Daybreak

Tuesday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Agrippina; came from a good Roman family in the Third Century; she was caught up in the persecutions instituted by Emperor Valerian or Diocletian and was beheaded or scourged in 262; her body was taken to Mineo, Sicily, by three devout Christian women; the gravesite became a popular pilgrimage destination, noted for miracles through Agrippina's intercession Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/23/26 Gospel: Matthew 7:6, 12-14

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/21/26 Gospel: Matthew 10:26-33

Friday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Romuald, 951-1027; Shocked by witnessing his father win a duel, Saint Romuald fled to a local abbey and entered religious life; he traveled through Italy reforming monasteries and eventually founded the Camaldolese Order; as Saint Peter Damian described, Saint Romuald’s goal was to, “…turn the whole world into a hermitage, and make all the multitude of the people associates of the monastic order” Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/19/26 Gospel: Matthew 6:19-23

Wednesday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Hypatius of Bithynia, 366-450; born in Phrygia, and became a monk; went to Thrace and became a hermit; then went to Constantinople and Chalcedon; Hypatius is credited with halting a revival of the Olympic games because of their pagan origins; he was known for miracles and prophecies Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/17/26 Gospel: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Monday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Adelaide; Thirteenth Century contemplative and miracle worker, born in Belgium, and placed in a convent at the age of seven; she was beloved by the nuns because of her humility and goodness, but they found that she had contracted leprosy, and had to be isolated for health reasons; she received many graces, including visions and ecstasies and many miracles were credited to her intercession; going blind and becoming paralyzed, Adelaide died on June 11, 1250 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/15/26 Gospel: Matthew 5:38-42

Saturday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/13/26 Gospel: Matthew 6:19-23

Thursday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Barnabas; a Levite; not one of the Twelve, but referred to as an "apostle" by St. Luke; he was a friend to St. Paul, and brought him before the apostles, when he was seeking to redeem his reputation; Barnabas and Paul went to Antioch, where they taught Christians for a year; afterwards, Barnabas traveled through Asia Minor and was a respected missionary and advisor Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/11/26 Gospel: Matthew 5:20-26

Tuesday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Ephrem, 306-373; poet, teacher, orator, and defender of the faith, Saint Ephrem is the only Syriac Christian recognized as a doctor of the Church; he had a prolific pen; although he was not a man of great scholarship, his works reflect deep insight and knowledge of the Scriptures; he wrote hymns against the heretics of his day; he would take the popular songs of the heretical groups and using their melodies, compose beautiful hymns embodying orthodox doctrine; he lived in a small cave overlooking the city of Edessa; it was here that he died around 373 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/9/26 Gospel: Matthew 5:13-16

Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/7/26 Gospel: John 6:51-58

Friday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Boniface, 680-754; sent by Pope Gregory to consolidate the missions in Germany; he became a bishop, and later papal legate. at almost 80, he resigned his positions and retired to Frisia as a missionary, where he was martyred while reading a book Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/5/26 Gospel: Mark 12:35-37

Wednesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Charles Lwanga and companions; Charles was born in 1860, and he became a page in the royal court of Mwanga, the king of the Baganda in the south of what is now Uganda; the king was hostile to Christians, and when Joseph Mkasa, master of the pages and a Catholic, tried to protect the young pages, he was beheaded; Charles was appointed to succeed him; the king demanded that all remaining pages renounce their Christian faith, and when they refused, they were burned to death in 1886 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/3/26 Gospel: Mark 12:18-27

Monday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Justin; Second Century martyr and apologist; he came to believe God’s message was embodied in Christian teachings and his conversion account describes that Christian moral beauty and truth brought him to Christ; his writings are well-respected to this day and include such works as A Discourse to the Greeks, On the Soul, and The First and Second Apology, addressed to the Roman Senate Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 6/1/26 Gospel: Mark 12:1-12

Saturday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Joan of Arc, 1412-1431; successfully lifted the siege of Orléans — a victory military historians still puzzle over — and led Prince Charles VII to his coronation; she was captured by the Burgundians in 1430, sold to the English, and was convicted of heresy; she was burned at the stake; 25 years later, at a re-trial, she was declared innocent on every count Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/30/26 Gospel: Mark 11:27-33