06 Dec 2025 – Saturday of Advent, Week 1 Optional Memorial (Feast in Galway): St Nicholas, 4th century Bishop of Myra in modern-day Turkey. Patron of Russia, sailors, pawnbrokers and Children. 1st Reading: Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26 Future days of blessed enlightenment, when the people turn aside from idolatry. Truly, O people in Zion, inhabitants of…
05 Dec 2025 – Friday of Advent, Week 1 1st Reading: Isaiah 29:17-24 A promise of good times, when deaf shall hear and blind shall see Shall not Lebanon in a very little while become a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be regarded as a forest? On that day the deaf shall hear the…
04 Dec 2025 – Thursday of Advent, Week 1 Optional Memorial: St John Damascene, 675-749, a Syrian Christian theologian, defender of icons, priested in the monastery of St Sabas near Jerusalem. 1st Reading: Isaiah 26:1-6 A hymn of confidence in the Lord God, our everlasting rock On that day this song will be sung in…
03 Dec 2025 -Wednesday of Advent, Week 1 Memorial: St Francis Xavier, 1506-52, one of the first seven Jesuits, sent to India by St Ignatius. Converted many in Goa and later in Japan, died trying to enter China. A Patron of the missions. 1st Reading: Isaiah 25:6-10 “God will wipe away the tears from all…
Presider’s Page for 7 December (Second Sunday of Advent A) John the Baptist is the focus of the Gospel reading on the Second Sunday of Advent each year. His words challenge and inspire. We worship God who uses many messengers to call us from darkness to light. Penitential Rite As we prepare to listen to…
02 Dec 2025 – Tuesday of Advent, Week 1 1st Reading: Isaiah 11:1-10 They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of…
Mon 01 Dec 2025 – 1st Week of Advent 1st Reading: Isaiah 4:2-6 (for use in Year A, when Is 2:1-5 has been read on 1st Sunday of Advent) On that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and glory of…
30 Nov 2025 – 1st Sunday in Advent, A 1st Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5 A happy future for all who seek the truth and work for peace The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of…
29 Nov 2025 – Saturday of Week 34 1st Reading: Daniel 7:15-27 Daniel begs for an explanation of the vision. The persecuted saints will receive the kingdom As for me, Daniel, my spirit was troubled within me, and the visions of my head terrified me. I approached one of the attendants to ask him the…
28 Nov 2025 – Friday of Week 34 1st Reading: Revelation 20:1-4; 21:1-2 (Also Daniel 7:2-14 – below) Those who reject the beast will reign with Christ, 1000 years I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. He seized the dragon,…
27 Nov 2025 – Thursday of Week 34 Optional Memorial: St Fergal (Virgil), lived in France, then Bavaria, where he founded the monastery of Chiemsee. Appointed Bishop of Salzburg around 754 and died in 784, a learned and holy man. 1st Reading: Daniel 6:12-28 When Daniel is saved from the lion’s den, the king recognizes…
Presider’s Page for 30 November (First Sunday of Advent, Year A) The season of Advent begins today. During the next four weeks we will look forward in hope. We will watch for the end times, when Christ will come in glory, Christ whose birthday we will celebrate very soon. Penitential Rite Entering this time of…
26 Nov 2025 – Wednesday of Week 34 1st Reading: Daniel 5:1-6 etc The writing appears on the wall and Daniel interprets its meaning King Belshazzar made a great festival for a thousand of his lords, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand. Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar commanded…
25 Nov 2025 – Tuesday of Week 34 Optional Memorials: St Catherine of Alexandria, martyred in 310 in Alexandria, her body is venerated at the monastery on Mount Sinai; St Clement, third successor of St Peter as Bishop of Rome (88-97), exiled and martyred in Crimea, relics returned to the church of San Clements in Rome. 1st…
24 Nov 2025 – Monday of Week 34 Memorial: Ss Andrew Dûng-Lac, priests, and Companions, martyrs; in 17th, 18th and 19th centuries many were martyred in Vietnam – 117 are canonised, 96 Vietnamese men and women, 11 Spanish Dominican missionaries and 10 French missionaries. St Colman (Feast in Cloyne), born circa 530, probably in west…
23 Nov 2025 – 34th Sunday (C) – Christ the King (1) 2 Samuel 5:1-3 David becomes king of a united people All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Look, we are your bone and flesh. For some time, while Saul was king over us, it was you who led…
22 Nov 2025 – Saturday of Week 33 Memorial: St Cecilia, patroness of music and musicians, a 2nd or 3rd century Roman Christian martyr, who refused to worship the Roman gods and was beheaded. 1st Reading: 1 Maccabees (6:1-13 Antiochus attributes his collapse to his persecution of the Jews King Antiochus was going through the…
21 November 2025 – Presentation of Our Lady 1st Reading: Zechariah (2:14-17 Rejoice, O daughter Zion! For I will dwell in your midst Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! For lo, I will come and dwell in your midst, says the Lord. Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord on that day, and shall…
20 Nov 2025 – Thursday of Week 33 1st Reading: 1 Maccabees (2:15-29) Mattathias starts the Maccabee rebellion against pagan rule The king’s officers who were enforcing the apostasy came to the town of Modein to make them offer sacrifice. Many from Israel came to them; and Mattathias and his sons were assembled. Then the…
19 Nov 2025 – Wednesday of Week 33 1st Reading: 2 Maccabees 7:1, 20-31 The mother of seven sons urges them to die rather than betray the covenant It happened also that seven brothers and their mother were arrested and were being compelled by the king, under torture with whips and thongs, to partake of…
