeast of Fiji; within two years after his martyrdom, the entire island had become Catholic; first martyr of Oceania and its patron Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/28/21 Gospel: John 12:44-50

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Zita, 1212-1272; worked most of her life as a housekeeper for a wealthy family, but always made time to go to mass and say prayers; she also visited the sick and those in prison; on her death, people acclaimed her as a saint; patroness of domestic workers Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/27/21 Gospel: John 10:22-30

Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Paschasiu Radbertus, 785-865; Benedictine theologian and abbot; prolific writer, the author of several biblical commentaries Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/26/21 Gospel: John 10:1-10

Fourth Sunday of Easter Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/25/21 Gospel: John 10:11-18

Saturday of the Third Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, 1577-1622; lawyer who became a Franciscan Capuchin monk; as a missionary to Switzerland, he was so successful the he was suspected of being a spy; martyred in a church in Seewis Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/24/21 Gospel: John 6:60-69

Friday of the Third Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. George, 280-303; martyr who suffered at Lydda in Palestine, probably before the time of Constantine; legends of dragon-slaying, rescuing the king’s daughter, and converting Libya are products of a Twelfth Century Italian fable; patron of england, Portugal, Germany, Aragon, Catalonia, Genoa, Milan, and Bologna Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/23/21 Gospel: John 6:52-59

Thursday of the Third Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Tarbula; Fourth Century virgin and martyr, sister of St. Simeon “The Persian,” bishop and martyr; Tarbula was accused of practicing witchcraft and causing the wife of the anti-Christina Persian king to become ill; Tarbula was condemned and put to death in 345 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/22/21 Gospel: John 6:44-51

Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Anselm, bishop and doctor of the Church, 1033-1109; led the monastery of Bec in Normandy; appointed archbishop of Canterbury in 1093, but had disagreements with two kings of England, and went into exile twice Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/21/21 Gospel: John 6:35-40

Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Agnes of Montepulciano, 1268-1317; assisted in the foundation of a new convent in Procena; established a convent in Montepulciano under the Dominican rule, and governed there until her death; noted for her visions; still revered in Tuscany Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/20/21 Gospel: John 6:30-35

Monday of the Third Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Alphege of Canterbury, 954-1012; as bishop of Winchester, England, he was so generous to the poor that no beggars were to be found in his diocese; as archbishop of Canterbury, he offered himself to invading Danes in the place of his own people, and he was placed in a dungeon; freed after an epidemic among the Danes, he was later stoned and axed to death in Greenwich Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/19/21 Gospel: John 6:22-29

Third Sunday of Easter Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/18/21 Gospel: Luke 24:35-48

Saturday of the Second Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Robert of Chaise Dieu, 1000-1067; settled near Brioude, Auvergne, with a former hermit, attracted followers, and built the abbey of Casa Dei Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/17/21 Gospel: John 6:16-21

Friday of the Second Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Bernadette Soubirous, 1844-1879; child of a poor miller in Lourdes, France; received 18 appearances of the Blessed Virgin Mary in a cave above the banks of Gave River; eventually entered the Sisters of Notre Dame of Nevers; died at the age of 35 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/16/21 Gospel: John 6:1-15

Thursday of the Second Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Hunna; Seventh Century noblewoman of Strasbourg who was so caring of the poor that she helped with the washing for her neighbors in need, earning her the title of “The Holy Washerwoman”; she also donated to monasteries and financed construction of churches; died 679 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/15/21 Gospel: John 3:31-36

Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Peter Gonzalez, 1190-1246; Dominican priest who served as chaplain of the Spanish court; after retiring from the court, he devoted the remainder of his life to preaching in northwest Spain Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/14/21 Gospel: John 3:16-21

Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter Optional Memorial of Pope St. Martin I; 7th Century pope who fought the heresy which taught that Christ had no human will; captured and taken to Constantinople, where he was tortured; in ill health, St. Martin died in 655, and is considered a martyr Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/13/21 Gospel: John 3:7-15