Saints of the year

Mary, the Holy Mother of God

On the octave day of Christmas the Church honours Mary as Mother of God, the title defended by the Council of Ephesus in 431. Because her Son is one divine Person, true God and true man, the woman who bore Him is rightly called Theotokos, the God-bearer. The new year begins under her care, with a prayer for peace.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, on this solemnity we honour you as the mother of our Saviour. Pray for us, that we may hear the word of God and keep it as you did, and bring us safely to your Son. Amen.

Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen

Basil (died 379) and Gregory (died about 390) were friends from their student days in Athens and became bishops in Cappadocia. Together they defended the divinity of Christ and of the Holy Spirit against the Arians. Basil wrote a rule for monks that still shapes Eastern monastic life, and Gregory's sermons on the Trinity earned him the title "the Theologian". Both are Doctors of the Church.

O God, You filled Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen with wisdom to teach Your people. By their prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

The Most Holy Name of Jesus

The angel told Joseph to call the Child Jesus, "for he shall save his people from their sins" (Matt 1:21). St Bernardine of Siena and the Franciscans spread devotion to the Holy Name in the fifteenth century, often showing it as the monogram IHS. Saint Paul teaches that at this name every knee should bow.

Lord Jesus Christ, as we keep this feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, open our eyes to Your glory and our hearts to Your love. Make us faithful to You in all things, who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

Angela of Foligno

Angela was born in Foligno, Italy, around 1248 and lived a worldly life until a conversion in her late thirties. After the deaths of her husband and children she became a Franciscan tertiary and gave herself to prayer and service of the poor. Her account of her mystical experiences, dictated to a friar, was widely read, and she died on 4 January 1309.

Lord God, You made St Angela of Foligno holy in the ordinary paths of life. By her prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

United States

Elizabeth Ann Seton

Elizabeth Bayley was born in New York in 1774, married William Seton and was left a widow with five children. She became a Catholic in 1805, opened a school in Baltimore, and founded the Sisters of Charity at Emmitsburg, Maryland. She helped lay the foundations of Catholic schooling in America, died in 1821, and in 1975 became the first saint born in the United States.

Lord God, You made St Elizabeth Ann Seton holy in the ordinary paths of life. By her prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Simeon Stylites

Simeon was a Syrian shepherd boy who became a monk and sought ever greater solitude and penance. Around 423 he began living on top of a pillar near Antioch, where he stayed for more than thirty years. Crowds came to him for advice, and he preached daily, settled disputes and urged justice for the poor until his death in 459.

Lord God, You called St Simeon Stylites to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

United States

John Neumann

John Neumann was born in Bohemia in 1811 and came to New York, where he was ordained in 1836. He joined the Redemptorists and in 1852 became Bishop of Philadelphia, where he built many churches and organised the first diocesan system of Catholic schools in the country. He died suddenly in the street in 1860 and was canonised in 1977.

Lord God, You gave St John Neumann to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

The Epiphany of the Lord

The Epiphany celebrates Christ shown to the nations in the Magi who followed the star and worshipped Him with gold, frankincense and myrrh. The feast also recalls His baptism in the Jordan and the first sign at Cana. In the United States, England and Wales, Scotland and Canada it is kept on the Sunday between 2 and 8 January.

Lord Jesus Christ, as we keep this feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, open our eyes to Your glory and our hearts to Your love. Make us faithful to You in all things, who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

Raymond of Penyafort

Raymond was born near Barcelona around 1175 and taught law before joining the Dominicans. At the request of Pope Gregory IX he gathered the Church's laws into the Decretals, the standard collection for centuries. He served as Master General of his order and lived to nearly a hundred, dying in 1275.

Lord God, You called St Raymond of Penyafort to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Canada

André Bessette

Alfred Bessette was born in Quebec in 1845 and, frail and barely able to read, was accepted as a brother of the Congregation of Holy Cross. For forty years he was porter at a college in Montreal, where he welcomed the sick and urged them to pray to St Joseph. Many cures were reported, and he built the oratory that became St Joseph's Oratory on Mount Royal. He died in 1937 and was canonised in 2010.

Lord God, You called St André Bessette to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Severinus of Noricum

Severinus was a monk who arrived in Noricum, on the Danube in modern Austria, around 450, as the Roman frontier collapsed. He founded monasteries, organised relief for refugees and ransomed captives, and was respected even by barbarian chiefs. He died on 8 January 482, and his life was written by his disciple Eugippius.

Lord God, You called St Severinus of Noricum to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Adrian of Canterbury

Adrian was an African-born abbot near Naples whom Pope Vitalian sent to England in 668 with Archbishop Theodore. As abbot of St Peter and St Paul at Canterbury he made its school a great centre of learning in Latin, Greek and Scripture. He taught there for almost forty years and died around 710.

Lord God, You called St Adrian of Canterbury to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Gregory of Nyssa

Gregory, the younger brother of St Basil, became Bishop of Nyssa in Cappadocia around 372. He was a profound theologian who defended the Nicene faith at the Council of Constantinople in 381 and wrote on prayer, the soul and the spiritual life. He died around 395 and is honoured in the East as a Father of Fathers.

Lord God, You gave St Gregory of Nyssa to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Theodosius the Cenobiarch

Theodosius was born in Cappadocia around 423 and went to the Holy Land as a pilgrim. He founded a large monastery near Bethlehem where monks of several languages lived together, with hospitals for the sick, the old and the poor. He stood firm for the Council of Chalcedon and died in 529 at a great age.

Lord God, You called St Theodosius the Cenobiarch to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Aelred of Rievaulx

Aelred was born in Hexham around 1110 and served at the court of King David I of Scotland before becoming a Cistercian monk at Rievaulx in Yorkshire. As abbot he led one of the largest monasteries in England with gentleness and good sense. His books, especially Spiritual Friendship, earned him the name "the Bernard of the North", and he died in 1167.

Lord God, You called St Aelred of Rievaulx to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Canada

Marguerite Bourgeoys

Marguerite Bourgeoys was born in Troyes, France, in 1620 and came to Ville-Marie, now Montreal, in 1653. She opened the colony's first school in a stone stable and founded the Congregation of Notre Dame, an uncloistered community of teaching sisters. She cared for settlers, girls sent from France and Indigenous children, died in 1700, and was canonised in 1982.

Lord God, You drew St Marguerite Bourgeoys to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Hilary of Poitiers

Hilary was a married convert who became Bishop of Poitiers around 350. For defending the divinity of Christ he was exiled to Phrygia, where he wrote his great work On the Trinity. He returned to Gaul to restore the faith, died around 368, and was named a Doctor of the Church in 1851.

O God, You filled St Hilary of Poitiers with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

Scotland

Kentigern (Mungo)

Kentigern, also known by his pet name Mungo, was a missionary bishop of the sixth century in the British kingdom of Strathclyde. Tradition makes him the founder of the church at Glasgow, where his tomb lies in the cathedral crypt. He died around 612 and is the patron of Glasgow.

Lord God, You gave St Kentigern (Mungo) to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Felix of Nola

Felix was a priest of Nola, near Naples, who suffered imprisonment and torture in a third-century persecution. Afterwards he refused high office, farmed a small plot and gave what he had to the poor. His tomb became a great place of pilgrimage, and St Paulinus of Nola wrote poems in his honour.

Lord God, You called St Felix of Nola to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Paul the First Hermit

According to St Jerome, Paul fled into the Egyptian desert as a young man during the persecution of Decius, about 250. He lived alone in prayer for about ninety years, and St Anthony visited him shortly before his death. Jerome's life of Paul made him a model for all hermits.

Lord God, You called St Paul the First Hermit to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Marcellus I

Marcellus became Bishop of Rome around 308, just after the persecution of Diocletian. He reorganised the Church in the city and insisted that those who had lapsed in the persecution do penance before readmission. The resulting unrest led the emperor Maxentius to exile him, and he died soon after.

Lord God, You gave St Marcellus I to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Anthony, Abbot

Anthony was born in Egypt around 251, and after hearing the Gospel "go sell what thou hast" he gave away his inheritance and went into the desert. Disciples gathered round him, and he is honoured as the father of monks. St Athanasius wrote his life, which inspired many, including St Augustine, and Anthony died in 356 aged about 105.

Lord God, You called St Anthony to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Margaret of Hungary

Margaret, daughter of King Béla IV of Hungary, was born in 1242 and offered to God by her parents in thanksgiving for the country's deliverance from the Mongols. She lived as a Dominican nun on an island in the Danube, refusing proposals of marriage from kings. She chose the humblest work, cared for the sick and practised severe penance, dying in 1270; she was canonised in 1943.

Lord God, You drew St Margaret of Hungary to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Wulstan

Wulstan was a monk of Worcester who became its bishop in 1062. He was the only English bishop to keep his see long after the Norman Conquest, known for pastoral care and simple holiness. He preached against the slave trade from Bristol and helped end it, rebuilt his cathedral and died in 1095.

Lord God, You gave St Wulstan to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Fabian and Sebastian

Fabian was elected Bishop of Rome in 236, reportedly after a dove settled on his head, and he was martyred under Decius in 250. Sebastian was a Roman martyr of the early fourth century buried on the Appian Way. Later tradition made him a soldier shot with arrows, and he was long invoked against plague.

Almighty God, You gave Saints Fabian and Sebastian the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By their prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Agnes

Agnes was a young girl of Rome martyred around 304, probably at the age of twelve or thirteen. She refused marriage, consecrated her virginity to Christ and faced death bravely. St Ambrose and Pope Damasus praised her, and her name is in the Roman Canon of the Mass.

Almighty God, You gave St Agnes the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By her prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Vincent of Saragossa

Vincent was a deacon of Saragossa in Spain who served Bishop Valerius by preaching for him. In the persecution of Diocletian he was arrested at Valencia and tortured cruelly but would not hand over the sacred books or renounce Christ. He died in prison around 304 and was honoured across the Church; St Augustine preached on his feast. In the United States this saint's memorial is kept on 23 January.

Almighty God, You gave St Vincent of Saragossa the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

United States

Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children

The bishops of the United States keep this day of prayer and penance on the anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Catholics pray for the full restoration of the legal protection of human life before birth. It is also a day to pray for mothers and fathers, and for healing for all who have been involved in abortion.

Lord God, on this day we bring before You our nation and all its people. Give us hearts that love what is just and true, and protect the life and dignity of every person. Amen.

John the Almsgiver

John was a widower from Cyprus who became Patriarch of Alexandria around 610. He called the poor "my masters", gave away the Church's wealth to them, and welcomed refugees from the Persian invasion of Palestine. He died in Cyprus around 620.

Lord God, You gave St John the Almsgiver to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

United States

Vincent of Saragossa

Vincent was a deacon of Saragossa who preached for his bishop and was arrested at Valencia in the persecution of Diocletian. Tortured cruelly, he would not renounce Christ or hand over the sacred books. He died in prison around 304; in the United States his memorial is kept today.

Almighty God, You gave St Vincent of Saragossa the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

United States

Marianne Cope

Barbara Koob was born in Germany in 1838 and grew up in Utica, New York, becoming a Franciscan sister in Syracuse. As Mother Marianne she ran hospitals and in 1883 led sisters to Hawaii to care for people with leprosy. She cared for St Damien in his last illness, ran the settlement on Molokai for thirty years, died there in 1918 and was canonised in 2012.

Lord God, You drew St Marianne Cope to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Francis de Sales

Francis was born in Savoy in 1567, studied law and became a priest and then Bishop of Geneva. He won back many people to the Church by patient preaching and pamphlets, and taught that holiness is for every state of life in his Introduction to the Devout Life. With St Jane Frances de Chantal he founded the Visitation nuns, died in 1622, and is a Doctor of the Church and patron of writers.

O God, You filled St Francis de Sales with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

The Conversion of St Paul

Saul of Tarsus was a zealous Pharisee who persecuted the Church until the risen Christ appeared to him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). Blinded and then healed and baptised, he became the Apostle of the Gentiles. This feast celebrates God's grace turning an enemy into a great missionary.

Lord Jesus Christ, as we keep this feast of the Conversion of St Paul, open our eyes to Your glory and our hearts to Your love. Make us faithful to You in all things, who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

Timothy and Titus

Timothy and Titus were companions of St Paul, who wrote three letters of the New Testament to them. Paul left Timothy to lead the Church at Ephesus and Titus to organise the Church in Crete. Tradition holds that Timothy was martyred and Titus died in old age.

Lord God, You gave Saints Timothy and Titus to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By their prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Angela Merici

Angela was born at Desenzano on Lake Garda around 1474 and became a Franciscan tertiary. Seeing the need to teach girls the faith, she founded in 1535 the Company of St Ursula, the first teaching order of women. She died at Brescia in 1540.

Lord God, You drew St Angela Merici to give her whole life to You. By his prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Thomas Aquinas

Thomas was born near Aquino around 1225 and joined the Dominicans against his family's wishes. A student of St Albert the Great, he taught at Paris and in Italy and wrote the Summa Theologiae, uniting faith and reason. He also wrote the hymns for Corpus Christi, died in 1274, and is called the Angelic Doctor.

O God, You filled St Thomas Aquinas with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

Gildas the Wise

Gildas was a British monk of the sixth century, born probably in the north of Britain. He wrote On the Ruin of Britain, a fierce call to repentance addressed to the kings and clergy of his time and an important source for the period. Tradition says he founded a monastery at Rhuys in Brittany, where he died around 570.

Lord God, You called St Gildas the Wise to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Hyacintha Mariscotti

Hyacintha was born near Viterbo in 1585 and entered a Franciscan convent after being passed over for marriage, at first living there in comfort and vanity. After a serious illness she was converted, gave up her luxuries and took up a life of penance. She founded confraternities to care for the sick, the old and the poor, died in 1640 and was canonised in 1807.

Lord God, You drew St Hyacintha Mariscotti to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

John Bosco

John Bosco was born near Turin in 1815 to a poor farming family. As a priest he gathered homeless and working boys, giving them schooling, trades and faith through kindness rather than punishment. He founded the Salesians and, with St Mary Mazzarello, the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, and died in 1888.

Lord God, You called St John Bosco to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Brigid of Kildare

Brigid is, with Patrick and Columba, one of the patrons of Ireland. Around 480 she founded a double monastery at Kildare, which became a great centre of learning and hospitality. Her early lives are full of stories of her generosity to the poor, and she died around 525.

Lord God, You drew St Brigid of Kildare to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

The Presentation of the Lord

Forty days after Christmas, Mary and Joseph brought the Child Jesus to the Temple, where Simeon greeted Him as "a light to the revelation of the Gentiles" (Luke 2:32). Candles are blessed on this day, so it is also called Candlemas. Simeon's song, the Nunc Dimittis, is sung each night at Compline.

Lord Jesus Christ, as we keep this feast of the Presentation of the Lord, open our eyes to Your glory and our hearts to Your love. Make us faithful to You in all things, who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

Blaise

Blaise was Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia and was martyred in the early fourth century. A tradition tells that he saved a boy choking on a fish bone. On his feast throats are blessed with two crossed candles, asking his protection against illness of the throat.

Almighty God, You gave St Blaise the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Ansgar

Ansgar was born near Amiens in 801 and became a monk at Corbie and then at Corvey in Saxony. In 826 he went to Denmark with the newly baptised King Harald, and around 829 he preached in Sweden at Birka. He was made the first Archbishop of Hamburg, and after the Vikings burned the city in 845 he governed the Church from Bremen. Called the Apostle of the North, he died at Bremen in 865.

Lord God, You gave St Ansgar to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Gilbert of Sempringham

Gilbert was the son of a Norman knight, born around 1083 in Lincolnshire, and served as parish priest of Sempringham. He founded the Gilbertines, the only religious order begun in medieval England, for nuns, lay sisters, canons and lay brothers. He lived to be about 106, dying in 1189, and was canonised in 1202.

Lord God, You called St Gilbert of Sempringham to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Agatha

Agatha was a young Christian woman of Sicily martyred at Catania, probably in the persecution of Decius around 251. She had consecrated herself to God and refused the advances of a Roman official. She is named in the Roman Canon and is patron of Catania.

Almighty God, You gave St Agatha the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By her prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Paul Miki and Companions

Paul Miki was a Japanese Jesuit and a gifted preacher. On 5 February 1597 he was crucified at Nagasaki with twenty-five companions, including priests, catechists and boys. From the cross Paul forgave his persecutors, and the martyrs were canonised in 1862.

Almighty God, You gave Saints Paul Miki and Companions the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By their prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Giles Mary of St Joseph

Francesco Pontillo was born near Taranto in 1729 and became a Franciscan lay brother of the Alcantarine reform. For more than fifty years he served as cook and porter in Naples, begging alms for the friary and caring for the sick and poor. People called him the consoler of Naples, and he died on 7 February 1812 and was canonised in 1996.

Lord God, You called St Giles Mary of St Joseph to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Jerome Emiliani and Josephine Bakhita

Jerome Emiliani was a Venetian soldier who was converted while a prisoner of war, and founded the Somascan Fathers to care for orphans; he died in 1537 while nursing plague victims. Josephine Bakhita was born in Darfur around 1869 and kidnapped and sold into slavery as a child. Freed in Italy, she was baptised and became a Canossian sister, known for her gentleness, and died in 1947.

Lord God, You called Saints Jerome Emiliani and Josephine Bakhita to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By their prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Apollonia

Apollonia was an elderly virgin of Alexandria killed by a mob in 249. Her persecutors broke out her teeth and threatened to burn her alive unless she denied Christ. She walked freely into the fire, and she is invoked against toothache.

Almighty God, You gave St Apollonia the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By her prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Scholastica

Scholastica was the twin sister of St Benedict and led a community of women near his monastery at Monte Cassino. St Gregory the Great records that at their last meeting she prayed for a storm so that her brother would stay and talk of heaven. She died three days later, around 543, and Benedict buried her in his own tomb.

Lord God, You drew St Scholastica to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Our Lady of Lourdes

In 1858 the Virgin Mary appeared eighteen times to Bernadette Soubirous, a poor girl of fourteen, at the grotto of Massabielle near Lourdes. She asked for prayer and penance and called herself "the Immaculate Conception". Lourdes became one of the world's great shrines, and this day is also the World Day of the Sick.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, as we keep the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us, that we may hear the word of God and keep it as you did, and bring us safely to your Son. Amen.

Eulalia of Barcelona

Eulalia is honoured as a young girl martyred at Barcelona in the persecution of Diocletian, early in the fourth century. Barcelona has venerated her since ancient times, and her relics rest in the crypt of its cathedral. She is co-patron of the city.

Almighty God, You gave St Eulalia of Barcelona the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By her prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Catherine de' Ricci

Catherine was born in Florence in 1522 and entered the Dominican convent at Prato, where she became prioress. She was known for her deep devotion to the Passion of Christ and for wise counsel sought by many, including future saints. She died in 1590 and was canonised in 1746.

Lord God, You drew St Catherine de' Ricci to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Cyril and Methodius

Cyril and Methodius were brothers from Thessalonica who went to preach to the Slavs of Moravia in 863. They created an alphabet for the Slavonic language and translated the Scriptures and the liturgy. Cyril died in Rome in 869 and Methodius, made archbishop, in 885; they are co-patrons of Europe.

Lord God, You gave Saints Cyril and Methodius to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By their prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Claude de la Colombière

Claude was a French Jesuit born in 1641. As superior at Paray-le-Monial he became the spiritual director of St Margaret Mary Alacoque and helped spread devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He was imprisoned in England during the Popish Plot, died in France in 1682 and was canonised in 1992.

Lord God, You called St Claude de la Colombière to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Juliana of Nicomedia

Juliana was a young woman martyred at Nicomedia in Asia Minor in the persecution of Diocletian, early in the fourth century. She refused to marry a pagan official unless he became a Christian. Her cult spread widely in the Middle Ages.

