Saint of the Day: St. Otto of Bamberg, 1060-1139; born in Swabia, served Emperor Henry IV in various posts; Otto was appointed bishop of Bamberg in 1103; he was a figure in the reconciliation of the pope and Emperor Henry V; headed a mission to Pomerania, and made numerous converts among the local inhabitants; known as the Apostle of Pomerania
Optional Memorial of St. Junipero Serra, 1713-1784; born on Spain’s island of Mallorca, and joined the Franciscans; set out to convert native peoples in the New World; worked in central Mexico and the Baja Peninsula, and then traveled 900 miles north to set his first mission, San Diego; other missions followed; Junipero’s missionary life was a long battle with cold and hunger, with unsympathetic military commanders and even with danger of death from non-Christian native peoples--but he baptized over 6,000 people and confirmed 5,000; he gave the Native Americans the faith and a decent standard of living
Memorial of St. Irenaeus, 130-202; as bishop of Lyons, he foughts the Gnostics, who claimed "secret" knowledge which Jesus had only revealed to a few; Irenaeus' work gradually ended the influence of the Gnostics; circumstances of his death remain unclear, but he is regarded as a martyr
Optional Memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria, 378-444; began his career as archbishop of Alexandria with impulsive--often violent--actions; but he championed the cause of orthodoxy against the heresy of Nestorius, who taught that in Christ there were two persons, one human and one divine; at the Council of Ephesus in 431, Cyril condemned Nestorianism and proclaimed Mary truly the “God-bearer”—the mother of the one Person who is truly God and truly human
Saint of the Day: St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, 1902-1975; knew, in 1918, that God was asking something of him; ordained a priest in 1925; in 1928, he realized that his mission 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 eventually spread first in Spain, and then in other countries; in 1946, St. Josemaria moved to Rome and worked closely with some the Vatican II council fathers; died suddenly in 1975
Saint of the Day: St. William of Vercelli, 1085-1142; became a hermit on Monte Vergine, Italy, and attracted so many followers that a monastery was built; in time, the austerity of his rule led to dissension, and to keep peace, he left, and was taken under the care of Roger I of Naples; Roger built him a monastery at Salermo; William founded monasteries throughout Naples, and died at the Guglielmo monastery near Nusco Italy
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.