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…
Presider’s Page for 23 November (Christ the King) We celebrate the feast of Christ the King today, acclaiming Jesus as our king, the one who died for us and rose triumphant. We offer praise and worship — and ask for the grace to live as worthy citizens of his kingdom of justice, truth, love and…
18 Nov 2025 – Tuesday of Week 33 Optional Memorial: Dedication of the Basilicas of Ss Peter and Paul. 1st Reading: 2 Maccabees 6:18-31 Eleazar’s refusal to be disloyal to Yahweh gives an example of virtue for the whole nation Eleazar, one of the scribes in high position, a man now advanced in age and…
17 Nov 2025 – Monday of Week 33 Memorial: St Elizabeth of Hungary, 1207-31, queen at 14, widowed, exiled at 20, Franciscan tertiary until her death at 24. A woman of prayer and service of the poor. 1st Reading: 1 Maccabees (1:10-15 etc The Jews suffering under persecution by Antiochus Epiphanes There arose from them…
16 Nov 2025 – 33rd Sunday (C) Towards the end of the church’s year, we remember the ‘last things’ and in particular, the Lord’s return. We should live our lives in the light of eternity (1) Malachi 3:19-20 The Day of the Lord will bring condemnation or salvation See, the day is coming, burning like…
15 Nov 2025 – Saturday of Week 32 Optional Memorial: St Albert the Great, c.1206-80, Dominican theologian, taught in Cologne. Patron of scientists. 1st Reading: Wisdom 18:14-16; 19:6-9 In the peaceful stillness of the night God’s Word came down While gentle silence enveloped all things, and night in its swift course was now half gone,…
14 Nov 2025 – Friday of Week 32 Optional Memorial (Feast: Dublin): St Laurence O’Toole, born 1128, Castledermot, Co Kildare, studied at Glendalough, later became abbot there in 1148. First native Archbishop of Dublin in 1162, a reformer, attended the Third Lateran Council in 1179, worked for peace. Died on a mission of mediation with…
13 Nov 2025 – Thursday of Week 32 1st Reading: Wisdom 7:22-8:1 Wisdom reaches from end to end and governs all things well Wisdom is a spirit that is intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, mobile, clear, unpolluted, distinct, invulnerable, loving the good, keen, irresistible, beneficent, humane, steadfast, sure, free from anxiety, all-powerful, overseeing all, and…
12 Nov 2025 – Wednesday of Week 32 Memorial: St Josaphat, 1580-1623, Bishop of Polotz, worked for the reunion of Ukrainian Catholics, his murder by those who opposed him brought about many conversions. 1st Reading: Wisdom 6:1-11 God, as Creator of everything, provides for all alike Listen, O kings, and understand; learn, O judges of…
Presider’s Page for 16 November (33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time) The readings this Sunday focus on the end of the world, though we are also reassured that people of faith have nothing to fear. (Today is also World Day of the Poor.) Penitential Rite We renew our trust in God’s promises, as we call to…
11 Nov 2025 – Tuesday of Week 32 Memorial: St Martin of Tours, 316-97, Bishop of Tours, apostle of rural Gaul, founder of monasteries. Patron of France, soldiers, beggars and innkeepers. 1st Reading: Wisdom 2:23-3:9 The dead may seem extinct, but their souls are in peace God created us for incorruption, and made us in…
10 Nov 2025 – Monday of Week 32 Memorial: St Leo the Great, died 461, taught the two natures, human and divine, of Christ, at the Council of Chalcedon 451, and the primacy of the See of Peter. 1st Reading: Wisdom 1:1-7 Think of the Lord constantly, and seek his guidance truly Love righteousness, you…
09 November 2025 – Dedication of the Lateran Basilica 1st Reading: Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-10, 12 Ezekiel sees life-giving river flows out from the Jerusalem temple, to bring new life to the desert Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple; there, water was flowing from below the threshold of the temple toward…