Almighty God, You gave St Juliana of Nicomedia the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By her prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

The Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order

In the 1230s seven wealthy men of Florence left their businesses to live together in prayer and penance. They settled on Monte Senario and founded the Order of Servants of Mary, devoted especially to Our Lady of Sorrows. They were canonised together in 1888.

Lord God, You called the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By their prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Simeon of Jerusalem

Simeon was a relative of the Lord who, according to the historian Eusebius, succeeded St James as Bishop of Jerusalem. He led the Church there through the Roman war and the fall of the city in 70. He was crucified under the emperor Trajan at a very great age, around 107.

Almighty God, You gave St Simeon of Jerusalem the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Conrad of Piacenza

Conrad was a nobleman of Piacenza whose hunting party accidentally started a fire around 1315. When an innocent man was condemned for it, Conrad confessed and paid for the damage, losing his fortune. He and his wife then gave themselves to God, and he lived as a Franciscan hermit in Sicily until his death in 1351.

Lord God, You called St Conrad of Piacenza to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Francisco and Jacinta Marto

Francisco and Jacinta Marto, with their cousin Lúcia, saw the Virgin Mary at Fatima, Portugal, six times in 1917. They took to heart her call to prayer and penance for sinners, especially through the Rosary. Both died young in the influenza epidemic, Francisco in 1919 and Jacinta in 1920, and they were canonised in 2017.

Lord God, You made Saints Francisco and Jacinta Marto holy in the ordinary paths of life. By their prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Peter Damian

Peter Damian was born in Ravenna in 1007 and, after teaching, became a monk at Fonte Avellana. Made a cardinal, he worked tirelessly to reform the clergy and served as a papal envoy. He died in 1072 and was named a Doctor of the Church in 1828.

O God, You filled St Peter Damian with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

The Chair of St Peter

This feast honours the authority Christ gave to Peter as the rock on which He built His Church (Matt 16:18). The chair is a symbol of the teaching office of Peter and his successors, the Bishops of Rome. It is a day to pray for the Pope.

Lord Jesus Christ, as we keep this feast of the Chair of St Peter, open our eyes to Your glory and our hearts to Your love. Make us faithful to You in all things, who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

Polycarp

Polycarp was Bishop of Smyrna and, according to St Irenaeus, a disciple of St John the Apostle. When told to curse Christ he answered, "Eighty-six years have I served Him, and He has done me no wrong." He was burned at the stake around 155, and the account of his martyrdom is one of the oldest we have.

Almighty God, You gave St Polycarp the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Ethelbert of Kent

Ethelbert was King of Kent when St Augustine of Canterbury arrived from Rome in 597. His wife Bertha was already a Christian, and he was baptised and gave the missionaries a home at Canterbury. He issued the earliest English law code and died in 616.

Lord God, You made St Ethelbert of Kent holy in the ordinary paths of life. By his prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Walburga

Walburga was an English nun of Wimborne who went to Germany around 748 to help her kinsman St Boniface. She became abbess of the double monastery at Heidenheim, which her brothers had founded. She died in 779, and her relics rest at Eichstätt.

Lord God, You drew St Walburga to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Porphyry of Gaza

Porphyry was a monk from Thessalonica who lived in Egypt and Palestine before becoming Bishop of Gaza in 395. He worked to bring the largely pagan city to the faith and built a great church there. He died in 420.

Lord God, You gave St Porphyry of Gaza to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Gregory of Narek

Gregory was an Armenian monk who lived at the monastery of Narek around 950 to 1003. His Book of Lamentations, a long series of prayers spoken from the depths of the heart to God, is treasured in Armenia. Pope Francis named him a Doctor of the Church in 2015.

O God, You filled St Gregory of Narek with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

Romanus and Lupicinus

Romanus and Lupicinus were brothers who became hermits in the Jura mountains around 435. Disciples gathered, and they founded the monasteries of Condat and Leuconne, Romanus gentle and Lupicinus strict. Romanus died around 460 and Lupicinus around 480.

Lord God, You called Saints Romanus and Lupicinus to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By their prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Oswald of Worcester

Oswald was a Danish-descended Englishman who became a monk at Fleury in France and returned to England. Made Bishop of Worcester in 961 and later Archbishop of York, he worked with St Dunstan to renew monastic life, founding Ramsey Abbey. He died on 29 February 992 while washing the feet of the poor.

Lord God, You gave St Oswald of Worcester to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

David of Wales

David was a sixth-century Welsh bishop and monk who founded a monastery at Mynyw, now St Davids, in Pembrokeshire. His monks lived a strict life of work, study and prayer, drinking only water. His last words, as recorded, were "Be joyful, keep the faith, and do the little things." He is patron of Wales.

Lord God, You gave St David of Wales to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Chad

Chad was an Anglo-Saxon pupil of St Aidan at Lindisfarne and brother of St Cedd. He became Bishop of the Mercians, with his see at Lichfield, and travelled on foot to preach until St Theodore made him ride a horse. He died of plague in 672, and Bede praises his humility.

Lord God, You gave St Chad to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Cunegund

Cunegund was the wife of St Henry II, the German king and Holy Roman Emperor. She shared in his care for the Church and founded the convent of Kaufungen. After Henry's death in 1024 she entered it as a nun, living humbly until her death in 1033.

Lord God, You made St Cunegund holy in the ordinary paths of life. By her prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

United States

Katharine Drexel

Katharine Drexel was born to a wealthy Philadelphia family in 1858. At the urging of Pope Leo XIII she became a missionary herself, founding the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Native American and Black Americans. She spent her fortune on schools, including Xavier University of Louisiana, died in 1955 and was canonised in 2000.

Lord God, You drew St Katharine Drexel to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Casimir

Casimir was a son of King Casimir IV of Poland, born in 1458. He lived a life of prayer and purity at court, cared for the poor and loved the Virgin Mary deeply. He died of tuberculosis in 1484 aged 25 and is patron of Poland and Lithuania.

Lord God, You made St Casimir holy in the ordinary paths of life. By his prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

John Joseph of the Cross

Carlo Gaetano Calosirto was born on the island of Ischia in 1654 and joined the Franciscans of the Alcantarine reform. He was known for strict poverty, humility and wise leadership of his brothers in Naples. He died in 1734 and was canonised in 1839.

Lord God, You called St John Joseph of the Cross to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Colette

Colette was born at Corbie in France in 1381 and lived first as an anchoress. Moved by a vision of St Francis, she set out to restore the original strict rule of St Clare, and founded or reformed seventeen convents. She died at Ghent in 1447.

Lord God, You drew St Colette to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Perpetua and Felicity

Perpetua, a young noblewoman and nursing mother, and Felicity, a slave who gave birth in prison, were martyred at Carthage in 203. Perpetua's own prison diary survives as part of the account of their martyrdom. Both are named in the Roman Canon.

Almighty God, You gave Saints Perpetua and Felicity the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By their prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

John of God

John was born in Portugal in 1495 and lived as a soldier and shepherd before a powerful conversion in Granada after hearing St John of Ávila preach. He opened a house for the sick poor, nursing them himself. His followers became the Brothers Hospitallers, and he died in 1550.

Lord God, You called St John of God to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Frances of Rome

Frances was born in Rome in 1384 and married young into a noble family, raising her children with love. She nursed the sick and gave food to the poor through times of plague and war. She founded the Oblates of Tor de' Specchi and joined them after her husband's death, dying in 1440.

Lord God, You made St Frances of Rome holy in the ordinary paths of life. By her prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste

In about 320 forty soldiers of a Roman legion at Sebaste in Armenia refused to sacrifice to the gods. They were left naked on a frozen pond to die of cold. When one gave up, a guard declared himself a Christian and took his place, and St Basil preached on their courage.

Almighty God, You gave the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By their prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Scotland

John Ogilvie

John Ogilvie was born in Banffshire in 1579 and brought up a Calvinist, but became a Catholic on the Continent and a Jesuit priest. He returned to Scotland in 1613 to minister secretly to Catholics. Arrested in Glasgow, he refused to accept the king's spiritual supremacy and was hanged there on 10 March 1615; he was canonised in 1976.

Almighty God, You gave St John Ogilvie the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Eulogius of Córdoba

Eulogius was a priest of Córdoba in Muslim Spain in the ninth century. He encouraged Christians who suffered for their faith and wrote an account of their martyrdoms. He was beheaded in 859 for sheltering a young convert.

Almighty God, You gave St Eulogius of Córdoba the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Maximilian of Tebessa

Maximilian was a young man of twenty-one in Roman Africa who was called up to the army in 295. He refused to serve or to wear the soldier's lead seal, saying he was a soldier of Christ. He was beheaded at Theveste, and the official record of his trial survives.

Almighty God, You gave St Maximilian of Tebessa the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Leander of Seville

Leander was the elder brother of St Isidore and became Bishop of Seville around 579. He worked for the conversion of the Visigoths from Arianism, and King Reccared accepted the Catholic faith at the Third Council of Toledo in 589. He died around 600.

Lord God, You gave St Leander of Seville to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Matilda

Matilda was born in Saxony around 895 and was raised by her grandmother, abbess of Herford. She married Henry the Fowler, Duke of Saxony and later King of Germany, and was the mother of Emperor Otto the Great. Widowed in 936, she was criticised by her sons for her generosity to the poor and to the Church. She founded monasteries including Quedlinburg and Nordhausen and died in 968.

Lord God, You made St Matilda holy in the ordinary paths of life. By her prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Louise de Marillac

Louise de Marillac was born in Paris in 1591, married and was widowed. Under the direction of St Vincent de Paul she founded the Daughters of Charity in 1633 to serve the sick and poor in their homes. She died in 1660 and was canonised in 1934.

Lord God, You drew St Louise de Marillac to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Heribert of Cologne

Heribert was chancellor to Emperor Otto III and became Archbishop of Cologne in 999. He was known for care of the poor and for his prayers in time of drought. He founded the abbey of Deutz and died in 1021.

Lord God, You gave St Heribert of Cologne to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Patrick

Patrick was a Romano-Briton captured by raiders at sixteen and enslaved in Ireland, where he learned to pray. After escaping he became a priest and bishop and returned to preach in Ireland in the fifth century. His Confession, written in his own words, survives, and he is patron of Ireland.

Lord God, You gave St Patrick to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Cyril of Jerusalem

Cyril became Bishop of Jerusalem around 350 and was exiled three times in the Arian disputes. His Catechetical Lectures, given to those preparing for baptism, are a precious witness to the faith and sacraments of the early Church. He died in 386 and was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1882.

O God, You filled St Cyril of Jerusalem with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Joseph, a just man of the house of David, was the husband of Mary and foster father of Jesus. He obeyed God's messages in dreams, protecting the Holy Family on the flight into Egypt and providing for them as a carpenter in Nazareth. He is patron of the universal Church and of a happy death.

Lord God, You made St Joseph holy in the ordinary paths of life. By his prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Cuthbert

Cuthbert was a shepherd boy who became a monk at Melrose and later prior of Lindisfarne. He was famed for his preaching journeys and his love of solitude on the island of Farne. Made bishop in 685, he died in 687, and his body was later enshrined at Durham.

Lord God, You gave St Cuthbert to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Nicholas of Flüe

Nicholas was a Swiss farmer, soldier and magistrate, the father of ten children. At fifty, with his wife's consent, he became a hermit, living for twenty years with no food but the Eucharist, as was widely attested. His counsel in 1481 kept the Swiss Confederation from civil war, and he is patron of Switzerland.

Lord God, You made St Nicholas of Flüe holy in the ordinary paths of life. By his prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Nicholas Owen

Nicholas Owen was an English Jesuit lay brother and a skilled carpenter. For many years he built hiding places for priests in Catholic houses, saving many lives. Arrested in 1606, he died under torture in the Tower of London without betraying anyone, and was canonised in 1970 among the Forty Martyrs.

Almighty God, You gave St Nicholas Owen the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Turibius of Mogrovejo

Turibius was a Spanish lawyer who, though a layman, was made Archbishop of Lima in 1579. He travelled his huge diocese on foot, learned native languages and defended the Indigenous people against abuse. He confirmed St Rose of Lima and died in 1606.

Lord God, You gave St Turibius of Mogrovejo to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Catherine of Sweden

Catherine was the daughter of St Bridget of Sweden. After her husband's death she joined her mother in Rome and accompanied her on pilgrimage. She brought Bridget's body home and led the Bridgettine abbey at Vadstena until her death in 1381.

Lord God, You drew St Catherine of Sweden to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

The Annunciation of the Lord

The angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would conceive the Son of God, and she answered, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord" (Luke 1:38). At that moment the Word was made flesh. The feast falls nine months before Christmas.

Lord Jesus Christ, as we keep this feast of the Annunciation of the Lord, open our eyes to Your glory and our hearts to Your love. Make us faithful to You in all things, who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

Ludger

Ludger was born in Frisia around 742 and studied at York under Alcuin. He preached among the Frisians and, after a pagan revolt drove him out, spent time at Monte Cassino. Charlemagne sent him to evangelise the Saxons, and around 805 he became the first Bishop of Münster. He founded the abbey of Werden, where he was buried after his death in 809.

Lord God, You gave St Ludger to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Rupert of Salzburg

Rupert was Bishop of Worms who around 696 went as a missionary to Bavaria. He founded the monastery of St Peter and the convent of Nonnberg at Salzburg, and he is regarded as founder of the city. He died around 710 and is patron of Salzburg.

Lord God, You gave St Rupert of Salzburg to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Gontran

Gontran was a sixth-century Frankish king of Burgundy who repented of the violence of his early reign. He became known for his care for the poor and the sick, his support of the Church and his penances in time of plague. He died in 592.

Lord God, You made St Gontran holy in the ordinary paths of life. By his prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Eustace of Luxeuil

Eustace was a disciple of St Columbanus and succeeded him as abbot of Luxeuil when Columbanus was exiled in 610. Under his leadership the monastery flourished and sent out missionaries. He died in 629.

Lord God, You called St Eustace of Luxeuil to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

John Climacus

John was a monk of Mount Sinai in the seventh century who later became its abbot. He wrote The Ladder of Divine Ascent, describing thirty steps of the spiritual life. The book is read in Eastern monasteries every Lent, and he died around 649.

Lord God, You called St John Climacus to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Benjamin

Benjamin was a deacon in Persia during the persecution of Christians by King Yazdegerd and his son Bahram V. Imprisoned for a year, he was released on condition that he stop speaking about his faith. He refused to keep silent, saying he could not hide the light he had received. He was tortured and put to death around 424.

Almighty God, You gave St Benjamin the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Hugh of Grenoble

Hugh became Bishop of Grenoble in 1080 when he was only twenty-seven and worked hard to reform his diocese. In 1084 he welcomed St Bruno and his companions and gave them the wild valley of the Chartreuse, where the Carthusian order began. He died in 1132 after more than fifty years as bishop.

Lord God, You gave St Hugh of Grenoble to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Francis of Paola

Francis was born in Calabria in 1416 and became a hermit as a teenager. Disciples joined him, and he founded the Minims, who kept a perpetual Lenten fast as a sign of humility. King Louis XI of France asked for him on his deathbed, and Francis died in France in 1507.

Lord God, You called St Francis of Paola to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Richard of Chichester

Richard de Wych was born in Worcestershire around 1197, studied at Oxford, Paris and Bologna, and became chancellor to St Edmund of Abingdon. Made Bishop of Chichester in 1244, he was a zealous and generous pastor. He died in 1253; a prayer asking to know Christ more clearly is traditionally attributed to him.

Lord God, You gave St Richard of Chichester to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Isidore of Seville

Isidore succeeded his brother St Leander as Bishop of Seville around 600. He presided over councils that strengthened the Church in Visigothic Spain and wrote the Etymologies, an encyclopaedia used throughout the Middle Ages. He died in 636 and is a Doctor of the Church.

O God, You filled St Isidore of Seville with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

Vincent Ferrer

Vincent was a Spanish Dominican born at Valencia in 1350. He preached repentance across Spain, France, Italy and Switzerland, drawing huge crowds and many conversions. He worked to end the Great Western Schism and died in Brittany in 1419.

Lord God, You called St Vincent Ferrer to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Marcellinus of Carthage

Marcellinus was a Christian official of the emperor and a friend of St Augustine, who dedicated The City of God to him. In 411 he presided over the conference at Carthage that settled the Donatist dispute. Falsely accused by the defeated party, he was executed in 413.

Almighty God, You gave St Marcellinus of Carthage the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

John Baptist de La Salle

John Baptist de La Salle was born at Reims in 1651 and gave up wealth and a canon's position to teach poor children. He founded the Brothers of the Christian Schools and pioneered training colleges for teachers and teaching in the mother tongue. He died in 1719 and is patron of teachers.

Lord God, You called St John Baptist de La Salle to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Julie Billiart

Julie Billiart was born in Picardy in 1751 and was paralysed for many years, teaching the catechism from her bed. During the French Revolution she was hunted for sheltering priests. She founded the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur to teach poor girls, was healed in 1804, and died in 1816.

Lord God, You drew St Julie Billiart to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Mary of Clopas

Mary, the wife of Clopas, is named by St John as one of the women standing by the Cross of Jesus (John 19:25). Tradition counts her among the women who went to the tomb on Easter morning. Tradition often identifies her as the mother of James the Less and Joses.

Lord God, You made St Mary of Clopas holy in the ordinary paths of life. By her prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Magdalene of Canossa

Magdalene was born into a noble family of Verona in 1774. She used her wealth to found the Daughters of Charity, known as Canossians, to teach poor girls and care for the sick. She died in 1835 and was canonised in 1988.

Lord God, You drew St Magdalene of Canossa to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Stanislaus

Stanislaus was born at Szczepanów around 1030 and studied in Gniezno and perhaps Paris. He became Bishop of Kraków in 1072 and was known for his preaching and care for the poor. He rebuked King Bolesław II for his cruelty and immorality and excommunicated him. In 1079 the king killed him, by tradition while he was celebrating Mass, and he was canonised in 1253 as patron of Poland.

Almighty God, You gave St Stanislaus the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Zeno of Verona

Zeno was born in North Africa and became Bishop of Verona around 362. He defended the faith in Christ's divinity against the Arians and baptised many converts each Easter. He built a cathedral and founded a community of consecrated virgins. About ninety of his sermons survive, and he died around 371.

Lord God, You gave St Zeno of Verona to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Martin I

Martin was elected Pope in 649 and held a council in the Lateran condemning the Monothelite heresy, which denied Christ a human will. The emperor had him arrested, brought to Constantinople and condemned. He died in exile in the Crimea in 655, the last Pope honoured as a martyr.

Almighty God, You gave St Martin I the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Lydwina of Schiedam

Lydwina was born in Holland in 1380 and broke a rib skating at fifteen. She was bedridden for the rest of her life with painful illness, which she offered in union with Christ's Passion. Many came to her for prayer and counsel until her death in 1433.

Lord God, You drew St Lydwina of Schiedam to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Damien of Molokai

Joseph de Veuster was born in Belgium in 1840 and joined the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts. In 1873 he volunteered to serve the leprosy settlement on Molokai in Hawaii, building homes, a church and a hospital. He caught the disease himself and died on 15 April 1889; he was canonised in 2009. In the United States this saint's memorial is kept on 10 May.

Lord God, You called St Damien of Molokai to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Bernadette Soubirous

Bernadette was the daughter of a poor miller of Lourdes, born in 1844. In 1858 the Virgin Mary appeared to her eighteen times at the grotto of Massabielle. She later joined the Sisters of Charity at Nevers, bore long illness patiently and died in 1879.

