Optional Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Portugal, 1271-1336; given in marriage to Denis, King of Portugal, at the age of 12; practiced piety and charity; became a peacemaker between royal family members; after being widowed, she retired to a monastery of Poor Clares
Feast of St. Thomas, apostle; known, unfortunately, for his doubt, but also for his faith; believed to have evangelized and preached in India; died 72 A.D.
Optional Memorial of St. Junipero Serra, 1713-1784; born in Mallorca, Spain, joined the Franciscans, and became famous as a preacher; gave it up and followed his desire to convert the Native peoples of the New World; founded missions in San Diego, Monterey/Carmel, San Antonio/San Gabriel, San Luis Obispo, San Francisco and San Juan Capistrano, and San Buenaventura; baptized 5,000; brought the native Americans the gift of faith and a decent standard of living
Optional Memorial of the First Martyrs of the Church of Rome; in 64 A.D., nearly half of Rome was destroyed by fire, likely caused by Nero; Nero blamed the Christians; many Christians were put to death, likely including Peter and Paul
Memorial of St. Irenaeus, 130-202; as bishop of Lyons, he was concerned with the Gnostics, a group of heretical sects claiming to have "secret knowledge" imparted by Jesus to only a few; the work of Irenaeus gradually ended the influence of the Gnostics; declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Francis in 2022
Optional Memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria, 378-444; began his career as bishop of Alexandria with numerous harsh actions; but, he championed the cause of orthodoxy against the Nestorian heresy; Cyril was the pope's representative at the Council of Ephesus in 431, and proclaimed Mary the "God-bearer"; after that, he was deposed and imprisoned for three months, but was then welcomed back to Alexandria
Saint of the Day: St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, 1902-1975; born in Spain, became a priest to make himself available for whatever God desired; in 1928, while on a retreat, he discerned that he 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 now has over 84,000 members in 60 countries
Daybreak™ is a fresh, upbeat approach to morning devotions and prayer. Host Paul Sadek leads you in spiritual reflections and meditations from the daily Mass readings, Morning Prayer, the Holy…
Father’s teachings, writing of the saints, and more.