Optional Memorial of Pope St. John Paul II, 1920-2005; made pastoral visits to 124 countries; promoted ecumenical and interfaith initiatives; encouraged the growth of the Solidarity movement in Poland, and the collapse of communism in central and eastern Europe; began World Youth Day; wrote 14 encyclicals and five books, canonized 482 saints, and beatified 1,338 people
Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/22/21
Saint of the Day: St. Hilarion, 291-371; disciple of St. Anthony the Great, companion of St. Hesychius; stayed with St. Anthony before becoming a hermit; returned to St. Anthony, and fled to Sicily to escape notice; performed so many miracles that people would flock to him when they knew he was in the area; died on Cyprus
Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/21/21
Optional Memorial of St. Paul of the Cross, 1694-1775; born in northern Italy, spent time as a soldier, then turned to solitary prayer, developing a devotion to Christ’s passion; founded the Congregation of the Passion–the Passionists–in 1720, and became its superior general, spending the rest of his life in Rome
Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/20/21
Memorial of Saints Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brebeuf, and companions, the North American martyrs; arrived in Quebec in 1636 to work among the Huron Indians; Isaac Jogues was captured by a Mohawk party, and was tomahawked and beheaded on October 18, 1642; Jean de Brebeuf composed catechisms and a dictionary in Huron, but died in 1649 after four hours of extreme torture
Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/19/21
Optional Memorial of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, 1647-1690; Visitation nun who received revelations from Jesus over 13 months, instructing that his human heart be the symbol of his divine-human love
Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/16/21
Memorial of St. Teresa of Avila, 1515-1582; along with St. John of the Cross, a reformer of the Carmelite order; a woman of prayer, discipline, and compassion; her writings, especially “The Way of Perfection” and “The Interior Castle” have helped generations of believers
Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/15/21
Optional Memorial of Pope St. Callistus I; slave in an imperial Roman household who lost money he was to deposit; was eventually released, and was arrested for brawling in a Jewish synagogue; released, and became superintendent of the Christian cemetery in Rome, still known as the Cemetery of St. Callistus; became an advisor to the pope, and was eventually elected to the office; martyred during a local disturbance in Rome, the first pope–except for Peter–to be recognized as a martyr
Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/14/21
Saint of the Day: St. Edward the Confessor, 1003-1066; sent to Normandy as a youth, when the Danes invaded England; acclaimed King of England in 1042; built St. Peter’s Abbey at Westminster, site of the present Abbey, where he is buried; his piety gained him the surname, “the confessor”
Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/13/21
Gospel: Luke 11:42-46
50 min
About Daybreak
From the publisher's feed
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.