Lord God, You drew St Bernadette Soubirous to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Stephen Harding

Stephen was an Englishman from Dorset who became a monk and helped found the abbey of Cîteaux in 1098. As its abbot he wrote the Charter of Charity, which bound the Cistercian houses together. He welcomed St Bernard and his companions and died in 1134.

Lord God, You called St Stephen Harding to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Canada

Kateri Tekakwitha

Kateri was born in 1656 to a Mohawk father and an Algonquin Christian mother in what is now New York State. Smallpox left her scarred and half blind, and she was baptised in 1676 despite opposition. She fled to the Christian mission at Kahnawake near Montreal, lived a life of prayer and penance, died in 1680 and was canonised in 2012.

Lord God, You drew St Kateri Tekakwitha to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Apollonius the Apologist

Apollonius was a learned Roman, perhaps a senator, in the reign of the emperor Commodus. Denounced as a Christian, he was tried before the prefect Perennis and then the Senate. He gave a noble defence of the faith, saying that he did not fear death because he looked for eternal life. He was beheaded around 185, and Eusebius preserved the account of his trial.

Almighty God, You gave St Apollonius the Apologist the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Leo IX

Bruno of Egisheim was born in Alsace in 1002 and was Bishop of Toul for over twenty years. Elected Pope in 1049, he took the name Leo IX and travelled through Italy, France and Germany holding councils against simony and clerical marriage. He gathered able reformers around him, including the future Gregory VII. He was captured by the Normans after a defeat at Civitate in 1053 and died in Rome in 1054.

Lord God, You gave St Leo IX to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Agnes of Montepulciano

Agnes was born near Montepulciano in Tuscany around 1268 and entered a convent at nine. At fifteen she was made abbess of a new convent at Proceno. She returned to Montepulciano to found a convent that adopted the Dominican rule. She was known for her prayer, her penance and many wonders, died in 1317 and was canonised in 1726; St Catherine of Siena went on pilgrimage to her tomb.

Lord God, You drew St Agnes of Montepulciano to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Anselm

Anselm was born at Aosta around 1033 and became a monk and abbot at Bec in Normandy. As Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 he defended the Church's freedom against two kings and was twice exiled. He wrote of "faith seeking understanding", died in 1109 and is a Doctor of the Church.

O God, You filled St Anselm with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

Theodore of Sykeon

Theodore was born at Sykeon in Galatia in the sixth century, the son of an innkeeper. He lived as a hermit from a young age, enclosing himself in a cave and later a cage, and became known for healing. Against his will he was made Bishop of Anastasiopolis, which he governed for about ten years before returning to his monastery. He died in 613, and his disciple wrote his life.

Lord God, You gave St Theodore of Sykeon to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

George

George was a soldier, probably from Cappadocia, martyred at Lydda in Palestine around 303. Pope Gelasius in 494 listed him among those "whose names are justly revered among men, but whose actions are known only to God". The famous story of his slaying a dragon to rescue a princess appeared centuries later. He is patron of England, where his day is a solemnity, and of soldiers.

Almighty God, You gave St George the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Adalbert

Vojtěch was born in Bohemia around 956 and took the name Adalbert at his confirmation. He became Bishop of Prague in 982, but opposition to his reforms twice drove him to Rome, where he lived as a monk. He then went to preach to the pagan Prussians on the Baltic coast and was killed by them on 23 April 997. He was canonised in 999 and is a patron of Poland and the Czech lands.

Almighty God, You gave St Adalbert the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

England and Wales

George

George was a soldier, probably from Cappadocia, martyred at Lydda in Palestine around 303. Pope Gelasius in 494 listed him among those "whose names are justly revered among men, but whose actions are known only to God". The famous story of his slaying a dragon to rescue a princess appeared centuries later. He is patron of England, where his day is a solemnity, and of soldiers.

Almighty God, You gave St George the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Fidelis of Sigmaringen

Mark Roy was a lawyer called "the poor man's lawyer" who became a Capuchin friar, taking the name Fidelis. He preached in Switzerland to win back those who had left the Church. He was killed at Seewis in 1622.

Almighty God, You gave St Fidelis of Sigmaringen the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Mark, Evangelist

Mark, also called John Mark, travelled with St Paul and St Barnabas and later was with St Peter in Rome. Ancient tradition holds that his Gospel preserves Peter's preaching. He is said to have founded the Church in Alexandria, and his relics are honoured in Venice.

O God, You built Your Church on the foundation of the apostles. Through the prayers of St Mark, keep us firm in the faith he preached and give us courage to bear witness to Christ. Amen.

Our Lady of Good Counsel

At Genazzano near Rome a small painted image of the Virgin and Child has been venerated since 1467. It became the focus of devotion to Mary as Mother of Good Counsel. The Augustinian friars spread this devotion widely.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, as we keep the feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel, pray for us, that we may hear the word of God and keep it as you did, and bring us safely to your Son. Amen.

Zita

Zita was born near Lucca in 1218 and worked for the Fatinelli family as a household servant for about forty-eight years. She was known for her patience, honest work and generosity to the poor. She died in 1272 and is patron of domestic workers.

Lord God, You made St Zita holy in the ordinary paths of life. By her prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Peter Chanel and Louis de Montfort

Peter Chanel was a French Marist priest who went to Futuna in the Pacific in 1837 and was killed there in 1841, the first martyr of Oceania. Louis de Montfort was a French priest who preached missions across western France and wrote True Devotion to Mary. He died in 1716.

Lord God, You called Saints Peter Chanel and Louis de Montfort to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By their prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Catherine of Siena

Catherine was born at Siena in 1347 and became a Dominican tertiary. She cared for the sick and plague-stricken and urged Pope Gregory XI to return from Avignon to Rome. Her Dialogue and letters made her a Doctor of the Church, and she died in 1380.

O God, You filled St Catherine of Siena with wisdom to teach Your people. By her prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

Pius V

Michael Ghislieri was a Dominican friar who became Pope in 1566. He put the reforms of the Council of Trent into practice, publishing the Roman Catechism, Breviary and Missal. He called Christians to pray the Rosary before the victory at Lepanto in 1571 and died in 1572.

Lord God, You gave St Pius V to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Canada

Marie de l'Incarnation

Marie Guyart was born at Tours in 1599, was widowed young and became an Ursuline nun. In 1639 she sailed to Quebec and founded the first school for girls in North America. She learned Indigenous languages and wrote dictionaries and catechisms, died in 1672 and was canonised in 2014.

Lord God, You drew St Marie de l'Incarnation to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Joseph the Worker

Pope Pius XII instituted this feast in 1955 to honour St Joseph as a model for all who work. Joseph earned his living as a carpenter and taught his trade to Jesus. Work done with love is a share in God's creation.

Lord God, You made St Joseph the Worker holy in the ordinary paths of life. By his prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Athanasius

Athanasius was Bishop of Alexandria from 328 and the great defender of Christ's divinity against Arianism. He was exiled five times. He wrote the Life of Anthony, died in 373 and is a Doctor of the Church.

O God, You filled St Athanasius with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

Philip and James, Apostles

Philip, from Bethsaida, brought Nathanael to Jesus and asked, "Lord, show us the Father". James, son of Alphaeus, often called James the Less, is traditionally identified as the leader of the Church in Jerusalem. Both gave their lives for Christ.

O God, You built Your Church on the foundation of the apostles. Through the prayers of Saints Philip and James, keep us firm in the faith they preached and give us courage to bear witness to Christ. Amen.

Florian

Florian was a Roman officer in the province of Noricum, in present-day Austria. During the persecution of Diocletian he went to help Christians at Lorch and declared that he too was a Christian. He was scourged and thrown into the river Enns with a stone around his neck around 304. He is patron of Upper Austria and of firefighters.

Almighty God, You gave St Florian the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

England and Wales

The English Martyrs

Today England and Wales honour the men and women who died for the Catholic faith between 1535 and 1680. They include priests, religious and lay people, among them St Margaret Clitherow, St Edmund Campion and St Nicholas Owen. The Church has canonised forty-two and beatified more than two hundred.

Almighty God, You gave the English Martyrs the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By their prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Hilary of Arles

Hilary was born around 401 and was brought to the monastery of Lérins by his kinsman St Honoratus. He followed Honoratus as Bishop of Arles in 429 and lived as a monk, working with his hands and giving to the poor. He held several councils and clashed with Pope Leo the Great over his authority in Gaul. He died in 449.

Lord God, You gave St Hilary of Arles to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Dominic Savio

Dominic Savio was born near Turin in 1842 and became a pupil of St John Bosco. He resolved to die rather than sin and founded a group of boys to help others. He died of illness at fourteen in 1857 and was canonised in 1954.

Lord God, You made St Dominic Savio holy in the ordinary paths of life. By his prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Canada

François de Laval

François de Laval was born in France in 1623 and came to New France in 1659. As the first Bishop of Quebec he founded the seminary of Quebec and built the Church in the colony. He died in 1708 and was canonised in 2014.

Lord God, You gave St François de Laval to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

John of Beverley

John was born in Northumbria and studied at Canterbury under St Adrian before becoming a monk at Whitby under St Hilda. He became Bishop of Hexham in 687 and of York in 705. Bede, whom he ordained deacon and priest, records several healings through his prayers. He retired to the monastery he had founded at Beverley and died there in 721.

Lord God, You gave St John of Beverley to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Peter of Tarentaise

Peter was born near Vienne in 1102 and became a Cistercian monk at Bonnevaux. He was made abbot of Tamié in the Alps, where he built a hospice for travellers, and in 1142 became Archbishop of Tarentaise. He visited every part of his mountain diocese and set up a distribution of bread for the poor. He worked to end the papal schism of his day and died in 1174.

Lord God, You gave St Peter of Tarentaise to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Pachomius

Pachomius was born in Upper Egypt around 292 and was conscripted into the Roman army, where the charity of Christians who brought food to the soldiers moved him. After his discharge he was baptised and became a hermit. Around 320 he founded a monastery at Tabennisi where monks lived, worked and prayed together under a written rule. By his death in 348 thousands of monks and nuns lived in his monasteries.

Lord God, You called St Pachomius to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

John of Ávila

John of Ávila was a Spanish priest born in 1499 who preached throughout Andalusia. He was a spiritual guide to St Teresa of Ávila, St John of God and others. He died in 1569 and was named a Doctor of the Church in 2012.

O God, You filled St John of Ávila with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

United States

Damien of Molokai

Joseph de Veuster was a Belgian priest of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts. From 1873 he served the leprosy settlement on Molokai in Hawaii. He caught the disease himself and died in 1889; he was canonised in 2009.

Lord God, You called St Damien of Molokai to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Ignatius of Laconi

Ignatius was a Capuchin lay brother on Sardinia in the eighteenth century. For forty years he went begging through Cagliari for his friary and cared for the poor and sick on his way. He died in 1781 and was canonised in 1951.

Lord God, You called St Ignatius of Laconi to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Nereus, Achilleus and Pancras

Nereus and Achilleus were Roman soldiers who, according to an inscription by Pope Damasus, left the army when they became Christians and were martyred. Pancras was a boy of about fourteen martyred in Rome around 304. Many churches in England bear his name.

Almighty God, You gave St Nereus the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Our Lady of Fatima

On 13 May 1917 the Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children at Fatima in Portugal. She came each month until October, asking for prayer, penance and the daily Rosary. On 13 October thousands saw the miracle of the sun.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, as we keep the feast of Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us, that we may hear the word of God and keep it as you did, and bring us safely to your Son. Amen.

Matthias, Apostle

After the Ascension, St Peter told the brethren that someone who had been with them from the baptism of John must take the place of Judas. Two were proposed, and after prayer the lot fell upon Matthias, who was numbered with the eleven apostles (Acts 1:21-26). Scripture says nothing more about him. Tradition holds that he preached in Judea and beyond and died a martyr.

O God, You built Your Church on the foundation of the apostles. Through the prayers of St Matthias, keep us firm in the faith he preached and give us courage to bear witness to Christ. Amen.

Dymphna

Dymphna was an Irish princess who, according to legend, fled to Geel in Belgium and was killed by her father. Geel became a place of pilgrimage for people with mental illness. The town still cares for such people in families.

Lord God, You drew St Dymphna to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

United States

Isidore the Farmer

Isidore was born near Madrid around 1070 and spent his life as a hired labourer on the estate of John de Vargas. He married Maria Torribia, who is also honoured as a saint, and the couple shared what little they had with the poor. He went to Mass each morning before work, and stories tell of angels ploughing beside him while he prayed. He died in 1130, was canonised in 1622 and is patron of farmers and of Madrid.

Lord God, You made St Isidore the Farmer holy in the ordinary paths of life. By his prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Simon Stock

Simon Stock was an English Carmelite of the thirteenth century, elected prior general of the order around 1247. The Carmelites had come to Europe from Mount Carmel, and he helped them adapt from hermits to mendicant friars, founding houses in university towns such as Cambridge and Oxford. A later tradition holds that the Virgin Mary appeared to him and gave him the brown scapular. He died at Bordeaux in 1265.

Lord God, You called St Simon Stock to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Paschal Baylon

Paschal Baylon was born in Aragon in 1540 to a poor farming family and worked as a shepherd as a boy, teaching himself to read. At about twenty-four he joined the Franciscans of the Alcantarine reform as a lay brother. He served as porter, cook and gardener, and spent every spare hour before the Blessed Sacrament. He died in 1592, and Pope Leo XIII named him patron of Eucharistic congresses.

Lord God, You called St Paschal Baylon to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

John I

John I was a Tuscan priest elected Pope in 523, when Italy was ruled by the Arian Ostrogoth king Theodoric. Theodoric sent him to Constantinople to persuade the emperor Justin to ease his measures against Arians, the first Pope to visit the eastern capital. On his return the king, suspecting a plot, threw him into prison at Ravenna. He died there in 526 from hunger and ill-treatment and is honoured as a martyr.

Almighty God, You gave St John I the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Celestine V

Peter of Morrone was a hermit of the Abruzzi who founded a community of hermits later called the Celestines. In 1294, after the papacy had been vacant for two years, the cardinals elected him Pope when he was nearly eighty. Realising that he could not govern well and was being used by others, he resigned after five months. He died in 1296 in confinement at Fumone and was canonised in 1313.

Lord God, You gave St Celestine V to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

England and Wales

Dunstan

Dunstan was born near Glastonbury around 909 and became abbot of Glastonbury around 943, restoring the Benedictine life there. As Archbishop of Canterbury from 960 he worked with King Edgar to reform the Church and refound monasteries across England. He was also a skilled metalworker, musician and scribe. He died in 988 and is patron of goldsmiths.

Lord God, You gave St Dunstan to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Bernardine of Siena

Bernardine was born at Massa Marittima in 1380 and as a young man nursed plague victims in Siena. He joined the Franciscans of the Observance and became the most famous preacher in Italy, travelling on foot and speaking to vast crowds. He spread devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus, holding up a tablet with the letters IHS. He refused three bishoprics, died at Aquila in 1444 and was canonised in 1450.

Lord God, You called St Bernardine of Siena to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Christopher Magallanes and Companions

Christopher Magallanes was a parish priest of Totatiche in Jalisco who founded a seminary and missions among the Huichol people. During the persecution of the Church in Mexico in the 1920s he continued to minister in secret. He was arrested and shot without trial in 1927, after giving absolution to his fellow prisoner Agustín Caloca. With him the Church honours twenty-four companions, most of them priests, canonised in 2000.

Almighty God, You gave Saints Christopher Magallanes and Companions the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By their prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Rita of Cascia

Rita was born near Cascia in Umbria in 1381 and, though she wished to be a nun, was married young to a violent man. She bore his cruelty with patience and he was converted before he was murdered in a feud. After the deaths of her two sons she entered the Augustinian convent at Cascia, where she lived for forty years in prayer and penance. She bore a wound on her forehead like a thorn from Christ's crown, died in 1457 and is invoked in impossible causes.

Lord God, You drew St Rita of Cascia to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

John Baptist de Rossi

John Baptist de Rossi was born near Genoa in 1698 and came to Rome as a boy to study. As a priest he gave his life to the poor of the city, visiting hospitals and teaching herdsmen and labourers at the markets. He founded a hostel for homeless women and spent long hours in the confessional. He died in 1764 and was canonised in 1881.

Lord God, You called St John Baptist de Rossi to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Our Lady, Help of Christians

Pope Pius V added the invocation "Help of Christians" to the Litany of Loreto after the victory at Lepanto in 1571. Pope Pius VII established this feast in 1815 in thanksgiving for his return to Rome after five years as Napoleon's prisoner. St John Bosco spread the devotion widely and built a basilica in her honour in Turin. Mary Help of Christians is patron of Australia.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, as we keep the feast of Our Lady, pray for us, that we may hear the word of God and keep it as you did, and bring us safely to your Son. Amen.

Bede the Venerable

Bede was born in Northumbria around 673 and lived in the monastery of Jarrow. He wrote the Ecclesiastical History of the English People and commentaries on Scripture. He died in 735 and is the only English Doctor of the Church.

O God, You filled St Bede the Venerable with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

Gregory VII

Hildebrand was born in Tuscany around 1020, became a monk and served several popes as a reformer before his election in 1073. As Pope Gregory VII he fought simony and clerical marriage and forbade lay rulers to appoint bishops. The emperor Henry IV did penance before him at Canossa in 1077 but later took Rome, and Gregory died in exile at Salerno in 1085, saying, "I have loved justice and hated iniquity; therefore I die in exile." He was canonised in 1728.

Lord God, You gave St Gregory VII to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi

Caterina de' Pazzi was born into a noble family of Florence in 1566 and entered the Carmelite convent of Santa Maria degli Angeli in 1583, taking the name Mary Magdalene. Her ecstasies, in which she spoke of the love of God and the renewal of the Church, were written down by her sisters. She endured five years of spiritual desolation and long illness with patience, saying, "To suffer, not to die." She died in 1607 and was canonised in 1669.

Lord God, You drew St Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Philip Neri

Philip was born in Florence in 1515 and moved to Rome, where he lived as a layman serving the poor and the sick. Ordained a priest, he founded the Congregation of the Oratory. He was known for his joy and humour and died in 1595.

Lord God, You called St Philip Neri to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Augustine of Canterbury

Augustine was prior of St Andrew's monastery on the Caelian Hill in Rome when Pope Gregory the Great sent him to England with about forty monks in 596. Landing in Kent in 597, they were welcomed by King Ethelbert, whose Frankish wife Bertha was a Christian, and the king was baptised. Augustine became the first Archbishop of Canterbury and founded the monastery later named after him. He died around 604.

Lord God, You gave St Augustine of Canterbury to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Germanus of Paris

Germanus was born near Autun around 496 and became abbot of St Symphorian there. In 555 he was made Bishop of Paris, where he kept the simple life of a monk and gave generously to the poor and to ransom captives. King Childebert, healed through his prayers, founded the abbey later called Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Germanus died in 576 and was buried there.

Lord God, You gave St Germanus of Paris to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Paul VI

Giovanni Battista Montini was born near Brescia in 1897 and served for many years in the Secretariat of State. As Archbishop of Milan from 1954 he worked among industrial workers. Elected Pope in 1963, he guided the Second Vatican Council to its close, travelled to the Holy Land, India and the United Nations, and wrote Humanae Vitae on human life. He died in 1978 and was canonised in 2018.

Lord God, You gave St Paul VI to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Joan of Arc

Joan was a peasant girl of Domrémy who heard the voices of saints. She led the French army to lift the siege of Orléans in 1429. She was condemned and burned at Rouen in 1431, aged nineteen; she was canonised in 1920.

Lord God, You drew St Joan of Arc to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

After the angel's message Mary went in haste to the hill country of Judea to visit her cousin Elizabeth. At Mary's greeting the child in Elizabeth's womb leapt for joy, and Elizabeth cried out, "Blessed art thou among women" (Luke 1:42). Mary answered with the Magnificat, her song of praise. The feast honours her charity and the joy of Christ's hidden presence.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, as we keep the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, pray for us, that we may hear the word of God and keep it as you did, and bring us safely to your Son. Amen.

