Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226; serious illness brought him to a conversion; he heeded the Lord's call, "Francis, go out and build up my house, for it is nearly falling down"; he never intended to found an order, but once it began he protected it and accepted all legal strructures needed to support it; his devotion an loyalty to the Church were absolute; received the stigmata two years before his death
Saint of the Day: St. Theodora Guerin, 1798-1856; born in France; joined the Sisters of Prividence in 1823; she was sent, with five sisters, to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, in 1840, to form a new religious congeregation, and care for the sick poor; she and her community persevered despite fires, crop failures, prejudice against Catholic women religious, misunderstandings, and separation from their original congregation
Memorial of St. Therese of Lisieux, 1873-1897; the "Little Flower" lived a cloistered life of obscurity in the convent of Lisieux; her preference was for "hidden sacrifice," saying that "to pick up a pin for love can convert a soul"; her autobiography, "The Story of a Soul," is read and loved throughout the world
Memorial of St. Jerome, 345-420; avid student, thorough scholar, prodigious letter-writer, and consultant to monk, bishop, and pope; translated the Bible into what became known as the Vulgate; traveled extensively in Palestine, and settled in Bethlehem, in what was believed to be the cave of the Lord's nativity, where he died
Optional Memorial of St. Wenceslaus, 907-935; born near Prague, the son of Duke Wratislaw, who was murdered; after a coup in 922, Wenceslaus became the ruler; after Wenceslaus had a son, his brother Boleslaus was no longer successor to the throne, so he and a group of dissenters murdered Wenceslaus
Memorial of St. Vincent de Pau, 1580-1660; became leader of what is now known as the Congreagation of Mission, or the Vincentians, who devote themselves to people in smaller towns and villages; eventually formed confraternities, from which sprang the Daughters of Charity; patron of all charitable societies
Optional Memorial of Saints Cosmas and Damian; Third Century brothers skilled in the science of medicine; took no money for their services; captured as Christians during the persecution of Diocletian, tortured, and martyred; the patrons of pharmacists
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.