Bridget of Sweden, Patron of Europe Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373) was a mystic also given to works of charity and founder of the Bridgettines nuns after the death of her husband, to whom she had borne eight children. She is one of the six patron saints of Europe, along with Benedict of Nursia, Cyril and…
Mary Magdalene Mary (Mariam) of Magdala is the woman whom Jesus cleansed of “seven demons.” She traveled with Jesus and his followers and was present at two crucial moments: the crucifixion and the resurrection. She is often named in the Gospels, more than any of the apostles except Peter. She is mainly honoured for her…
(also, feast of Saint Lawrence of Brindisi) First Reading Exodus 14:21-15:1 The Egyptians hunt Israel into the sea – and are drowned Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were…
1st Reading: Exodus 14:5-18 Is it better to be slaves in Egypt than risk death in the desert? When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the minds of Pharaoh and his officials were changed toward the people, and they said, “What have we done, letting Israel leave our service?” So…
Our God is like a shepherd who always looks after the flock: the Lord cares for us in all our needs.
1st Reading: Jeremiah 23:1-6 God will raise up shepherds for his people “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” says the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: “It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven…
1st Reading: Exodus 12:37-42 Israel’s escapes from Egypt is a night to commemorate The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children. A mixed crowd also went up with them, and livestock in great numbers, both flocks and herds. They baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they…
1st Reading: Exodus 11:10-12:14 Passover is a reminder of our deliverance from slavery and death. Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh; but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go out of his land. The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of…
(Also, Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel) 1st Reading: Exodus 3:13-20 The name Yahweh : I am who/what I am But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what…
1st Reading: Exodus 3:1-6, 9-12 Revelation to Moses at the burning bush, at Mount Horeb/Sinai Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame…
Saint Camillus de Lellis Camillus (1550-1614) was a soldier and a dissipated gambler as a young man in Rome, until his conversion at the age of 25, under the influence of the gentle Saint Philip Neri. He became a priest with a special devotion to caring for sick people, for whom, along with a group…
1st Reading: Exodus 1:8-14, 22 A new Pharaoh enslaves the Israelites and threatens them with extinction. Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. He said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will…
God has blessed us in very many ways: God has showered grace upon us. During today’s gathering, we give thanks to the Lord for all we have received.
1st Reading: Amos 7:12-15 Amos is called by God to be a prophet Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.” Then…
Benedict of Nursia Benedict (480-543) from Nursia in Umbria (Italy) spent years as a hermit in a mountain cave at Subiaco (64 km east of Rome), before being inspired to gather companions to live a monastic life in community. Later he moved to Monte Cassino near Naples. The “Rule of Saint Benedict” is admired for…
1st Reading: Genesis 46:1-7, 28-30 Jacob joyfully meets his long-lost son Joseph. Now he can die in peace. When Israel set out on his journey with all that he had and came to Beer-sheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. God spoke to Israel in visions of the night, and said,…
Augustine Zhao and Companions, Chinese martyrs. The Church recognizes 120 Catholics who died between 1648 and 1930 as its Chinese martyrs, canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000. Of this number, 86 died during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, among them three indigenous Chinese priests, Augustine Zhao Rong, Joseph Yuan and Thaddeus Liu. Others…
1st Reading: Genesis 41-42 Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt for grain; he sends for Benjamin. When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; what he says to you, do.” And since the famine had spread over all the land,…
Saint Maelruain, abbott. Saint Máel Ruain, (c. 722-792) was founder and abbot-bishop of the monastery of Tallaght near Dublin, Ireland. He was a leading figure of the movement known as the Céli Dé, whose monastic rules were written by Mael Ruain and his principal disciple, Aengus. 1st Reading: Genesis 32:23-33 On returning from exile, Jacob…
1st Reading: Deuteronomy 4:32-40 For ask now about former ages, long before your own, ever since the day that God created human beings on the earth; ask from one end of heaven to the other: has anything so great as this ever happened or has its like ever been heard of? Has any people ever…