Justin, Martyr

Justin was born of pagan parents in Samaria around 100 and searched for truth among the philosophers. An old man by the sea pointed him to the prophets and to Christ, and he became a Christian teacher in Rome. His two Apologies and his Dialogue with Trypho explain the faith and describe Sunday worship and the Eucharist. He was beheaded with several companions around 165, and the record of their trial survives.

Almighty God, You gave St Justin the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Marcellinus and Peter

Marcellinus was a priest and Peter an exorcist of the Church in Rome, martyred in the persecution of Diocletian around 304. Pope Damasus wrote that as a boy he heard the story of their death from their executioner, who later became a Christian. They were made to dig their own graves in a wood outside the city. Their names are in the Roman Canon.

Almighty God, You gave Saints Marcellinus and Peter the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By their prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Charles Lwanga and Companions

Charles Lwanga was a leader of the young pages at the court of King Mwanga of Buganda, in present-day Uganda. When the king demanded that the pages yield to his immoral desires, Charles protected them and secretly baptised several. In 1886 he and many Catholic and Anglican companions were killed for the faith, most burned alive at Namugongo. Charles and twenty-one Catholic companions were canonised in 1964.

Almighty God, You gave Saints Charles Lwanga and Companions the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By their prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Francis Caracciolo

Francis Caracciolo was born in the Abruzzi in 1563 into a noble family and, after being healed of a grave illness, became a priest in Naples. He ministered to prisoners and those condemned to death. In 1588 he co-founded the Clerics Regular Minor, whose members took turns in continual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. He died in 1608 and was canonised in 1807.

Lord God, You called St Francis Caracciolo to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Boniface

Winfrid was born in Wessex around 675 and became a monk at Nursling. Pope Gregory II gave him the name Boniface and sent him to preach in Germany, where he felled the sacred oak of Thor at Geismar. As archbishop he founded dioceses and monasteries, including Fulda, and reformed the Frankish Church. In 754, aged about eighty, he was killed with companions by pagans at Dokkum in Frisia.

Almighty God, You gave St Boniface the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Norbert

Norbert was born near Cologne around 1080 and lived as a worldly court cleric until he was thrown from his horse in a storm. He changed his life, was ordained priest and preached penance across France and Germany. In 1120 he founded a community of canons at Prémontré, the beginning of the Premonstratensians. As Archbishop of Magdeburg from 1126 he worked to reform the clergy, and he died in 1134.

Lord God, You gave St Norbert to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Robert of Newminster

Robert was born in Yorkshire and became parish priest of Gargrave before joining the Benedictines at Whitby. He then joined the monks who left St Mary's Abbey, York, to found Fountains Abbey under the Cistercian rule. In 1138 he became the first abbot of Newminster in Northumberland, which founded three daughter houses. He was known for his fasting and prayer and died in 1159.

Lord God, You called St Robert of Newminster to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

William of York

William FitzHerbert was a nephew of King Stephen and treasurer of York Minster. He was elected Archbishop of York in 1141, but the Cistercians and St Bernard opposed him and he was deposed in 1147. He accepted this humbly and lived as a monk at Winchester. Restored in 1153, he returned to York and died soon after, in 1154, possibly poisoned; he was canonised in 1227.

Lord God, You gave St William of York to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Ephrem

Ephrem was born at Nisibis in Mesopotamia around 306 and served as a deacon under its bishops. When the city passed to Persia in 363 he moved to Edessa, where he taught and wrote. His hymns and verse homilies on Christ, Mary and the sacraments earned him the title "Harp of the Holy Spirit". He died in 373 while caring for victims of famine, and Pope Benedict XV named him a Doctor of the Church in 1920.

O God, You filled St Ephrem with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

England and Wales

Columba

Columba, or Colum Cille, was born in Donegal around 521 and founded monasteries in Ireland, including Derry and Durrow. In 563 he sailed with twelve companions to Iona, where he founded a monastery. From Iona he and his monks preached to the Picts, and the monastery later sent St Aidan to Northumbria. He died in 597, and his life was written by Adomnán, a later abbot of Iona.

Lord God, You gave St Columba to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Scotland

Columba

Columba, or Colum Cille, was an Irish prince and monk, born in Donegal around 521. In 563 he sailed with twelve companions to Iona and founded the monastery that became the heart of the Church in Scotland. He and his monks preached to the Picts and the Scots, and he anointed Aidan king of Dál Riata. He died on Iona in 597 and is a patron of Scotland.

Lord God, You gave St Columba to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Landry of Paris

Landry became Bishop of Paris around 650. During a famine he sold his own goods and even the church plate to feed the hungry. He is traditionally credited with founding the Hôtel-Dieu beside the cathedral, one of the oldest hospitals in Europe. He died around 661.

Lord God, You gave St Landry of Paris to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Barnabas, Apostle

Barnabas was a Levite from Cyprus named Joseph, whom the apostles called Barnabas, "son of consolation". He sold a field and gave the money to the Church (Acts 4:36-37), and he vouched for Saul when others feared him. Sent to Antioch, he brought Paul there, and together they made the first missionary journey. Tradition holds that he was martyred at Salamis in Cyprus.

O God, You built Your Church on the foundation of the apostles. Through the prayers of St Barnabas, keep us firm in the faith he preached and give us courage to bear witness to Christ. Amen.

Leo III

Leo III was a Roman priest elected Pope in 795. In 799 his enemies attacked him in the street and tried to blind him, and he fled to Charlemagne for protection. Restored in Rome, he crowned Charlemagne emperor in St Peter's on Christmas Day 800. He died in 816.

Lord God, You gave St Leo III to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Anthony of Padua

Fernando Martins was born in Lisbon in 1195 and became an Augustinian canon. Moved by the relics of Franciscan martyrs from Morocco, he joined the Franciscans, taking the name Anthony. His gift for preaching was discovered by chance, and he preached in Italy and France, teaching theology to the friars with the approval of St Francis. He died near Padua in 1231, was canonised within a year and was named a Doctor of the Church in 1946.

O God, You filled St Anthony of Padua with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

Methodius of Constantinople

Methodius was born in Sicily and became a monk in Constantinople. During the second iconoclast persecution he was imprisoned for years for defending holy images. In 843 the Empress Theodora made him Patriarch of Constantinople, and he restored the veneration of icons, an event the Eastern Churches keep as the Triumph of Orthodoxy. He died in 847.

Lord God, You gave St Methodius of Constantinople to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Germaine Cousin

Germaine was born near Toulouse around 1579 with a withered hand and was treated harshly by her stepmother, who made her sleep in the stable. She tended the sheep and went to Mass each day, leaving her flock in God's care. She shared her bread with beggars, though she had little herself. She died alone at about twenty-two in 1601, and was canonised in 1867.

Lord God, You drew St Germaine Cousin to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Lutgardis

Lutgardis was born at Tongeren in Brabant in 1182 and placed in a Benedictine convent at twelve. She later moved to the stricter Cistercian convent of Aywières. She was a mystic devoted to the Sacred Heart and fasted for long periods for the conversion of sinners. She became blind in her last eleven years and died in 1246.

Lord God, You drew St Lutgardis to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

England and Wales

Richard of Chichester

Richard de Wych was born at Droitwich around 1197 and studied at Oxford, Paris and Bologna before serving as chancellor to St Edmund of Abingdon. Elected Bishop of Chichester in 1244, he was at first kept out of his see by King Henry III, and lived on alms until the Pope upheld him. He was a generous pastor who visited his diocese on foot and cared for the poor. He died in 1253, and in England his memorial is kept on this day, the anniversary of the translation of his relics in 1276.

Lord God, You gave St Richard of Chichester to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Albert Chmielowski

Adam Chmielowski was born near Kraków in 1845 and lost a leg in the Polish uprising of 1863. He became a respected painter, but gave up his art to serve the homeless of Kraków. Taking the name Brother Albert, he founded the Albertine Brothers and Sisters, who lived with the poor in shelters. He died in 1916 and was canonised by Pope John Paul II in 1989.

Lord God, You called St Albert Chmielowski to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Gregory Barbarigo

Gregory Barbarigo was born in Venice in 1625 and served as a diplomat before becoming a priest. As Bishop of Bergamo and then of Padua, and a cardinal, he followed the example of St Charles Borromeo. He visited every parish, founded a seminary with a famous press for Eastern languages, and gave his income to the poor. He died in 1697 and was canonised in 1960.

Lord God, You gave St Gregory Barbarigo to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Romuald

Romuald was born at Ravenna around 951 and became a monk after seeing his father kill a relative in a duel. He wandered through Italy founding hermitages and monasteries. Around 1012 he founded Camaldoli, where hermits and monks living in community followed the Rule of St Benedict. He died in 1027.

Lord God, You called St Romuald to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Silverius

Silverius was the son of Pope Hormisdas and was elected Pope in 536. The Empress Theodora wished to put Vigilius in his place, and the general Belisarius accused him of treason and deposed him. He was exiled to the island of Palmarola. He died there in 537 from hunger and ill-treatment and is honoured as a martyr.

Almighty God, You gave St Silverius the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

England and Wales

Alban

Alban was a pagan of Verulamium who sheltered a Christian priest fleeing persecution. Moved by the priest's prayer, he was converted and exchanged cloaks so the priest could escape. Brought before the judge, he refused to sacrifice and was beheaded, probably in the third or early fourth century. He is honoured as the first martyr of Britain, and the city of St Albans bears his name.

Almighty God, You gave St Alban the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Aloysius Gonzaga

Aloysius Gonzaga was born in 1568, heir to a princely family in Lombardy. Against his father's wishes he gave up his inheritance and entered the Jesuit novitiate in Rome in 1585, guided by St Robert Bellarmine. During a plague in 1591 he carried the sick to hospital and caught the disease. He died aged twenty-three and is patron of young people.

Lord God, You called St Aloysius Gonzaga to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Paulinus of Nola

Paulinus was born at Bordeaux around 354, a wealthy senator and governor of Campania. After his baptism he and his wife Therasia gave their wealth to the poor. He settled at Nola beside the tomb of St Felix, building a church and a hospice, and became bishop around 409. His poems and letters to Augustine, Jerome and others survive, and he died in 431.

Lord God, You gave St Paulinus of Nola to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

England and Wales

John Fisher and Thomas More

John Fisher was Bishop of Rochester, a scholar and Chancellor of Cambridge University, and Thomas More was a lawyer, writer and former Lord Chancellor. Both refused to accept King Henry VIII as Supreme Head of the Church in England or to swear the oath that denied the Pope's authority. Fisher was beheaded on 22 June and More on 6 July 1535, More saying he died "the King's good servant, but God's first". They were canonised in 1935.

Almighty God, You gave Saints John Fisher and Thomas More the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By their prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Etheldreda

Etheldreda, or Audrey, was a daughter of the King of East Anglia, married twice for political reasons but vowed to virginity. With her second husband's consent she became a nun, and in 673 she founded a double monastery at Ely. She ruled it as abbess with great austerity and died in 679. Bede tells that her body was found incorrupt sixteen years later.

Lord God, You drew St Etheldreda to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

The Nativity of St John the Baptist

John was born to the priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth in their old age, as the angel Gabriel foretold. When Zechariah wrote "John is his name", his speech returned and he sang the Benedictus (Luke 1:63-79). John grew up to prepare the way of the Lord, and Jesus called him the greatest born of women. His birth is celebrated six months before Christmas.

Lord Jesus Christ, as we keep this feast of the Nativity of St John the Baptist, open our eyes to Your glory and our hearts to Your love. Make us faithful to You in all things, who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

William of Vercelli

William was born at Vercelli in 1085 and, after a pilgrimage to Compostela, lived as a hermit. Followers gathered, and around 1119 he founded the monastery of Monte Vergine near Avellino. He later founded other monasteries in southern Italy, with the support of King Roger of Sicily. He died in 1142.

Lord God, You called St William of Vercelli to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Josemaría Escrivá

Josemaría Escrivá was born at Barbastro in Spain in 1902 and was ordained in 1925. In 1928 he founded Opus Dei, to help lay people seek holiness in their ordinary work and family life. He lived through the Spanish Civil War in hiding and moved to Rome in 1946. He died in 1975 and was canonised in 2002.

Lord God, You called St Josemaría Escrivá to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Cyril of Alexandria

Cyril became Patriarch of Alexandria in 412. When Nestorius of Constantinople denied that Mary could be called Mother of God, Cyril defended the unity of Christ's Person. He presided at the Council of Ephesus in 431, which confirmed the title Theotokos. He died in 444 and was named a Doctor of the Church in 1882.

O God, You filled St Cyril of Alexandria with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

Irenaeus

Irenaeus was born in Asia Minor and heard St Polycarp, a disciple of St John. He became a priest at Lyons and succeeded the martyred Bishop Pothinus around 178. His great work Against Heresies defends the faith handed down from the apostles against the Gnostics. He died around 202, and Pope Francis named him a Doctor of the Church in 2022.

Almighty God, You gave St Irenaeus the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Peter and Paul, Apostles

Peter, the fisherman whom Christ made the rock of His Church, and Paul, the persecutor who became the Apostle of the Gentiles, both gave their lives in Rome under Nero. Tradition holds that Peter was crucified head downwards on the Vatican Hill and Paul beheaded on the Ostian Way. Their tombs are honoured in the basilicas that bear their names. The Church keeps them together as her two great pillars.

O God, You built Your Church on the foundation of the apostles. Through the prayers of Saints Peter and Paul, keep us firm in the faith they preached and give us courage to bear witness to Christ. Amen.

The First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church

After the great fire of Rome in July 64, the emperor Nero blamed the Christians to turn suspicion from himself. The historian Tacitus records that great numbers were put to death: some torn by dogs, some crucified, some burned as torches in Nero's gardens. Their names are unknown. This day honours them as the first martyrs of the Church of Rome.

Almighty God, You gave the First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By their prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Oliver Plunkett

Oliver Plunkett was born in County Meath in 1625 and ordained in Rome. As Archbishop of Armagh from 1669 he worked to rebuild the Church in Ireland under persecution. Falsely accused in the Popish Plot, he was hanged at Tyburn in 1681, the last Catholic martyr to die there, and was canonised in 1975.

Almighty God, You gave St Oliver Plunkett the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

United States

Junípero Serra

Junípero Serra was a Franciscan friar born on Majorca in 1713 who taught philosophy before becoming a missionary. In 1769 he founded the first of nine missions in California, at San Diego, and worked among the native peoples. He died at Carmel in 1784 and was canonised in 2015.

Lord God, You called St Junípero Serra to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Bernardino Realino

Bernardino Realino was born at Carpi in 1530 and practised law, becoming a magistrate in several Italian cities. At thirty-four he joined the Jesuits. He spent more than forty years at Lecce, preaching, hearing confessions and caring for prisoners and the poor, who loved him. He died in 1616 and was canonised in 1947.

Lord God, You called St Bernardino Realino to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Thomas, Apostle

Thomas, called Didymus or the Twin, doubted the Resurrection until he saw the risen Lord. He then made the great confession, "My Lord and my God" (John 20:28). Tradition holds that he preached in India and died a martyr there.

O God, You built Your Church on the foundation of the apostles. Through the prayers of St Thomas, keep us firm in the faith he preached and give us courage to bear witness to Christ. Amen.

Elizabeth of Portugal

Elizabeth was a princess of Aragon who married King Denis of Portugal in 1282. She bore his infidelity patiently, cared for the poor and more than once made peace between warring kings of her family. After his death she became a Franciscan tertiary and died in 1336. In the United States this saint's memorial is kept on 5 July.

Lord God, You made St Elizabeth of Portugal holy in the ordinary paths of life. By her prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

United States

Independence Day

On this day Americans give thanks for the gift of liberty. The Church in the United States offers Mass for the nation and prays that its freedom may serve truth and justice. It is fitting to pray for the country and for all in public office.

Lord God, on this day we bring before You our nation and all its people. Give us hearts that love what is just and true, and protect the life and dignity of every person. Amen.

Anthony Mary Zaccaria

Anthony Mary Zaccaria was born at Cremona in 1502, studied medicine at Padua and practised as a doctor before becoming a priest. In Milan he founded the Clerics Regular of St Paul, known as Barnabites, as well as the Angelic Sisters. He promoted frequent Communion and the Forty Hours devotion. He died at thirty-six in 1539 and was canonised in 1897.

Lord God, You called St Anthony Mary Zaccaria to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

United States

Elizabeth of Portugal

Elizabeth was a princess of Aragon who married King Denis of Portugal in 1282. She bore his infidelity patiently, cared for the poor and more than once made peace between warring kings of her family. After his death she became a Franciscan tertiary and died in 1336; in the United States her memorial is kept today.

Lord God, You made St Elizabeth of Portugal holy in the ordinary paths of life. By her prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Maria Goretti

Maria Goretti was born in 1890 to a poor farming family near Ancona. At eleven she resisted an attempt at rape by a young neighbour, Alessandro, who stabbed her; she forgave him before she died. Alessandro repented and was present at her canonisation in 1950.

Lord God, You drew St Maria Goretti to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Willibald

Willibald was an English monk who made a pilgrimage to Rome and the Holy Land in the 720s. St Boniface called him to Germany, where he became the first Bishop of Eichstätt. He was brother to St Walburga and died around 787.

Lord God, You gave St Willibald to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Kilian

Kilian was an Irish monk who travelled with companions to Franconia, in present-day Germany, around 686. He preached at Würzburg and converted the local duke, Gozbert. When he told the duke that his marriage to his brother's widow was unlawful, the duke's wife had Kilian and his companions killed, around 689. He is patron of Würzburg.

Almighty God, You gave St Kilian the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions

Augustine Zhao Rong was a Chinese soldier converted by the courage of a martyred bishop, who became a priest and died in prison in 1815. With him the Church honours 119 other martyrs of China, killed between 1648 and 1930. They were canonised together in 2000.

Almighty God, You gave Saints Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By their prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Veronica Giuliani

Veronica Giuliani was born at Mercatello in the Marche in 1660 and entered the Capuchin Poor Clares at Città di Castello. She served as novice mistress and later as abbess. She received the marks of Christ's wounds in 1697, which were examined by Church authorities, and kept a long diary of her spiritual life at her confessor's order. She died in 1727 and was canonised in 1839.

Lord God, You drew St Veronica Giuliani to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Benedict

Benedict was born at Nursia around 480 and became a hermit at Subiaco. He founded the monastery of Monte Cassino and wrote a Rule that guided monks of the West for centuries. He died around 547 and is patron of Europe.

Lord God, You called St Benedict to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

John Gualbert

John Gualbert was born in Florence around 995. On a Good Friday he met the man who had murdered his brother and, seeing him beg for mercy with arms outstretched like a cross, forgave him. He became a monk and around 1036 founded the monastery of Vallombrosa under a strict form of the Benedictine rule. He opposed simony vigorously and died in 1073.

Lord God, You called St John Gualbert to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Henry

Henry was born in 973 and became Duke of Bavaria, King of Germany in 1002 and Holy Roman Emperor in 1014. He worked for peace and the reform of the Church, founded the diocese of Bamberg and built its cathedral. With his wife St Cunegund he was generous to monasteries and the poor. He died in 1024 and was canonised in 1146.

Lord God, You made St Henry holy in the ordinary paths of life. By his prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Camillus de Lellis

Camillus de Lellis was born in the Abruzzi in 1550 and became a mercenary soldier and a gambler who lost everything. Converted in 1575, he tried to become a Capuchin, but a diseased leg prevented him, so he served in the hospital of San Giacomo in Rome. Shocked by the neglect of patients, he founded the Ministers of the Sick, who wear a red cross. He died in 1614 and is patron of the sick, of nurses and of hospitals. In the United States this saint's memorial is kept on 18 July.

