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Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Hilary of Poitiers, 315-368; as bishop of Poitiers, France, he battled Arianism, which denied the divinity of Christ; the emperor ordered all bishops of the west to sign a condemnation of Athanasius--the great defender of the faith in the east--but Hilary refused, and was exiled to Phrygia; he attempted a debate with the heretical bishop who had exiled him, but he was, instead, sent home, where his people welcomed him Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/13/26 Gospel: Mark 1:21-28

Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. John of Ravenna, 477-494; Bishop of Ravenna, Italy, who saved his people from the fury of Attila the Hun; served as bishop from 452 to 494; also faced the Ostrogoths, under King Theodoric the Great, who invaded the region and became the chief political power in the years following the final deposition of the Roman emperors in the West in 476 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/12/26 Gospel: Mark 1:14-20

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord - Final Day of the Christmas Season Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/11/26 Gospel: Matthew 3:13-17

Saturday after Epiphany Saint of the Day: St. Gregory of Nyssa, 335-394; part of a family which gave many years of service and five saints to the Church; he became bishop of Nyssa in 371; during a trip to Jerusalem, he was forced to defend his Christology, although he was then and is now well-known for his Trinitarian theology; in 394, he attended a synod in Constantinople and is thought to have died shortly after that when mention of him in church records ceases Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/10/26 Gospel: John 3:22-30

Friday after Epiphany Saint of the Day: St. Marciana of Mauretania; virgin martyr of Mauretania, was ac­cused of vandalizing a statue of the goddess Diana; after torments, Marciana was gored by a bull and mauled by a leopard in the amphitheater of Caesarea, also in Mauretania, in 303 A.D.; she is invoked to cure wounds Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/9/26 Gospel: Luke 5:12-16

Thursday after Epiphany Saint of the Day: St. Severinus of Noricum; Fifth Century monk, hermit, and founder; evangelized the region of Noricum (part of modern day Austria), establishing a number of monasteries along the Danube River; he gave aid and comfort to the many refugees and victims of the invasion of the region by Attila and the Huns; he was known for his preaching and prophecies; Severinus died in 482 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/8/26 Gospel: Luke 4:14-22

Wednesday after Epiphany Optional Memorial of St. Raymond of Penafort, 1175-1275; born in Spain, a relative of the king of Aragon; co-founded the Order of Our Lady of Ransom, dedicated to saving poor Christians captured by the Moors; went with King James to Majorca; he ordered King James to cease his scandalous behavior, but he did not; Raymond left Majorca by spreading his cloak upon the water, tying up one corner of it to a stick for a sail, standing on the cloak and sailing for six hours to Barcelona; King James repented; Raymond was 100 years old at his death Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/7/26 Gospel: Mark 6:45-52

Tuesday after Epiphany Optional Memorial of St. Andre Bessette, 1845-1937; entered the Congregation of the Holy Cross, and was given the humble job of doorkeeper at Notre Dame College in Montreal, along with duties as sacristan, laundry worker and messenger; when he heard someone was ill, he visited to bring cheer and to pray with the sick person; when an epidemic broke out at a nearby college, André volunteered to nurse, and not one person died; after Holy Cross authorities bought property on Mount Royal, Andre raised $200 to build a small chapel and welcome visitors;  by 1931, there were gleaming walls, but money ran out; “Put a statue of Saint Joseph in the middle. If he wants a roof over his head, he’ll get it”; The magnificent Oratory on Mount Royal took 50 years to build; the sickly boy who could not hold a job died at 92 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/6/26 Gospel: Mark 6:34-44

Monday after Epiphany Memorial of St. John Neumann, 1811-1860; came to America and joined the Redemptorists, and faithfully served the poor in Buffalo, New York; became bishop of Philadelphia in 1852, and established over 50 churches, 100 schools and began the building of a cathedral; he is the first American bishop to be canonized Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/5/26 Gospel: Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25

Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord Eleventh Day of Christmas Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/4/26 Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12

Tenth Day of Christmas Optional Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/3/26 Gospel: John 1:29-34

Ninth Day of Christmas Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen; Fourth Century Doctors of the Church; they studied in Athens, and began to follow a monastic way of life; as Bishop of Caesarea, St. Basil wrote rules for monks and integrated social programs into monasteries; St. Gregory, Bishop of Constantinople, defended the Church against the Arian conspiracies, clarified the divinity of the Holy Spirit, and presided in the Council of Constantinople; they preached fervently, wrote extensively, and are beloved as the Cappadocian Fathers, along with St. Gregory of Nyssa Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/2/26 Gospel: John 1:19-28

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God Eighth Day of Christmas Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 1/1/26 Gospel: Luke 2:16-21

Seventh Day of Christmas Optional Memorial of Pope St. Sylvester I; only a very strong and wise man could have preserved the essential independence of the Church in the face of the overpowering figure of the Emperor Constantine; in general, the bishops remained loyal to the Holy See, and at times expressed apologies to Sylvester I for undertaking important ecclesiastical projects at the urging of Constantine; Sylvester reigned as pope from 314 to his death in 335 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/31/25 Gospel: John 1:1-18

Sixth Day of Christmas Saint of the Day: St. Egwin of Evesham; a Seventh- and Eighth-Century English noble who became the bishop of Worcester, England, in 692; his clergy found him too strict, so he went to Rome; when he returned, he founded Evesham Monastery, at the prompting of a vision of Mary; . in 709, Egwin returned to Rome, accompanied by King Cenred of Mercia and King Offa of the East Saxons; St. Egwin died in 717 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/30/25 Gospel: Luke 2:36-40

Fifth Day of Christmas Optional Memorial of St. Thomas Becket, 1118-1170; chancellor of England, then archbishop of Canterbury, thanks to his friend, King Henry II; Thomas warned Henry that he might not agree with his intrusions into Church affairs; Henry insisted upon usurping Church rights; Thomas fled to France for safety, for seven years; upon his return to England, he refused to remit the censures of bishops favored by the king; in a rage, Henry cried out, "Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest?"; four knights, taking this as his wish, slew Thomas in the Canterbury cathedral Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/29/25 Gospel: Luke 2:22-35

Feast of the Holy Family Fourth Day of Christmas Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/28/25 Gospel: Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

Feast of St. John, apostle and evangelist Third Day of Christmas Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/27/25 Gospel: John 20:1-8

Feast of St. Stephen, First Christian Martyr Second Day of Christmas Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/26/25 Gospel: Matthew 10:17-22

Solemnity of Christmas Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/25/25 Gospel: Luke 2:1-14