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Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Bede the Venerable, 673-735; spent most of his adult life in the monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow, England; wrote commentaries on the Pentateuch and various other books of the Bible, theological and scientific treatises, historical works, and biographies; he the patron of English writers and historians, and was the first to date events "Anno Domini" (A.D.) Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/25/23 Gospel: John 17:20-26

Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Joanna; wife of Chuza, steward of King Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee; she was one of the women who helped provide for Jesus and the apostles, and she was one of the three women who discovered the empty tomb Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/24/23 Gospel: John 17:11-19

Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Crispin of Viterbo, 1668-1750; Franciscan Capuchin who served as gardener and cook; called himself "the little beast of burden of the Capuchins"; effected many miraculous cures during an epidemic; known for his prophecies and spiritual wisdom Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/23/23

Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Rita of Cascia, 1381-1457; spent 18 years in an arranged marriage to a harsh man; Rita was widowed when her husband died in a brawl; tried to enter the Augustinians, but was refused; she was finally allowed entry in 1413, and became known for her austerity, devotion to prayer, and charity; she received visions and wounds on her forehead which resembled the crown of thorns Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/22/23 Gospel: John 16:29-33

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/21/23 Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20

Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Bernardine of Siena, 1380-1444; Franciscan known for his devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus; the greatest preacher of his time, journeying across Italy, calming strife-torn cities, attacking paganism, and attracting crowds of 30,000 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/20/23 Gospel: John 16:23-28

Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Theophilus of Corte, 1676-1740; born in Corsica of rich and noble parents; entered the Franciscans, was ordained, and assigned to a retreat house near Subiaco; inspired by the austere life lived there, he founded other houses in Corsica and Tuscany; became famous for his preaching and missionary efforts Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/19/23 Gospel:John 16:20-23

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/18/23 Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20

Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Paschal Baylon, 1540-1592; Franciscan lay brother, known for rigorous asceticism and love for the Blessed Sacrament; on a mission to France, he debated the doctrine of the Real Presence against a Calvinist preacher; patron of Eucharistic congresses and Eucharistic associations Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/17/23 Gospel: John 16:12-15

Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Simon Stock, 1165-1265; accompanied a Carmelite community from the Holy Land to Europe, and founded many Carmelite communities; received an apparition from the Virgin Mary in 1251, in which she said, "Receive, my beloved son, this scapular of thy Order; it is the special sign of my favor, which I have obtained for the and for thy children of Mount Carmel. He who dies clothed with this habit shall be preserved from eternal fire." Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/16/23 Gospel: John 16:5-11

Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Isidore the Farmer, 1070-1130; born in Madrid, Spain, and spent most of his life as a laborer on a farm outside of the city; he was favored with celestial visions, and it is said that angels sometimes helped in his work; patron of farmers, and of the National Rural Life Conference in the United States Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/15/23 Gospel: John 15:26-16:4

Sixth Sunday of Easter Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/14/23 Gospel: John 14:15-21

Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter Optional Memorial of Saints Nereus and Achilleus; First Century martyrs, written of by Pope St. Damasus some 300 years after their deaths; they were soldiers in the Roman army, and converted by a "miracle of faith"; martyred, but by what means unknown Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/12/23 Gospel: John 15:12-17

Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Odilo of Cluny, 962-1049; born to a noble family in Auvergne, France; became a Benedictine in 990, and was elected abbot in 994; sold treasures of the Church to feed the poor during a famine in 1006; trusted advisor to popes and kings Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/11/23 Gospel: John 15:9-11

Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Damien de Veuster of Molokai, 1840-1889; born in Belgium joined the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary; went to the Hawaiian leper colony on Molokai in 1873, and remained permanently, caring for the people's physical, medical, and spiritual needs; contracted Hansen's disease himself, and died of its complications Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/10/23 Gospel: John 15:1-8

Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Pachomius, 292-348; after his discharge from the emperor's army, he was baptized, and joined an anchorite, Palemon; the two build a monastery on the banks of the Nile, and in a short time some one hundred monks joined them; ten other monasteries were built for men, and two nunneries for women; before Pachomius' death, there were seven thousand monks in his houses; his order lasted in the East until the 11th Century Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/9/23 Gospel: John 14:27-31

Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Victor Maurus; native of Mauretania; a Christian from his youth, but not arrested for the faith until he was an elderly man; tortured and executed under Maximian in Milan around 303 A.D.; a church was erected over his grave, and many miracles were reported at the shrine Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/8/23 Gospel: John 14:21-26

Fifth Sunday of Easter Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/7/23 Gospel: John 14:1-12

Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Petronax, 670-747; joined the Benedictines in Brescia, italy; in 717 he was asked by Pope St. Gregory to examine the ruins of Monte Cassino, damaged by the Lombards in 580; he gathered the hermits who were living there and began rebuilding; he was elected abbot, and ruled Monte Cassino for three decades; known as the "second founder of Monte Cassino" Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/6/23 Gospel: John 14:7-14

Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Hilary of Arles, 400-449; born of a noble family in Lorraine, France; joined St. Honoratus at Lerins Abbey; Honoratus became bishop of Arles, and when he died Hilary succeded him in 429; known for his austerities, aid to the poor, and ransoming captives Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 5/5/23 Gospel: John 14:1-6