Lord God, You called St Camillus de Lellis to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

United States

Kateri Tekakwitha

Kateri was born in 1656 to a Mohawk father and an Algonquin Christian mother. Despite opposition she was baptised in 1676 and fled to the Christian mission near Montreal. She lived a life of prayer and penance, died in 1680 and was canonised in 2012.

Lord God, You drew St Kateri Tekakwitha to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Bonaventure

Bonaventure was born near Viterbo around 1217 and was named, it is said, after St Francis prayed for him as a child. He became a Franciscan, taught at Paris alongside St Thomas Aquinas, and in 1257 was elected Minister General of his order. He wrote The Journey of the Mind to God and the official life of St Francis. Made a cardinal, he died during the Council of Lyons in 1274 and is called the Seraphic Doctor.

O God, You filled St Bonaventure with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

In the twelfth century hermits settled on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land, where Elijah had prayed, and took the Virgin Mary as their patroness. They became the Carmelite order and spread through Europe. This feast was first kept by the Carmelites in the fourteenth century. Many Catholics wear the brown scapular as a sign of Mary's protection.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, as we keep the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us, that we may hear the word of God and keep it as you did, and bring us safely to your Son. Amen.

Hedwig of Poland

Hedwig, or Jadwiga, was born around 1373, daughter of King Louis of Hungary and Poland, and was crowned King of Poland in 1384. She married Grand Duke Jogaila of Lithuania, who was baptised, and Lithuania accepted the faith. She founded hospitals, supported the University of Kraków and cared for the poor. She died in 1399 after childbirth and was canonised in 1997.

Lord God, You made St Hedwig of Poland holy in the ordinary paths of life. By her prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Frederick of Utrecht

Frederick was a priest of Utrecht who became its bishop around 820. He sent missionaries to the northern Frisians and worked to strengthen Christian life. He is said to have rebuked the Empress Judith for her conduct. He was stabbed to death in 838 after celebrating Mass.

Almighty God, You gave St Frederick of Utrecht the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

United States

Camillus de Lellis

Camillus de Lellis was born in 1550 and was a soldier and gambler until his conversion in 1575. Serving in a hospital in Rome, he was shocked at the neglect of patients and founded the Ministers of the Sick to nurse them with love. His followers served the plague-stricken and wounded soldiers. He died in 1614, and in the United States his memorial is kept today.

Lord God, You called St Camillus de Lellis to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Macrina the Younger

Macrina was the eldest of ten children of a holy family in Cappadocia, among them St Basil and St Gregory of Nyssa. When her betrothed died she chose a life of virginity and turned the family estate in Pontus into a monastic community. She influenced Basil to give up worldly ambition. She died in 379, and Gregory wrote her life and a dialogue with her on the soul.

Lord God, You drew St Macrina the Younger to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Apollinaris

Apollinaris was the first Bishop of Ravenna, probably in the second century. Tradition makes him a disciple of St Peter. He suffered much for the faith and is honoured as a martyr. His basilica at Classe, near Ravenna, is famous for its sixth-century mosaics.

Almighty God, You gave St Apollinaris the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Lawrence of Brindisi

Giulio Cesare Russo was born at Brindisi in 1559 and became a Capuchin, taking the name Lawrence. He knew many languages, including Hebrew, and preached across Italy, Austria, Bohemia and Germany. As chaplain to the imperial army he rode before the troops with a crucifix at the battle of Székesfehérvár in 1601. He died in Lisbon in 1619 and was named a Doctor of the Church in 1959.

O God, You filled St Lawrence of Brindisi with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

Mary Magdalene

Mary Magdalene was healed by Jesus, who cast seven devils from her, and she followed Him with other women from Galilee. She stood by the Cross and saw where He was buried. On Easter morning she was the first to see the risen Lord, who sent her to tell the apostles (John 20:17-18). Pope Francis raised her memorial to a feast in 2016, and she is called the Apostle to the Apostles.

Lord God, You made St Mary Magdalene holy in the ordinary paths of life. By her prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Bridget of Sweden

Bridget was born in Sweden in 1303 and married Ulf Gudmarsson, with whom she had eight children, among them St Catherine of Sweden. After Ulf's death she founded the Order of the Most Holy Saviour at Vadstena. In 1350 she moved to Rome, where she urged the popes to return from Avignon and recorded her revelations. She died in Rome in 1373 and is a patron of Europe.

Lord God, You made St Bridget of Sweden holy in the ordinary paths of life. By her prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Sharbel Makhlouf

Youssef Makhlouf was born in northern Lebanon in 1828 and joined the Lebanese Maronite Order, taking the name Sharbel. Ordained priest, he lived at the monastery of Annaya and in 1875 withdrew to its hermitage. For twenty-three years he lived there in silence, prayer and work. He died on Christmas Eve 1898, and he was canonised in 1977.

Lord God, You called St Sharbel Makhlouf to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

James, Apostle

James, son of Zebedee and brother of John, was a fisherman called by Jesus by the Sea of Galilee. With Peter and John he saw the Transfiguration and the agony in Gethsemane. Herod Agrippa had him beheaded around 44, the first of the apostles to die for Christ (Acts 12:2). His shrine at Compostela in Spain has drawn pilgrims for over a thousand years.

O God, You built Your Church on the foundation of the apostles. Through the prayers of St James, keep us firm in the faith he preached and give us courage to bear witness to Christ. Amen.

Joachim and Anne

The Gospels do not name the parents of the Virgin Mary, but the second-century Protoevangelium of James calls them Joachim and Anne. Devotion to St Anne spread in the East by the sixth century and in the West in the Middle Ages. They are honoured for raising Mary in faith. Grandparents look to them as patrons.

Lord God, You made Saints Joachim and Anne holy in the ordinary paths of life. By their prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Pantaleon

Pantaleon was a physician of Nicomedia in Asia Minor who was raised a Christian, fell away and returned to the faith. He treated the poor without charge. He was martyred in the persecution of Diocletian around 305. He is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and a patron of doctors.

Almighty God, You gave St Pantaleon the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Samson of Dol

Samson was born in Wales around 485 and became a monk under St Illtud at Llantwit. He served as abbot on Caldey Island and was made a bishop. He crossed to Cornwall and then to Brittany, where he founded the monastery of Dol. He died around 565, and an early life of him survives.

Lord God, You gave St Samson of Dol to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Martha, Mary and Lazarus

Martha, Mary and Lazarus were friends of Jesus who welcomed Him at their home in Bethany. Martha served while Mary sat at His feet (Luke 10:38-42). When Lazarus died Martha confessed Him as "the Christ, the Son of the living God", and Jesus raised Lazarus from the tomb (John 11). Pope Francis added Mary and Lazarus to this memorial in 2021.

Lord God, You made St Martha holy in the ordinary paths of life. By his prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Peter Chrysologus

Peter was born at Imola around 380 and became Bishop of Ravenna around 433, when it was the imperial capital in the West. His short, vivid sermons earned him the name Chrysologus, "golden word", and 176 of them survive. He urged Eutyches to submit to the Pope's teaching on Christ's two natures. He died around 450 and was named a Doctor of the Church in 1729.

O God, You filled St Peter Chrysologus with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

Ignatius of Loyola

Íñigo de Loyola was a Basque nobleman and soldier wounded by a cannonball at Pamplona in 1521. While recovering he read lives of Christ and the saints and was converted. He wrote the Spiritual Exercises, studied at Paris and with six companions founded the Society of Jesus, approved in 1540. He died in Rome in 1556 and was canonised in 1622.

Lord God, You called St Ignatius of Loyola to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Alphonsus Liguori

Alphonsus Liguori was born near Naples in 1696 and became a lawyer at sixteen, but left the courts after losing a case through an oversight. As a priest he preached to the poor of the countryside and in 1732 founded the Redemptorists. He wrote on moral theology, prayer and Mary, including The Glories of Mary. Bishop of Sant'Agata dei Goti for thirteen years, he died in 1787 and is a Doctor of the Church.

O God, You filled St Alphonsus Liguori with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

Eusebius of Vercelli and Peter Julian Eymard

Eusebius was born in Sardinia and became the first Bishop of Vercelli around 345, living with his clergy under a common rule. For defending St Athanasius and the Nicene faith he was exiled to the East by the emperor Constantius. He returned to restore the faith in northern Italy and died in 371. Peter Julian Eymard was a French priest, born in 1811, who founded the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament to spread adoration of the Eucharist; he died in 1868 and was canonised in 1962.

Lord God, You made St Eusebius a steadfast shepherd and St Peter Julian Eymard a lover of the Holy Eucharist. By their prayers, keep us firm in the faith and devoted to Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. Amen.

Lydia

Lydia was a seller of purple cloth from Thyatira, living at Philippi in Macedonia. She worshipped God and was praying by the river when she heard St Paul preach. "The Lord opened her heart", and she and her household were baptised, the first converts in Europe (Acts 16:14-15). She then welcomed Paul and his companions into her home.

Lord God, You made St Lydia holy in the ordinary paths of life. By her prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

John Vianney

John Vianney was born near Lyons in 1786 and struggled so much with Latin that he was nearly refused ordination. In 1818 he was sent to the small village of Ars, where he spent the rest of his life. He preached simply, fasted, and spent up to sixteen hours a day in the confessional as pilgrims came from all over France. He died in 1859, was canonised in 1925 and is patron of parish priests.

Lord God, You called St John Vianney to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

The Dedication of the Basilica of St Mary Major

The Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome was built by Pope Sixtus III after the Council of Ephesus in 431 proclaimed Mary Mother of God. It is the oldest church in the West dedicated to Our Lady, and its mosaics of the infancy of Christ date from that time. A later legend tells that its site was marked by a summer snowfall, so the feast was once called Our Lady of the Snows. It keeps the venerated icon Salus Populi Romani.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, as we keep the feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St Mary Major, pray for us, that we may hear the word of God and keep it as you did, and bring us safely to your Son. Amen.

The Transfiguration of the Lord

Jesus took Peter, James and John up a high mountain and was transfigured before them, His face shining like the sun. Moses and Elijah appeared, speaking with Him of His coming death in Jerusalem. A bright cloud overshadowed them and the Father's voice said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him" (Matt 17:5). The feast strengthens us to follow Christ through the Cross to glory.

Lord Jesus Christ, as we keep this feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, open our eyes to Your glory and our hearts to Your love. Make us faithful to You in all things, who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

Sixtus II and Cajetan

Sixtus II became Pope in 257, and in 258 the emperor Valerian ordered the execution of Christian clergy. Soldiers seized Sixtus while he was teaching in a cemetery on the Appian Way, and he was beheaded with four of his deacons; St Lawrence followed days later. Cajetan, born at Vicenza in 1480, was a priest who in 1524 co-founded the Theatines to renew the clergy. He opened pawnshops to protect the poor from moneylenders and died in Naples in 1547.

Almighty God, You gave St Sixtus and his deacons the strength to die for Christ, and You made St Cajetan a faithful priest and friend of the poor. By their prayers, keep us faithful and generous in Your service. Amen.

Dominic

Dominic de Guzmán was born in Castile around 1170 and became a canon of Osma. Travelling in southern France, he saw the spread of the Albigensian heresy and resolved to answer it with preaching and poverty. In 1216 he founded the Order of Preachers, sending his friars to the universities and cities. He died at Bologna in 1221 and was canonised in 1234.

Lord God, You called St Dominic to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

Edith Stein was born into a Jewish family at Breslau in 1891 and became a brilliant philosopher, a student of Edmund Husserl. After reading the life of St Teresa of Ávila she was baptised in 1922. In 1933 she entered the Carmel of Cologne, taking the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, and later moved to Echt in the Netherlands for safety. She was arrested by the Nazis and murdered at Auschwitz in 1942; she is a patron of Europe.

Almighty God, You gave St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By her prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Lawrence

Lawrence was one of the seven deacons of Rome under Pope Sixtus II, in charge of the Church's goods and care of the poor. When ordered to hand over the Church's treasures, tradition says he gathered the poor and sick and said, "These are the treasures of the Church." He was martyred in 258, a few days after the Pope. St Ambrose and St Augustine praised his courage, and he is named in the Roman Canon.

Almighty God, You gave St Lawrence the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Clare

Clare was born in Assisi in 1194 to a noble family. Inspired by St Francis, she left home secretly on Palm Sunday night in 1212 and received the habit from him. With her sister Agnes and others she founded the Poor Ladies at San Damiano, living in strict poverty, and she wrote the first rule for women approved by a pope. She died in 1253 and was canonised two years later.

Lord God, You drew St Clare to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Jane Frances de Chantal

Jane Frances Frémyot was born at Dijon in 1572 and married the Baron de Chantal, with whom she had six children. Widowed at twenty-eight, she placed herself under the direction of St Francis de Sales. In 1610 they founded the Visitation at Annecy, for women who could not bear severe austerities. By her death in 1641 there were more than eighty convents, and she was canonised in 1767.

Lord God, You drew St Jane Frances de Chantal to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Pontian and Hippolytus

Pontian was Bishop of Rome from 230, and Hippolytus was a learned Roman priest who had opposed several popes and set himself up as a rival. In 235 the emperor Maximinus exiled both to the mines of Sardinia. Hippolytus was reconciled to the Church, and Pontian resigned so that a successor could be chosen. Both died there, and their bodies were brought back to Rome.

Almighty God, You gave Saints Pontian and Hippolytus the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By their prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Maximilian Kolbe

Raymond Kolbe was born in Poland in 1894 and became a Franciscan, taking the name Maximilian. He founded the Militia of the Immaculata and a large friary near Warsaw that published Catholic papers, and he worked as a missionary in Japan. Arrested by the Nazis, he was sent to Auschwitz in 1941, where he offered his life in place of Franciszek Gajowniczek, a husband and father. He died in a starvation bunker and was canonised as a martyr in 1982.

Almighty God, You gave St Maximilian Kolbe the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Church believes that Mary, at the end of her earthly life, was taken up body and soul into the glory of heaven. The feast was kept in Jerusalem and the East from the fifth century and in Rome from the seventh. Pope Pius XII solemnly defined the doctrine in 1950. Mary's Assumption is a sign of hope for the resurrection of all who belong to Christ.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, as we keep the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, pray for us, that we may hear the word of God and keep it as you did, and bring us safely to your Son. Amen.

Stephen of Hungary

Vajk was born around 975, son of the Hungarian ruler Géza, and was baptised Stephen. In 1000 or 1001 he was crowned the first King of Hungary with a crown sent by Pope Sylvester II. He established dioceses and monasteries, gave laws and worked to make Hungary a Christian nation. He died in 1038 and was canonised in 1083.

Lord God, You made St Stephen of Hungary holy in the ordinary paths of life. By his prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Hyacinth

Hyacinth was born in Silesia around 1185 and became a canon of Kraków. In Rome around 1220 he received the Dominican habit from St Dominic himself. He brought the order to Poland and preached across eastern Europe as far as Kiev. He died in Kraków in 1257 and was canonised in 1594.

Lord God, You called St Hyacinth to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Helena

Helena was born around 250 in humble circumstances and became the mother of Constantine the Great. She became a Christian, probably after his victory in 312, and was honoured as empress. Around 326 she travelled to the Holy Land, where she founded churches at Bethlehem and on the Mount of Olives. Later tradition credits her with finding the True Cross, and she died around 330.

Lord God, You made St Helena holy in the ordinary paths of life. By her prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

John Eudes

John Eudes was born in Normandy in 1601 and joined the Oratory of France. He preached more than a hundred missions and nursed plague victims. In 1643 he founded the Congregation of Jesus and Mary to train priests, and also a community to care for women leaving prostitution. He promoted devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, died in 1680 and was canonised in 1925.

Lord God, You called St John Eudes to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Bernard

Bernard was born near Dijon in 1090 and entered the poor new monastery of Cîteaux in 1112, bringing about thirty relatives and friends. In 1115 he founded Clairvaux and became its abbot. He was the most influential churchman of his age, healing a papal schism, preaching the Second Crusade and writing on the love of God and the Song of Songs. He died in 1153, was canonised in 1174 and is called the Mellifluous Doctor.

O God, You filled St Bernard with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

Pius X

Giuseppe Sarto was born at Riese in the Veneto in 1835, the son of a postman. He served as parish priest, Bishop of Mantua and Patriarch of Venice before his election as Pope in 1903. He encouraged frequent Communion, allowed children to receive it from the age of reason, renewed Church music and opposed Modernism. He died in 1914, at the start of the First World War, and was canonised in 1954.

Lord God, You gave St Pius X to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

The Queenship of Mary

Pope Pius XII established the feast of the Queenship of Mary in 1954. It was moved to the octave day of the Assumption in 1969. As Mother of Christ the King, Mary shares in His reign and intercedes for her children. The Church greets her as Queen in the Salve Regina and the Litany of Loreto.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, as we keep the feast of the Queenship of Mary, pray for us, that we may hear the word of God and keep it as you did, and bring us safely to your Son. Amen.

Rose of Lima

Isabel Flores de Oliva was born in Lima in 1586 and was called Rose for her beauty. She refused marriage and became a Dominican tertiary, living in a small hut in her family's garden. She sewed and grew flowers to support her family and cared for the sick and poor in her home. She died at thirty-one in 1617 and in 1671 became the first canonised saint of the Americas.

Lord God, You drew St Rose of Lima to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Bartholomew, Apostle

Bartholomew is named among the Twelve in the first three Gospels and is usually identified with Nathanael of Cana. When Philip brought him to Jesus, the Lord said, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile" (John 1:47), and Nathanael confessed Him as Son of God. Tradition says he preached in India and Armenia. He is said to have been flayed alive and martyred.

O God, You built Your Church on the foundation of the apostles. Through the prayers of St Bartholomew, keep us firm in the faith he preached and give us courage to bear witness to Christ. Amen.

Louis and Joseph Calasanz

Louis IX became King of France in 1226 at the age of twelve and ruled with justice and charity, feeding the poor at his own table. He built the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris to house the Crown of Thorns. He died of illness near Tunis on crusade in 1270 and was canonised in 1297. Joseph Calasanz was a Spanish priest who opened the first free public school in Europe in Rome in 1597, founded the Piarists, and died in 1648.

Lord God, You made Saints Louis and Joseph Calasanz holy in the ordinary paths of life. By their prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Teresa of Jesus Jornet

Teresa Jornet Ibars was born in Catalonia in 1843 and worked as a teacher before trying religious life with the Poor Clares. In 1873 she founded the Little Sisters of the Abandoned Elderly to care for old people with no one to look after them. She opened more than a hundred homes in Spain and Latin America and nursed the sick through a cholera epidemic. She died in 1897 and was canonised in 1974.

Lord God, You drew St Teresa of Jesus Jornet to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Monica

Monica was born in North Africa around 331 and married Patricius, a pagan with a violent temper, who was baptised before he died. For years she prayed and wept for her son Augustine, who had left the faith. A bishop told her, "It is not possible that the son of so many tears should perish." She followed Augustine to Milan, saw his baptism in 387 and died at Ostia on the way home.

Lord God, You made St Monica holy in the ordinary paths of life. By her prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Augustine

Augustine was born at Thagaste in North Africa in 354 and became a brilliant teacher of rhetoric, though he long lived a disordered life. Moved by his mother's prayers and the preaching of St Ambrose, he was baptised at Milan in 387. He became Bishop of Hippo in 396 and wrote the Confessions, The City of God and works on the Trinity and grace. He died in 430 while the Vandals besieged the city and is a Doctor of the Church.

