Commemoration of St. Polycarp, 69-155; bishop of Smyrna, disciple of St. John the Apostle, and friend of St. Ignatius of Antioch; at age 86, he was to be burned alive, but the flames did not harm him, so he was killed with a dagger
Optional Memorial of St. Peter Damian, 988-1072; left a teaching career to become a Benedictine; ultimately became abbot of his community and founded five other hermitages; Pope Stephen IX appointed him cardinal-bishop of Ostia, where he worked to wipe out abuses and encourage the holiness of the clergy; after retiring, he was called to serve as a papal legate; when returning from one such assignment in Ravenna, he was overcome by fever and died
Saints of the Day: Saints Jacinta (1920-1920) and Francisco (1908-1919) Marto; two of the three Portuguese shepherd children who received apparitions of Our Lady near Fatima, Portugal, from May to October of 1917; Mary asked the children to pray the rosary to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war, and for the conversion of Russia, which was soon to fall under communism
Saint of the Day: St. Gertrude Caterina Comensoli, 1847-1903; born in Bienne, Valcamonica, under the kingdom of Lombady-Venetia; founded the Institute of the Sisters Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament; opened a house of huns in 1894
Optional Memorial of the Seven Founders of the Servite Order; in 1240, seven noblemen of Florence withdrew from the city to a solitary place for prayer and direct service of God; they eventually moved to the deserted slopes of Monte Senario; they adopted the name, Servants of Mary, combining monastic life and active ministry
Saint of the Day: St. Onesimus; mentioned by Paul in his letter to Philemon; Onesimus was an escaped slave, baptized by Paul, and sent back to Philemon; Paul urged Philemon to treat him "no longer as a slave, but than a slave, a brother, beloved especially to me, but even more so to you, as a man in the Lord"; died about 68 A.D.
Saint of the Day: St. Claude de la Colombière, 1641-1682; ordained in 1675, and was made superior of a small Jesuit residence in Burgundy, where he met Margaret Mary Alacoque; he served as her confessor for many years while promoting devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus; he was sent to England, and converted a number of Protestants, but was imprisoned and banished
Memorial of Saints Cyril (827-869) and Methodius (818-885); brought Christianity to the Slavic people in their native tongue; translated the liturgy and most books of the Bible into the Slavonic language; to that end, they invented an alphabet, which is today known as "Cyrillic"
Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/14/23
Gospel: Mark 8:14-21
52 min
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