O God, You filled St Augustine with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

The Passion of St John the Baptist

John the Baptist rebuked King Herod Antipas for taking Herodias, his brother's wife. Herod imprisoned him at the fortress of Machaerus. At a feast Herodias's daughter danced, and at her mother's prompting asked for John's head on a dish (Mark 6:17-29). John died as a witness to truth and to the holiness of marriage.

Lord Jesus Christ, as we keep this feast of the Passion of St John the Baptist, open our eyes to Your glory and our hearts to Your love. Make us faithful to You in all things, who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

Jeanne Jugan

Jeanne Jugan was born in Brittany in 1792 and worked as a servant. In 1839 she carried a blind, paralysed old woman home and gave her her own bed, the beginning of the Little Sisters of the Poor. The sisters cared for the elderly poor, begging door to door for their needs. Sidelined by a priest who took over the community, she spent her last twenty-seven years in obscurity, died in 1879 and was canonised in 2009.

Lord God, You drew St Jeanne Jugan to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Raymond Nonnatus

Raymond was born in Catalonia around 1204 and was called Nonnatus, "not born", because he was delivered after his mother's death. He joined the Mercedarians, an order founded to ransom Christians held captive. In North Africa he gave himself as a hostage, and tradition says his lips were pierced and padlocked to stop him preaching. He died in 1240 and is patron of midwives and expectant mothers.

Lord God, You called St Raymond Nonnatus to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

England and Wales

Aidan

Aidan was an Irish monk of Iona sent to Northumbria at the request of King Oswald in 635. He founded a monastery on the island of Lindisfarne and became its bishop. He travelled on foot, preaching and redeeming slaves, while the king interpreted his Irish into English. Bede praises his gentleness and humility, and he died in 651.

Lord God, You gave St Aidan to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Giles

Giles was a hermit in Provence in the seventh or eighth century. Legend tells that a hind sheltered with him and fed him, and that a king hunting it wounded Giles with an arrow, then built him a monastery. The abbey of Saint-Gilles became a major stop for pilgrims to Compostela. He is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and patron of people with disabilities.

Lord God, You called St Giles to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Solomon Leclercq

Solomon Leclercq was born at Boulogne-sur-Mer in 1745 and joined the Brothers of the Christian Schools, serving as teacher, novice master and secretary of the institute. During the French Revolution he refused to take the oath required of clergy. He was arrested in Paris and killed with many priests at the Carmelite convent in the massacres of September 1792. He was beatified in 1926 and canonised in 2016.

Almighty God, You gave St Solomon Leclercq the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Gregory the Great

Gregory was born in Rome around 540 and served as prefect of the city before becoming a monk in his family home. As Pope from 590 he fed the people in famine and plague, negotiated with the Lombards and organised the Church's lands for the poor. He sent St Augustine to England, wrote the Pastoral Rule and the Dialogues, and called himself "servant of the servants of God". He died in 604 and is a Doctor of the Church.

O God, You filled St Gregory the Great with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

Rose of Viterbo

Rose was born at Viterbo around 1233 and as a girl preached publicly in the streets for the Pope against the supporters of the emperor Frederick II. Her family was exiled for a time. She asked to enter the Poor Clares but was refused, and lived a life of prayer at home. She died young in 1251, and her incorrupt body is kept at Viterbo.

Lord God, You drew St Rose of Viterbo to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

England and Wales

Cuthbert

Cuthbert was a shepherd boy who became a monk at Melrose and later prior of Lindisfarne. He made long preaching journeys through Northumbria and lived as a hermit on the island of Farne. Made Bishop of Lindisfarne in 685, he died in 687. His body, later found incorrupt, now rests in Durham Cathedral, and England keeps his feast today.

Lord God, You gave St Cuthbert to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Teresa of Calcutta

Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu was born at Skopje in 1910 and went to India as a Loreto sister, teaching in Calcutta. In 1946 she felt called to serve the poorest of the poor, and in 1950 founded the Missionaries of Charity. Her sisters cared for the dying, lepers, orphans and the abandoned in many countries. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, died in 1997 and was canonised in 2016.

Lord God, You drew St Teresa of Calcutta to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Zechariah, Prophet

Zechariah was a prophet of Israel who preached in Jerusalem around 520 BC, after the return from exile in Babylon. With Haggai he urged the people to rebuild the Temple. His book contains visions of hope and the prophecy of a king coming "poor, and riding upon an ass" (Zach 9:9), fulfilled on Palm Sunday. The Roman Martyrology honours him on this day.

Lord God, You sent the prophet Zechariah to give Your people hope and to foretell the coming of their humble King. By his prayers, help us to welcome Christ with joy and to build up Your Church. Amen.

Cloud

Clodoald, or Cloud, was a grandson of King Clovis, born around 522. When his uncles murdered his brothers to seize their kingdom, he escaped and gave up all claim to the throne. He became a hermit and priest and founded a monastery near Paris at the place now called Saint-Cloud. He died around 560.

Lord God, You called St Cloud to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Church celebrates the birth of the Virgin Mary, chosen to be the Mother of the Saviour. The feast began in the East, perhaps at the dedication of a church in Jerusalem, and was kept in Rome by the seventh century. It is set nine months after the Immaculate Conception. Mary's birth is the dawn that announces the Sun of Justice.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, as we keep the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, pray for us, that we may hear the word of God and keep it as you did, and bring us safely to your Son. Amen.

Peter Claver

Peter Claver was born in Catalonia in 1580 and joined the Jesuits. Inspired by St Alphonsus Rodríguez, he went to Cartagena in present-day Colombia, the chief slave port of the Spanish Americas. For nearly forty years he met each ship, bringing food, medicine and the faith to enslaved Africans, and called himself "the slave of the slaves forever". He died in 1654 and was canonised in 1888.

Lord God, You called St Peter Claver to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Nicholas of Tolentino

Nicholas was born at Sant'Angelo in Pontano around 1245 and joined the Augustinian friars. He spent thirty years at Tolentino, preaching, hearing confessions and visiting the sick and the poor. He was known for his prayer for the souls in purgatory. He died in 1305 and was canonised in 1446.

Lord God, You called St Nicholas of Tolentino to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

John Gabriel Perboyre

John Gabriel Perboyre was born in southern France in 1802 and joined the Vincentians. In 1835 he went as a missionary to China. Betrayed during a persecution in 1839, he was tortured for months and strangled on a cross at Wuchang in 1840. He was the first martyr of China to be canonised, in 1996.

Almighty God, You gave St John Gabriel Perboyre the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

The Most Holy Name of Mary

The feast of the Holy Name of Mary began in Spain in 1513. Pope Innocent XI extended it to the whole Church after the victory over the Turkish army at Vienna on 12 September 1683, credited to Mary's intercession. It was removed from the calendar in 1969 and restored in 2002. St Bernard taught that in danger we should think of Mary and call on her name.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, as we keep the feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary, pray for us, that we may hear the word of God and keep it as you did, and bring us safely to your Son. Amen.

John Chrysostom

John was born at Antioch around 349 and became a monk and then a priest there. His preaching was so powerful that he was later called Chrysostom, "golden mouth". Made Archbishop of Constantinople in 398, he reformed the clergy and denounced the luxury of the court, which led to his exile. He died on the way to further exile in 407 and is a Doctor of the Church.

O God, You filled St John Chrysostom with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross

The feast recalls the dedication in 335 of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built by Constantine over the place of Christ's death and burial. It also recalls the recovery of the relic of the True Cross from the Persians by the emperor Heraclius in 628. The Cross, once a sign of shame, has become the sign of our salvation. "We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world."

Lord Jesus Christ, as we keep this feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, open our eyes to Your glory and our hearts to Your love. Make us faithful to You in all things, who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

Our Lady of Sorrows

Simeon told Mary that a sword would pierce her soul (Luke 2:35). Mary stood by the Cross of her Son and shared in His Passion as no one else could. The Church honours her Seven Sorrows, from Simeon's prophecy to Christ's burial. The Stabat Mater, a medieval hymn, is sung on this day.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, as we keep the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us, that we may hear the word of God and keep it as you did, and bring us safely to your Son. Amen.

Cornelius and Cyprian

Cornelius was elected Pope in 251 after the persecution of Decius and taught that repentant apostates could be readmitted to the Church after penance. He was exiled to Centumcellae, where he died in 253. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, supported him against the rival Novatian, and wrote on the unity of the Church. Cyprian was beheaded in 258, and both are named in the Roman Canon.

Almighty God, You gave Saints Cornelius and Cyprian the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By their prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Scotland

Ninian

Ninian was a Briton who, according to Bede, was instructed in the faith at Rome. He became a bishop and built a stone church at Whithorn in Galloway, known as the White House. From there he preached to the southern Picts. He probably lived in the fifth century and is a patron of Scotland.

Lord God, You gave St Ninian to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Robert Bellarmine

Robert Bellarmine was born at Montepulciano in 1542 and joined the Jesuits. He taught theology at Louvain and Rome, and his Controversies became the leading defence of Catholic teaching against the Reformers. He wrote catechisms used for centuries and was made a cardinal and Archbishop of Capua. He died in 1621, was canonised in 1930 and is a Doctor of the Church.

O God, You filled St Robert Bellarmine with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

Hildegard of Bingen

Hildegard was born in the Rhineland in 1098 and as a child was entrusted to the anchoress Jutta at Disibodenberg. She became abbess in 1136 and later founded a convent at Rupertsberg near Bingen. Her visions, recorded in Scivias, her music, and her writings on medicine and nature were admired in her lifetime, and she corresponded with popes, emperors and St Bernard. She died in 1179, and Pope Benedict XVI declared her a saint and a Doctor of the Church in 2012.

O God, You filled St Hildegard of Bingen with wisdom to teach Your people. By her prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

Joseph of Cupertino

Joseph Desa was born at Cupertino in 1603 to a poor family and was considered dull and clumsy. After being dismissed by the Capuchins, he was accepted by the Conventual Franciscans and ordained in 1628. He was known for ecstasies in which he was seen to rise from the ground, which led Church authorities to move him from friary to friary. He died at Osimo in 1663 and was canonised in 1767.

Lord God, You called St Joseph of Cupertino to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Januarius

Januarius was Bishop of Benevento, martyred near Naples during the persecution of Diocletian around 305. His relics are kept in Naples Cathedral. A vial said to contain his dried blood has been seen to liquefy on his feast and other days since at least 1389. He is the patron of Naples.

Almighty God, You gave St Januarius the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

England and Wales

Theodore of Canterbury

Theodore was a Greek monk from Tarsus, studying in Rome, when Pope Vitalian made him Archbishop of Canterbury in 668, at about sixty-six. With the abbot Adrian he founded a famous school at Canterbury. He visited all of England, held the Synod of Hertford in 672 and organised the English Church into dioceses. He died in 690 at the age of eighty-eight.

Lord God, You gave St Theodore of Canterbury to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Andrew Kim Tae-gon and Companions

Andrew Kim Tae-gon was born in 1821 to a noble Korean Catholic family; his father was martyred. He studied in Macau and in 1845 became the first Korean-born priest. Arrested while arranging the entry of missionaries, he was beheaded near Seoul in 1846 at twenty-five. With him the Church honours Paul Chong Ha-sang and 101 other martyrs of Korea, canonised in 1984.

Almighty God, You gave Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gon and Companions the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By their prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist

Levi, also called Matthew, was a tax collector at Capernaum who rose and followed Jesus when He called him. He held a feast where Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners (Matt 9:9-13). The first Gospel bears his name, written especially for Jewish Christians. Tradition holds that he preached in the East and died a martyr.

O God, You built Your Church on the foundation of the apostles. Through the prayers of St Matthew, keep us firm in the faith he preached and give us courage to bear witness to Christ. Amen.

Thomas of Villanova

Thomas was born in Castile in 1488, studied at Alcalá and joined the Augustinians. Made Archbishop of Valencia in 1544, he lived simply and gave almost all his income to the poor, the sick and orphans. He founded a college for poor students and worked for the instruction of converted Moors. He died in 1555 and was canonised in 1658.

Lord God, You gave St Thomas of Villanova to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Pio of Pietrelcina

Francesco Forgione was born at Pietrelcina in southern Italy in 1887 and became a Capuchin friar, taking the name Pio. In 1918 at San Giovanni Rotondo he received the stigmata, which he bore for fifty years. He spent long hours hearing confessions and founded a large hospital, the House for the Relief of Suffering. He died in 1968 and was canonised in 2002.

Lord God, You called St Pio of Pietrelcina to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Gerard Sagredo

Gerard was a Venetian monk who set out on pilgrimage to Jerusalem around 1015 but was persuaded by King St Stephen to stay in Hungary as tutor to his son. He became the first Bishop of Csanád. After Stephen's death a pagan revolt broke out. Gerard was killed at Buda in 1046 and is honoured as a martyr.

Almighty God, You gave St Gerard Sagredo the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

England and Wales

Our Lady of Walsingham

In 1061, according to tradition, the Saxon noblewoman Richeldis built at Walsingham in Norfolk a replica of the Holy House of Nazareth. It became the greatest shrine of Our Lady in England, visited by kings. It was destroyed in 1538 under Henry VIII. Pilgrimage revived in the twentieth century, and the Slipper Chapel is now the national shrine of Our Lady in England.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, as we keep the feast of Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us, that we may hear the word of God and keep it as you did, and bring us safely to your Son. Amen.

Finbarr

Finbarr was born in Connacht in the sixth century and trained as a monk. He lived for a time as a hermit at Gougane Barra. Around 600 he founded a monastery and school on the banks of the River Lee, which grew into the city of Cork. He died around 623 and is patron of Cork.

Lord God, You gave St Finbarr to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Cosmas and Damian

Cosmas and Damian were twin brothers, physicians in Syria, who treated the sick without charge and so were called "the unmercenaries". They were martyred, probably under Diocletian around 303. Their basilica in the Roman Forum was dedicated in the sixth century. They are named in the Roman Canon and are patrons of doctors.

Almighty God, You gave Saints Cosmas and Damian the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By their prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Canada

Jean de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues and Companions

Between 1642 and 1649 eight French missionaries were killed in North America: the Jesuit priests Jean de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues, Antoine Daniel, Gabriel Lalemant, Charles Garnier and Noël Chabanel, and the lay helpers René Goupil and Jean de La Lande. They had served the Huron and other nations, learning their languages. They were canonised in 1930, and Pope Pius XII named them patrons of Canada in 1940. Their shrine is at Midland, Ontario.

Almighty God, You gave Saints Jean de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues and Companions the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By their prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Vincent de Paul

Vincent de Paul was born in Gascony in 1581 to a peasant family. After a worldly start as a priest, he gave himself to the poor, preaching missions in the countryside and caring for galley slaves. He founded the Congregation of the Mission for priests in 1625 and, with St Louise de Marillac, the Daughters of Charity in 1633. He died in 1660 and is patron of charitable works.

Lord God, You called St Vincent de Paul to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Wenceslaus

Wenceslaus was Duke of Bohemia, born around 907 and raised as a Christian by his grandmother St Ludmila. He ruled justly, helped the poor and supported the Church. In 935 he was murdered by his brother Boleslaus on the way to Mass. He is patron of the Czech lands.

Almighty God, You gave St Wenceslaus the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Lawrence Ruiz and Companions

Lawrence Ruiz was born in Manila around 1600 to a Chinese father and a Filipina mother, and worked as a clerk and calligrapher for the Dominicans. A married man with three children, he fled the Philippines in 1636 after being falsely accused of a crime, sailing with Dominican missionaries to Japan. Arrested and tortured, he refused to renounce his faith and died at Nagasaki in 1637. He and fifteen companions were canonised in 1987, and he is the first Filipino saint.

Almighty God, You gave Saints Lawrence Ruiz and Companions the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By their prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels

The Church honours the three archangels named in Scripture. Michael, whose name means "Who is like God?", is the leader of the heavenly host who defends God's people (Apoc 12:7). Gabriel brought the message of the Incarnation to Mary, and Raphael guided and healed the young Tobias. Their feast reminds us of the angels' care for us.

Holy angels of God, on this feast of Michael, guard us in our trials, guide us in the way of salvation, and help us to praise God with you for ever. Amen.

Jerome

Jerome was born in Dalmatia around 342 and studied in Rome. After years as a hermit in the Syrian desert he became secretary to Pope Damasus, who asked him to revise the Latin Bible. Settling at Bethlehem in 386, he translated most of the Old Testament from Hebrew, the version later called the Vulgate, and wrote many commentaries. He died in 420 and is a Doctor of the Church and patron of Scripture scholars.

O God, You filled St Jerome with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

Thérèse of Lisieux

Thérèse Martin was born at Alençon in 1873 and entered the Carmel of Lisieux at fifteen. She taught the "little way" of doing small things with great love and trust in God. She died of tuberculosis at twenty-four in 1897, and her autobiography, Story of a Soul, made her loved worldwide; she is a Doctor of the Church.

O God, You filled St Thérèse of Lisieux with wisdom to teach Your people. By her prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

The Holy Guardian Angels

The Church teaches that from birth each person has an angel to guard and guide them on the way to God. Jesus warned against despising little ones, "for their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father" (Matt 18:10). This feast was extended to the whole Church in 1670. Children have long learned the prayer "Angel of God, my guardian dear".

Holy angels of God, on this feast of the Holy Guardian Angels, guard us in our trials, guide us in the way of salvation, and help us to praise God with you for ever. Amen.

Gerard of Brogne

Gerard was a nobleman of the county of Namur who served at court before giving himself to God. He founded an abbey on his estate at Brogne around 919 and became its abbot. With the support of the local princes he went on to reform many monasteries in Flanders and Lorraine, restoring the Rule of St Benedict. He died in 959.

Lord God, You called St Gerard of Brogne to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

United States

Theodore Guérin

Anne-Thérèse Guérin was born in Brittany in 1798 and became a Sister of Providence. In 1840 she led a small group to the forests of Indiana, where she founded Saint Mary-of-the-Woods and many schools. She died in 1856 and was canonised in 2006.

Lord God, You drew St Theodore Guérin to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Francis of Assisi

Francis was the son of a rich cloth merchant of Assisi, born around 1181. He embraced radical poverty, heard Christ ask him to rebuild His Church, and founded the Friars Minor. He received the stigmata in 1224 and died in 1226.

Lord God, You called St Francis of Assisi to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Faustina Kowalska

Helena Kowalska was born in Poland in 1905 and joined the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. In her diary she recorded Christ's message of Divine Mercy and the image "Jesus, I trust in You". She died in 1938 and was canonised in 2000.

Lord God, You drew St Faustina Kowalska to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Bruno

Bruno was born in Cologne around 1030 and was for many years master of the cathedral school at Reims. Refusing to be made archbishop, he withdrew with six companions, and in 1084 St Hugh of Grenoble gave them the wild valley of the Chartreuse. There he founded the Carthusians, who combine the life of hermits with life in community. Called to Rome by his former pupil Pope Urban II, he died in Calabria in 1101.

Lord God, You called St Bruno to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Our Lady of the Rosary

Pope Pius V instituted a feast of Our Lady of Victory after the Christian victory over the Turkish fleet at Lepanto on 7 October 1571, and Gregory XIII renamed it the feast of the Holy Rosary in 1573. The victory was credited to the Rosary prayed across Christendom. The feast invites us to meditate on the mysteries of Christ with Mary.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, as we keep the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us, that we may hear the word of God and keep it as you did, and bring us safely to your Son. Amen.

Simeon

Simeon was the just and devout man of Jerusalem to whom the Holy Spirit revealed that he would see the Christ before he died. He took the infant Jesus in his arms in the Temple and sang the Nunc Dimittis (Luke 2:29-32). He also foretold that a sword would pierce Mary's soul.

Lord God, You made St Simeon holy in the ordinary paths of life. By his prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Denis and Companions, and John Leonardi

Denis was sent from Rome to evangelise Gaul and became the first Bishop of Paris; he was beheaded with the priest Rusticus and the deacon Eleutherius around 258. John Leonardi was a pharmacist of Lucca who became a priest and founded the Clerics Regular of the Mother of God. He died in 1609 while nursing the sick.

Almighty God, You gave St Denis and his companions the strength to die for Christ, and You made St John Leonardi a faithful priest who served the sick. By their prayers, keep us faithful and generous in Your service. Amen.

England and Wales

John Henry Newman

John Henry Newman was born in London in 1801 and was a leader of the Oxford Movement in the Church of England. He became a Catholic in 1845, founded the Birmingham Oratory and was made a cardinal in 1879. He died in 1890 and was canonised in 2019.

Lord God, You called St John Henry Newman to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Paulinus of York

Paulinus was a Roman monk sent to England by Pope Gregory the Great in 601. In 625 he went north as chaplain to the Kentish princess Ethelburga, bride of King Edwin of Northumbria. He baptised Edwin at York at Easter 627 and many of his people in the rivers. After Edwin was killed in battle in 633 he returned to Kent, became Bishop of Rochester and died in 644.

Lord God, You gave St Paulinus of York to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

John XXIII

Angelo Roncalli was born to a farming family near Bergamo in 1881 and served as a papal diplomat in Bulgaria, Turkey and France. Elected Pope in 1958, he called the Second Vatican Council. He died in 1963 and was canonised in 2014.

Lord God, You gave St John XXIII to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Seraphin of Montegranaro

Seraphin was a poor shepherd boy of the Marche who became a Capuchin lay brother. He served humbly as porter and gardener and was sought out by many for his wisdom and prayer. He died in 1604 and was canonised in 1767.

Lord God, You called St Seraphin of Montegranaro to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

England and Wales

Wilfrid

Wilfrid was a Northumbrian monk who argued for the Roman date of Easter at the Synod of Whitby in 664. As Bishop of York he founded monasteries at Ripon and Hexham, and he preached to the South Saxons. He died in 709.

Lord God, You gave St Wilfrid to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Edward the Confessor

Edward was born around 1003, son of King Ethelred, and spent many years in exile in Normandy. He became King of England in 1042 and was known for his piety, his gentleness and his generosity to the poor. He rebuilt Westminster Abbey, which was consecrated just before his death in January 1066. He was canonised in 1161, and his shrine remains at Westminster.

Lord God, You made St Edward the Confessor holy in the ordinary paths of life. By his prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Callistus I

Callistus was a former slave who became a deacon in charge of the Christian cemetery on the Appian Way, which still bears his name. As Pope from about 217 he showed mercy to repentant sinners. He was martyred around 222.

Almighty God, You gave St Callistus I the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Teresa of Ávila

Teresa was born at Ávila in 1515 and entered the Carmelites. She reformed her order, founding the Discalced Carmelites with St John of the Cross. She wrote The Interior Castle, died in 1582, and was the first woman named a Doctor of the Church.

O God, You filled St Teresa of Ávila with wisdom to teach Your people. By her prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

Hedwig and Margaret Mary Alacoque

Hedwig was Duchess of Silesia who, after her husband's death, lived as a religious at Trebnitz; she died in 1243. Margaret Mary Alacoque was a Visitation nun at Paray-le-Monial. Christ revealed to her His Sacred Heart, and she died in 1690.

Lord God, You drew Saints Hedwig and Margaret Mary Alacoque to give their whole lives to You. By their prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Canada

Marguerite d'Youville

Marguerite d'Youville was born in Quebec in 1701 and was widowed young. She founded the Grey Nuns to care for the poor and sick, and ran the General Hospital of Montreal. She died in 1771 and was the first person born in Canada to be canonised, in 1990.

Lord God, You drew St Marguerite d'Youville to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Ignatius of Antioch

Ignatius was Bishop of Antioch and was taken to Rome to die in the arena around 107. On the way he wrote seven letters to churches, which witness to the early Church's faith in the Eucharist and the bishop. He called himself "the wheat of God".

Almighty God, You gave St Ignatius of Antioch the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Luke, Evangelist

Luke was a physician from Antioch, according to tradition, and a companion of St Paul on his journeys (Col 4:14). He wrote the third Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. His Gospel alone tells of the Annunciation, the Visitation and the shepherds at Bethlehem, and parables such as the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan. Tradition calls him a painter of the Virgin, and he is patron of doctors and artists.

O God, You built Your Church on the foundation of the apostles. Through the prayers of St Luke, keep us firm in the faith he preached and give us courage to bear witness to Christ. Amen.

Paul of the Cross

Paul Danei was born in Liguria in 1694 and, after a period as a soldier, lived a life of prayer and penance. In 1720 he began to found the Congregation of the Passion, whose members vow to keep alive the memory of Christ's sufferings. He preached missions throughout central Italy and was a sought-after spiritual guide. He died in Rome in 1775 and was canonised in 1867. In the United States this saint's memorial is kept on 20 October.

Lord God, You called St Paul of the Cross to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

United States

Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brébeuf and Companions

Eight French Jesuits and lay missionaries were killed in North America between 1642 and 1649. They worked among the Huron and other nations in New France and New York. They were canonised in 1930 and are known as the North American Martyrs.

Almighty God, You gave Saints Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brébeuf and Companions the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By their prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

England and Wales

Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brébeuf and Companions

Eight French Jesuits and lay missionaries were killed in North America between 1642 and 1649: the priests Jean de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues, Antoine Daniel, Gabriel Lalemant, Charles Garnier and Noël Chabanel, and the lay helpers René Goupil and Jean de La Lande. They worked among the Huron and other nations in New France and what is now New York State, learning their languages. They were canonised in 1930.

Almighty God, You gave Saints Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brébeuf and Companions the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By their prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Scotland

Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brébeuf and Companions

Eight French Jesuits and lay missionaries were killed in North America between 1642 and 1649: the priests Jean de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues, Antoine Daniel, Gabriel Lalemant, Charles Garnier and Noël Chabanel, and the lay helpers René Goupil and Jean de La Lande. They worked among the Huron and other nations in New France and what is now New York State, learning their languages. They were canonised in 1930.

Almighty God, You gave Saints Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brébeuf and Companions the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By their prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Maria Bertilla Boscardin

Anna Boscardin was a peasant girl of the Veneto, thought slow by her neighbours. She joined the Sisters of St Dorothy and nursed the sick, including soldiers in the First World War. She died in 1922 and was canonised in 1961.

Lord God, You drew St Maria Bertilla Boscardin to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

United States

Paul of the Cross

Paul Danei was born in Liguria in 1694 and lived a life of prayer and penance from his youth. In 1720 he began to found the Congregation of the Passion, whose members vow to keep alive the memory of Christ's sufferings. He preached missions throughout central Italy and died in Rome in 1775. In the United States his memorial is kept today.

Lord God, You called St Paul of the Cross to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Hilarion

Hilarion was born near Gaza around 291 and studied at Alexandria, where he became a Christian. He visited St Anthony in the desert and returned to live as a hermit in Palestine, bringing monastic life there. Crowds seeking healing drove him to seek solitude in Egypt, Sicily, Dalmatia and finally Cyprus. He died there around 371, and St Jerome wrote his life.

Lord God, You called St Hilarion to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

John Paul II

Karol Wojtyła was born at Wadowice in Poland in 1920 and trained for the priesthood in secret during the Nazi occupation. He became Archbishop of Kraków and in 1978 was elected Pope, the first non-Italian in over four centuries. He travelled to more than a hundred countries, began World Youth Day, survived an assassination attempt in 1981 and published the Catechism of the Catholic Church. He died in 2005 and was canonised in 2014.

Lord God, You gave St John Paul II to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

John of Capistrano

John was born at Capistrano in the Abruzzi in 1386, studied law and became governor of Perugia. Imprisoned in a war, he was converted and joined the Franciscans of the Observance in 1416. A disciple of St Bernardine of Siena, he preached across Italy and central Europe and served popes as an envoy. At seventy he helped lead the defence of Belgrade against the Turks in 1456 and died of plague soon after.

Lord God, You called St John of Capistrano to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Anthony Mary Claret

Anthony Mary Claret was born in Catalonia in 1807 and worked as a weaver before becoming a priest. He preached missions across Catalonia and the Canary Islands and in 1849 founded the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Claretians. As Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba he fought racism and slavery and survived an attempt on his life. He later served as confessor to Queen Isabella II, died in exile in France in 1870 and was canonised in 1950.

Lord God, You gave St Anthony Mary Claret to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Crispin and Crispinian

Crispin and Crispinian were Christians of the third century who, according to tradition, came from Rome to preach in Gaul. They settled at Soissons, where they made shoes by night and preached by day, taking no payment from the poor. They were martyred around 286. They are patrons of shoemakers, and Shakespeare made their feast famous as the day of Agincourt.

Almighty God, You gave Saints Crispin and Crispinian the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By their prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Cedd and Chad

Cedd and Chad were brothers from Northumbria, trained by St Aidan at Lindisfarne. Cedd preached to the Middle Angles and the East Saxons, became their bishop and founded monasteries at Lastingham and Bradwell-on-Sea, whose chapel still stands. Chad succeeded him at Lastingham and became Bishop of the Mercians at Lichfield. Cedd died of plague in 664 and Chad in 672.

Lord God, You gave Saints Cedd and Chad to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By their prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Frumentius

Frumentius was a young Christian from Tyre who, with his brother Aedesius, was shipwrecked on the Red Sea coast and taken to the court of Aksum in Ethiopia. He became tutor to the young king and helped Christian merchants worship. St Athanasius consecrated him bishop for Ethiopia, and he baptised King Ezana. He died around 383 and is honoured in Ethiopia as Abba Salama.

Lord God, You gave St Frumentius to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Simon and Jude, Apostles

Simon, called the Zealot, and Jude, also called Thaddeus, were among the Twelve. Jude asked the Lord why He would show Himself to the disciples and not to the world (John 14:22). Tradition holds that they preached together in Persia and were martyred.

O God, You built Your Church on the foundation of the apostles. Through the prayers of Saints Simon and Jude, keep us firm in the faith they preached and give us courage to bear witness to Christ. Amen.

Narcissus of Jerusalem

Narcissus was Bishop of Jerusalem in the late second century. Eusebius records that at an Easter Vigil when there was no oil, he had water drawn and prayed over it, and it burned in the lamps. Slandered by enemies, he withdrew to the desert for some years before returning. He took St Alexander as his coadjutor and lived to well over a hundred.

Lord God, You gave St Narcissus of Jerusalem to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Alphonsus Rodríguez

Alphonsus Rodríguez was born at Segovia in 1532 and ran the family wool business. After the deaths of his wife and children he sought religious life and in 1571 was accepted as a Jesuit lay brother. For forty-six years he was porter at the college of Montesión on Majorca, where he encouraged the young St Peter Claver to go to the Americas. He died in 1617 and was canonised in 1888.

Lord God, You called St Alphonsus Rodríguez to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Wolfgang

Wolfgang was born in Swabia around 934 and studied at Reichenau and Würzburg. He became a Benedictine monk at Einsiedeln and preached in Hungary. In 972 he was made Bishop of Regensburg, where he reformed the clergy and monasteries and cared for the poor. He tutored the future emperor St Henry II and died in 994.

Lord God, You gave St Wolfgang to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

All Saints

On this solemnity the Church honours all the saints in heaven, known and unknown, "a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations" (Apoc 7:9). The feast was kept in Rome on 1 November from the eighth century. It reminds us that every baptised person is called to holiness. The saints pray for us and show us the way.

Lord Jesus Christ, as we keep this feast of All Saints, open our eyes to Your glory and our hearts to Your love. Make us faithful to You in all things, who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

All Souls

On All Souls' Day the Church prays for all the faithful departed who are being purified before they enter heaven. St Odilo of Cluny made this day of prayer a custom for his monasteries around 998, and it spread to the whole Church. Masses, prayers, alms and indulgences can help the holy souls. The whole of November is given to praying for the dead.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

Martin de Porres

Martin was born in Lima in 1579, the son of a Spanish knight and a freed slave from Panama. He trained as a barber and healer and was received by the Dominicans, at first as a tertiary because of his race, and later as a lay brother. He nursed the sick of the priory and the city, founded an orphanage and cared even for animals. He died in 1639, was a friend of St Rose of Lima and was canonised in 1962.

Lord God, You called St Martin de Porres to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

England and Wales

Winefride

Winefride was a seventh-century Welsh maiden. Tradition says that a chieftain named Caradog beheaded her when she refused him, and that a spring rose where her head fell, at Holywell in Flintshire. Her uncle St Beuno restored her to life, and she became a nun and abbess at Gwytherin. St Winefride's Well has been a place of pilgrimage for over a thousand years.

Lord God, You drew St Winefride to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Charles Borromeo

Charles Borromeo was born in 1538, nephew of Pope Pius IV, who made him a cardinal and administrator of Milan at twenty-two. He helped bring the Council of Trent to a close and draft the Roman Catechism. As Archbishop of Milan he put the Council's reforms into practice, founding seminaries and visiting every parish, and during the plague of 1576 he stayed to nurse and feed the people. He died in 1584 and was canonised in 1610.

Lord God, You gave St Charles Borromeo to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Elizabeth and Zechariah

Zechariah was a priest of the Temple and Elizabeth his wife, a kinswoman of Mary, and "they were both just before God" (Luke 1:6). In their old age the angel Gabriel told Zechariah they would have a son, John the Baptist. Elizabeth greeted Mary as "the mother of my Lord", and Zechariah sang the Benedictus. They were long honoured on this date; the current Roman Martyrology commemorates them on 23 September.

Lord God, You made Saints Elizabeth and Zechariah holy in the ordinary paths of life. By their prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Leonard of Noblac

Leonard was a Frankish nobleman of the sixth century who, according to his later life, was baptised by St Remigius. He refused a bishopric and lived as a hermit in the forest near Limoges, where the monastery of Noblac grew up. He was honoured for his care of prisoners, many of whom were said to have been freed through his prayers. In the Middle Ages many churches in England were dedicated to him.

Lord God, You called St Leonard of Noblac to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Willibrord

Willibrord was born in Northumbria around 658 and trained at Ripon and in Ireland. In 690 he set out with eleven companions to preach to the Frisians. Pope Sergius I made him Archbishop of the Frisians in 695, with his see at Utrecht. He founded the abbey of Echternach in Luxembourg, where he died in 739.

Lord God, You gave St Willibrord to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Godfrey of Amiens

Godfrey was born in Picardy around 1065 and became a monk and then abbot of Nogent, which he restored. In 1104 he was made Bishop of Amiens, where he lived simply and worked to reform the clergy and end simony. His firmness made enemies, and he once withdrew to the Grande Chartreuse. He died in 1115.

Lord God, You gave St Godfrey of Amiens to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica

The Basilica of St John Lateran in Rome, given to the Church by the emperor Constantine, was dedicated around 324. It is the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, and an inscription calls it "mother and head of all the churches of the city and the world". Its feast is kept by the whole Church as a sign of unity with the Pope. It also reminds us that we are living stones of God's temple.

Lord Jesus Christ, as we keep this feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, open our eyes to Your glory and our hearts to Your love. Make us faithful to You in all things, who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

Leo the Great

Leo was a Roman deacon elected Pope in 440. His Tome, read at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, set out the faith that Christ is one Person in two natures, and the bishops cried out, "Peter has spoken through Leo." In 452 he met Attila the Hun and persuaded him to spare Rome, and in 455 he limited the Vandals' sack of the city. He died in 461 and was named a Doctor of the Church in 1754.

O God, You filled St Leo the Great with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

Martin of Tours

Martin was born in Pannonia around 316, the son of a Roman officer, and served in the army. At Amiens he cut his cloak in two to share it with a freezing beggar, and that night saw Christ wearing it. Leaving the army, he became a disciple of St Hilary and founded a monastery at Ligugé. Made Bishop of Tours in 371, he preached in the countryside and founded Marmoutier, dying in 397.

Lord God, You gave St Martin of Tours to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Josaphat

John Kuntsevych was born in Volodymyr in 1580 and became a monk of the Ruthenian Church united with Rome, taking the name Josaphat. He was made Archbishop of Polotsk in 1618 and worked for the reform of the clergy and for unity with the Holy See. His work stirred fierce opposition. He was killed by a mob at Vitebsk in 1623 and was the first Eastern Catholic saint canonised by Rome, in 1867.

Almighty God, You gave St Josaphat the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Stanislaus Kostka

Stanislaus Kostka was born in 1550 to a noble Polish family and studied at the Jesuit college in Vienna. When his family refused to let him join the Jesuits, he walked about 450 miles to Germany and then to Rome, where St Francis Borgia received him in 1567. He was known for his joy and devotion to Mary. He died the following August, aged seventeen, and was canonised in 1726.

Lord God, You called St Stanislaus Kostka to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

United States

Frances Xavier Cabrini

Frances Xavier Cabrini was born in Lombardy in 1850. She founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart and came to New York in 1889 to serve Italian immigrants. She died in 1917 and was the first US citizen canonised.

Lord God, You drew St Frances Xavier Cabrini to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Laurence O'Toole

Lorcán Ua Tuathail was born in Leinster in 1128 and became abbot of Glendalough at twenty-five. In 1162 he was made Archbishop of Dublin, where he reformed the clergy and cared for the poor. During the Anglo-Norman invasion he worked as a peacemaker between the Irish kings and Henry II. He died at Eu in Normandy in 1180 and was canonised in 1225.

Lord God, You gave St Laurence O'Toole to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Albert the Great

Albert was born in Swabia around 1200 and joined the Dominicans. He taught at Cologne and Paris, where St Thomas Aquinas was his pupil, and wrote on theology, philosophy and the natural sciences. He served as provincial of his order and as Bishop of Regensburg, and defended Thomas's teaching after his death. He died in 1280 and was canonised and named a Doctor of the Church in 1931.

O God, You filled St Albert the Great with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

Margaret of Scotland and Gertrude

Margaret was an English princess, born in Hungary around 1045, who married King Malcolm III of Scotland. She reformed the Church in Scotland, founded Dunfermline Abbey and cared for orphans and the poor. She died in 1093. Gertrude, called the Great, was a nun of Helfta in Saxony from childhood whose writings on the love of the Sacred Heart are still read; she died around 1302.

Lord God, You made Saints Margaret of Scotland and Gertrude holy in the ordinary paths of life. By their prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

England and Wales

Edmund of Abingdon

Edmund Rich was born at Abingdon around 1175 and taught at Paris and Oxford, where he was one of the first masters of theology. He was made Archbishop of Canterbury in 1234 and worked for peace and the reform of the Church. Opposed by the king and by his own monks, he travelled to Rome. He died at Soisy in France in 1240 and was canonised in 1246.

Lord God, You gave St Edmund of Abingdon to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Scotland

Margaret of Scotland

Margaret was an English princess, born in Hungary around 1045, who fled to Scotland after the Norman Conquest and married King Malcolm III. She reformed the Church in Scotland, founded Dunfermline Abbey and set up a ferry for pilgrims to St Andrews. She fed orphans and the poor at her own table each day. She died in 1093, was canonised in 1250 and is a patron of Scotland.

Lord God, You made St Margaret of Scotland holy in the ordinary paths of life. By her prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Elizabeth of Hungary

Elizabeth was born in 1207, daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary, and married Louis of Thuringia, with whom she had three children. She built a hospital below the Wartburg and fed the hungry during a famine. After Louis died on crusade in 1227 she became a Franciscan tertiary and spent herself serving the sick at Marburg. She died at twenty-four in 1231 and was canonised four years later.

Lord God, You made St Elizabeth of Hungary holy in the ordinary paths of life. By her prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

England and Wales

Hilda of Whitby

Hilda was a Northumbrian princess baptised by St Paulinus in 627. St Aidan persuaded her to become a nun, and in 657 she founded the double monastery at Whitby. Five of her monks became bishops, and she encouraged the poet Caedmon. She hosted the Synod of Whitby in 664 and died in 680.

Lord God, You drew St Hilda of Whitby to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

England and Wales

Hugh of Lincoln

Hugh was born in Burgundy around 1140 and became a Carthusian monk at the Grande Chartreuse. King Henry II brought him to England as prior of the new charterhouse at Witham, and in 1186 he became Bishop of Lincoln. He rebuilt Lincoln Cathedral, defended Jews from mob violence and stood up to three kings. He died in 1200 and was canonised in 1220.

Lord God, You gave St Hugh of Lincoln to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

The Dedication of the Basilicas of St Peter and St Paul

Today the Church recalls the dedication of the basilicas built over the tombs of St Peter on the Vatican Hill and St Paul on the Ostian Way. Both were first built by Constantine in the fourth century. The present St Peter's was consecrated on 18 November 1626, and St Paul's, rebuilt after a fire, in 1854. The feast honours the two apostles who gave their lives in Rome.

Lord Jesus Christ, as we keep this feast of the Dedication of the Basilicas of St Peter and St Paul, open our eyes to Your glory and our hearts to Your love. Make us faithful to You in all things, who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

United States

Rose Philippine Duchesne

Rose Philippine Duchesne was born at Grenoble in 1769 and joined the Society of the Sacred Heart. In 1818, aged forty-nine, she came to Missouri and founded the first free school west of the Mississippi. At seventy-two she went to serve the Potawatomi people, who called her "Woman Who Prays Always". She died in 1852 and was canonised in 1988.

Lord God, You drew St Rose Philippine Duchesne to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Mechtilde

Mechtilde of Hackeborn was born around 1240 and entered the convent of Helfta in Saxony as a child. She led its choir and school and was a teacher of St Gertrude. Her visions and teachings, written down by her sisters as The Book of Special Grace, spread devotion to the Sacred Heart. She died in 1298. She was never formally canonised, but she has long been honoured as a saint, and Pope Benedict XVI spoke of her as St Matilda of Hackeborn in 2010.

Lord God, You drew St Mechtilde to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Edmund the Martyr

Edmund became King of East Anglia around 855. In 869 the Danish Great Army invaded his kingdom. According to Abbo of Fleury, he refused to deny Christ or rule under a pagan, and was shot with arrows and beheaded. His shrine at Bury St Edmunds became one of the great pilgrimage places of medieval England.

Almighty God, You gave St Edmund the Martyr the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

An ancient tradition, found in the Protoevangelium of James, tells that Mary was presented in the Temple as a young child by her parents and dedicated to God. The feast began in the East with the dedication of a church in Jerusalem in 543. It was extended to the West in the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries. It honours Mary's complete gift of herself to God.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, as we keep the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, pray for us, that we may hear the word of God and keep it as you did, and bring us safely to your Son. Amen.

Cecilia

Cecilia was a Roman virgin martyr, probably of the third century, and her name is in the Roman Canon. Her story tells that she converted her husband Valerian and his brother, who were martyred, and that she survived an attempt to behead her for three days. Her church in Trastevere stands on the site of her house. She is patron of music and musicians.

Almighty God, You gave St Cecilia the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By her prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Clement I and Columban

Clement was the fourth Bishop of Rome, and around 96 he wrote a letter to the Church in Corinth urging unity and respect for its ministers; tradition honours him as a martyr. Columban was an Irish monk of Bangor who around 590 went to Gaul and founded monasteries at Annegray, Luxeuil and Fontaine. Exiled for rebuking the king, he crossed the Alps and founded the abbey of Bobbio in Italy. He died there in 615.

Lord God, You gave St Clement to Your Church as a faithful shepherd and martyr, and You sent St Columban to carry the Gospel far from home. By their prayers, make us steadfast in faith and eager to share it. Amen.

United States

Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro

Miguel Pro was born in Mexico in 1891 and joined the Jesuits. Ordained in Belgium, he returned in 1926 when public worship was banned, and ministered in secret, often in disguise. Falsely accused of a bombing, he was shot without trial in 1927, arms outstretched, crying "Viva Cristo Rey!". He was beatified in 1988.

Almighty God, You gave Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions

Andrew Dung-Lac was born in northern Vietnam around 1795 and became a catechist and then a priest. He was arrested several times during persecutions and was beheaded at Hanoi in 1839. With him the Church honours 116 other martyrs of Vietnam, killed between 1745 and 1862: priests, bishops, catechists and lay people. They were canonised in 1988.

Almighty God, You gave Saints Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By their prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Catherine of Alexandria

Catherine is honoured as a learned young Christian of Alexandria martyred in the early fourth century. Her legend tells that she refuted pagan philosophers before the emperor, and that the spiked wheel prepared for her broke when she touched it, before she was beheaded. Her relics are venerated at the monastery of Mount Sinai. She is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and patron of philosophers and students.

Almighty God, You gave St Catherine of Alexandria the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By her prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Leonard of Port Maurice

Leonard was born at Porto Maurizio in Liguria in 1676 and joined the Franciscans of the Strict Observance. For over forty years he preached missions across Italy. He is especially remembered for spreading the Stations of the Cross, setting them up in some 570 places, including the Colosseum. He died in Rome in 1751 and was canonised in 1867.

Lord God, You called St Leonard of Port Maurice to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Virgil of Salzburg

Virgil was an Irish monk, probably abbot of Aghaboe, who travelled to Bavaria around 743. He became abbot of St Peter's in Salzburg and later its bishop, building a cathedral there. He sent missionaries to Carinthia and was known for his learning, including his views on geography. He died in 784 and was canonised in 1233.

Lord God, You gave St Virgil of Salzburg to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

James of the Marches

James was born in the March of Ancona in 1394, studied law at Perugia and joined the Franciscans of the Observance. A disciple of St Bernardine of Siena, he preached for over fifty years in Italy, Germany, Hungary and the Balkans. He served as papal envoy and founded charitable pawnshops to help the poor. He died at Naples in 1476 and was canonised in 1726.

Lord God, You called St James of the Marches to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Saturninus

Saturninus was sent from Rome to preach in Gaul and became the first Bishop of Toulouse around 250. The pagan priests blamed him for the silence of their oracles. When he refused to sacrifice to their gods, they tied him to a bull, which dragged him to his death. The church of Saint-Sernin in Toulouse stands over his tomb.

Almighty God, You gave St Saturninus the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Andrew, Apostle

Andrew was a fisherman of Bethsaida and a disciple of John the Baptist. When John pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God, Andrew followed Him and brought his brother Simon Peter to Him (John 1:40-42). Tradition says he preached in Greece and was crucified at Patras on an X-shaped cross. He is patron of Scotland, where his feast is a solemnity, and of Greece and Russia.

O God, You built Your Church on the foundation of the apostles. Through the prayers of St Andrew, keep us firm in the faith he preached and give us courage to bear witness to Christ. Amen.

Edmund Campion

Edmund Campion was born in London in 1540 and became a celebrated scholar at Oxford. Reconciled to the Catholic Church, he joined the Jesuits and returned to England secretly in 1580. His preaching and his "Brag", a challenge to debate, made him famous. Betrayed and tortured, he was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn in 1581 and was canonised in 1970 among the Forty Martyrs.

Almighty God, You gave St Edmund Campion the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Chromatius of Aquileia

Chromatius was Bishop of Aquileia, at the head of the Adriatic, from about 388. He was a friend and supporter of St Jerome, who dedicated some translations to him, and of Rufinus. He defended St John Chrysostom when he was exiled. Many of his sermons on the Gospels survive, and he died around 407.

Lord God, You gave St Chromatius of Aquileia to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Francis Xavier

Francis Xavier was born in Navarre in 1506 and met St Ignatius at the University of Paris, becoming one of the first Jesuits. In 1541 he sailed for India and preached at Goa, among the pearl fishers of the south and in the Moluccas. In 1549 he brought the faith to Japan. He died on Shangchuan Island off China in 1552, was canonised in 1622 and is patron of the missions.

Lord God, You called St Francis Xavier to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

John Damascene

John was born at Damascus around 675, where his family served the caliph. He became a monk at the monastery of St Sabbas near Jerusalem. When the Byzantine emperor banned holy images, John wrote three defences of their veneration. His Fount of Knowledge summed up the teaching of the Greek Fathers, and he died around 749; he is a Doctor of the Church.

O God, You filled St John Damascene with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

Sabbas

Sabbas was born in Cappadocia in 439 and became a monk as a boy. He went to Palestine, learned from St Euthymius and lived as a hermit. In 483 he founded the Great Lavra in the Kidron valley, which still exists as Mar Saba, and became leader of the monks of Palestine. He defended the Council of Chalcedon and died in 532.

Lord God, You called St Sabbas to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Nicholas

Nicholas was Bishop of Myra in Lycia, in present-day Turkey, in the fourth century. The best-known story tells that he secretly gave gold to three poor girls so that they could marry rather than be sold. He is said to have suffered imprisonment under Diocletian. His relics were taken to Bari in 1087, and as patron of children his legend became Santa Claus.

Lord God, You gave St Nicholas to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Ambrose

Ambrose was born at Trier around 340, son of the Prefect of Gaul, and became governor of the region around Milan. In 374, while still a catechumen, he was acclaimed bishop by the people, and he was baptised and ordained within a week. He defended the Church against the Arians and the emperors, wrote hymns still sung today and baptised St Augustine in 387. He died in 397 and is a Doctor of the Church.

O God, You filled St Ambrose with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

The Immaculate Conception

The Church believes that from the first moment of her conception Mary was preserved from all stain of original sin, by a singular grace of God in view of the merits of Christ. The feast was kept in the East from the eighth century and spread in the West in the Middle Ages. Pope Pius IX defined the dogma in 1854, and at Lourdes in 1858 Mary called herself "the Immaculate Conception". She is patron of the United States under this title.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, as we keep the feast of the Immaculate Conception, pray for us, that we may hear the word of God and keep it as you did, and bring us safely to your Son. Amen.

Juan Diego

Cuauhtlatoatzin was born around 1474 in the Aztec empire and was baptised Juan Diego by Franciscan missionaries. In December 1531 the Virgin Mary appeared to him on the hill of Tepeyac and sent him to ask the bishop for a church. As a sign, roses bloomed in winter, and when he opened his cloak her image was found on it. He lived beside the chapel for the rest of his life, died in 1548 and was canonised in 2002.

Lord God, You made St Juan Diego holy in the ordinary paths of life. By his prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Our Lady of Loreto

At Loreto in Italy a small house has been venerated since the late thirteenth century as the Holy House of Nazareth, where Mary lived. Tradition says angels carried it there, and the Litany of Loreto takes its name from the shrine. Many popes and saints went there as pilgrims. Pope Francis added this memorial to the calendar in 2019, and Our Lady of Loreto is patron of air travellers.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, as we keep the feast of Our Lady of Loreto, pray for us, that we may hear the word of God and keep it as you did, and bring us safely to your Son. Amen.

Damasus I

Damasus was born in Rome around 305 and was elected Pope in 366 after a violent dispute. He defended the faith against Arianism and asked St Jerome, his secretary, to revise the Latin translation of the Gospels. He restored the catacombs and wrote verse inscriptions honouring the martyrs, many of which survive. He died in 384.

Lord God, You gave St Damasus I to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

In December 1531 the Virgin Mary appeared four times to St Juan Diego on the hill of Tepeyac, near Mexico City. She asked for a church to be built there, and her image appeared on his cloak, the tilma, which is still kept in her basilica. Millions of Indigenous people were baptised in the following years. She is patroness of the Americas, and in the United States this day is a feast.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, as we keep the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us, that we may hear the word of God and keep it as you did, and bring us safely to your Son. Amen.

Lucy

Lucy was a young Christian of Syracuse in Sicily, martyred in the persecution of Diocletian around 304. Tradition says she gave her dowry to the poor and was betrayed by the man she refused to marry. Her name, meaning "light", made her feast a festival of light in Scandinavia. She is named in the Roman Canon and is invoked by those with eye troubles.

Almighty God, You gave St Lucy the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By her prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

John of the Cross

Juan de Yepes was born in Castile in 1542 and became a Carmelite. In 1568, encouraged by St Teresa of Ávila, he began the reform of the Carmelite friars. Friars opposed to the reform imprisoned him in Toledo in 1577, where he wrote much of his Spiritual Canticle before escaping. His poems and commentaries, including The Dark Night of the Soul, make him a master of mystical theology; he died in 1591 and is a Doctor of the Church.

O God, You filled St John of the Cross with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

Mary Crucified di Rosa

Paola di Rosa was born at Brescia in 1813 and from youth cared for girls in her father's mills and for the sick. During a cholera epidemic in 1836 she nursed the dying. In 1840 she founded the Handmaids of Charity to serve in hospitals, taking the name Maria Crocifissa. She died in 1855 and was canonised in 1954.

Lord God, You drew St Mary Crucified di Rosa to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

Adelaide

Adelaide was born around 931, daughter of the King of Burgundy, and was widowed young and imprisoned by a rival. She escaped and married Otto the Great, with whom she was crowned empress in 962. She governed wisely as regent for her grandson Otto III and founded monasteries and churches. She retired to the abbey of Seltz in Alsace, where she died in 999.

Lord God, You made St Adelaide holy in the ordinary paths of life. By her prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Olympias

Olympias was born to a wealthy family of Constantinople around 361 and was widowed within two years of marriage. She refused to remarry and was made a deaconess, using her fortune for the poor, the sick and a community of women. She was a loyal friend of St John Chrysostom, and seventeen of his letters to her survive. After his exile she was persecuted and exiled herself, dying at Nicomedia around 408.

Lord God, You made St Olympias holy in the ordinary paths of life. By her prayers, help us to love You and our neighbour faithfully in our own state of life. Amen.

Winebald

Winebald was born in Wessex around 701, the brother of St Willibald and St Walburga. He went on pilgrimage to Rome and was persuaded by St Boniface to join the mission in Germany. In 752 he and Willibald founded the double monastery at Heidenheim, where he served as abbot. He died in 761.

Lord God, You called St Winebald to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Anastasius I

Anastasius was a Roman priest who became Pope in 399. St Jerome praised his holiness and his poverty, and he was a friend of St Augustine and St Paulinus of Nola. He condemned the errors drawn from the writings of Origen and died in 401.

Lord God, You gave St Anastasius I to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Dominic of Silos

Dominic was born in Navarre around 1000 and worked as a shepherd before becoming a monk at San Millán. Exiled after a dispute with the king of Navarre, he was welcomed by King Ferdinand I of Castile, who made him abbot of the ruined monastery of Silos in 1041. He restored it to become a great centre of learning, art and charity, and ransomed Christian captives. He died in 1073.

Lord God, You called St Dominic of Silos to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

Peter Canisius

Peter Kanis was born at Nijmegen in 1521 and was one of the first Dutch Jesuits. He worked for more than forty years in Germany, Austria and Switzerland to renew Catholic life after the Reformation, founding colleges and preaching. His catechisms went through hundreds of editions. He died at Fribourg in 1597 and was canonised and named a Doctor of the Church in 1925.

O God, You filled St Peter Canisius with wisdom to teach Your people. By his prayers, help us to know the truth, to love it and to live by it. Amen.

Frances Xavier Cabrini

Frances Xavier Cabrini was born in Lombardy in 1850 and founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1880. At the request of Pope Leo XIII she went to New York in 1889 to serve Italian immigrants. She founded schools, orphanages and hospitals across the Americas and Europe. She died in Chicago on 22 December 1917 and in 1946 became the first US citizen to be canonised. In the United States this saint's memorial is kept on 13 November.

Lord God, You drew St Frances Xavier Cabrini to give her whole life to You. By her prayers, make us pure in heart, generous to the poor and constant in prayer. Amen.

John of Kanty

John was born at Kęty in Poland in 1390 and taught at the University of Kraków for most of his life. He was known for his humility and his generosity, giving away his money and even his clothes to the poor. He went on pilgrimage on foot to Rome and to Jerusalem. He died in 1473 and was canonised in 1767.

Lord God, You called St John of Kanty to follow Christ with an undivided heart. By his prayers, help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from You, and to serve You with joy. Amen.

The Vigil of Christmas

On Christmas Eve the Church keeps vigil for the birth of her Saviour. The morning Mass still belongs to Advent, while at evening the Vigil Mass of Christmas begins the feast. The genealogy of Christ is read, showing Him as Son of David and Son of Abraham. Many families keep the old customs of the Christmas crib and Midnight Mass.

Lord Jesus Christ, as we keep this feast of the Vigil of Christmas, open our eyes to Your glory and our hearts to Your love. Make us faithful to You in all things, who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

The Nativity of the Lord

The Son of God was born of the Virgin Mary at Bethlehem, as the prophets had foretold. Angels announced the good news to shepherds, who came to adore Him lying in a manger (Luke 2:8-16). "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). The Church celebrates Christmas with three Masses, at night, at dawn and during the day.

Lord Jesus Christ, as we keep this feast of the Nativity of the Lord, open our eyes to Your glory and our hearts to Your love. Make us faithful to You in all things, who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

Stephen, First Martyr

Stephen was one of the seven deacons chosen to serve the Church in Jerusalem, "a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 6:5). His preaching angered members of the Sanhedrin. He saw the heavens opened and was stoned to death outside the city, praying, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge" (Acts 7:59). Saul, the future St Paul, watched and approved.

Almighty God, You gave St Stephen the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

John, Apostle and Evangelist

John, son of Zebedee and brother of James, was a fisherman called by Jesus, and is called the disciple whom Jesus loved. He leaned on the Lord's breast at the Last Supper, stood by the Cross and took Mary into his home. Tradition holds that he wrote the fourth Gospel, three letters and the Apocalypse. He was exiled to Patmos and died at Ephesus in old age.

O God, You built Your Church on the foundation of the apostles. Through the prayers of St John, keep us firm in the faith he preached and give us courage to bear witness to Christ. Amen.

The Holy Innocents

When the Magi did not return, King Herod ordered the killing of all the boys of two years and under in Bethlehem and its borders (Matt 2:16-18). The Church has honoured these children as martyrs since the fifth century. They died not only for Christ but in His place. The day is also kept with prayer for children and for the unborn.

Lord God, the Holy Innocents gave You glory not by speaking but by dying in place of Your Son. Protect all children, especially those not yet born, and comfort every grieving parent. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Thomas Becket

Thomas Becket was born in London around 1120 and became chancellor and close friend of King Henry II. Made Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162, he changed his way of life and defended the rights of the Church against the king, spending six years in exile. On 29 December 1170 four knights murdered him in his cathedral. He was canonised in 1173, and his shrine became one of the great pilgrimage sites of Europe.

Almighty God, You gave St Thomas Becket the strength to bear witness to Christ even to death. By his prayers, grant us courage to stay faithful to You in every trial. Amen.

Egwin of Worcester

Egwin was a member of the royal house of Mercia who became Bishop of Worcester around 692. His strictness made enemies, and he went to Rome to clear his name. He founded the abbey of Evesham, where, according to tradition, a vision of Our Lady was seen by a swineherd. He died in 717.

Lord God, You gave St Egwin of Worcester to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.

Sylvester I

Sylvester was a Roman priest elected Pope in 314, the year after the Edict of Milan gave freedom to the Church. During his time the first great basilicas of Rome were built with Constantine's support, including the Lateran. The Council of Nicaea was held in 325, and his legates attended. He died in 335 and was one of the first saints honoured who were not martyrs.

Lord God, You gave St Sylvester I to Your Church as a faithful shepherd. By his prayers, bless our bishops and priests, and keep us all close to Christ, the Good Shepherd. Amen.