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Monday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Alfred the Great, 848-899; he was the fifth son of the Wessex king; in 853, he was accepted as a godson by Pope Leo IV ; he was a great scholar, translating classics for his people, and early on seemed destined for a career in the Church; but he became king, and spent most of his reign in conflict with the Danes, who were then threatening England; his patronage of the arts, literature, and especially the Church made him a beloved figure in England Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/26/26 Gospel: Luke 13:10-17

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/25/26 Gospel: Matthew 22:34-40

Saturday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Anthony Mary Claret, 1807-1870; born in Barcelona, entered seminary at age 22; after ordination, discovered his heart for missionary work; he ran retreats in the Canary Islands for 15 months; on his return, he founded the Congregation of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary as well as an extremely successful publishing company; his efforts were recognized, and Pope Pius IX appointed him archbishop of Cuba, where he built a hospital and numerous schools; at age 50, he returned to Spain and became confessor to Isabella II; he founded a scientific lab, a natural history museum, as well as a school of language and music Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/24/26 Gospel: Luke 13:1-9

Friday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. John of Capistrano, 1386-1456; born in Italy; became governor of Perugia; when war broke out, he was sent as an ambassador of peace; he was imprisoned, and during that time, studied theology; upon his release, he gave up politics and entered the Franciscan order; after his ordination, he started preaching and, with his mentor St. Bernardine, gained great renown; he influenced Christians in Germany, Bohemia, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, and Poland Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/23/26 Gospel: Luke 12:54-59

Thursday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. John Paul II, 1920-2005; he was elected pope in 1978; his exceptional apostolic zeal, particularly for families, young people and the sick, led him to numerous pastoral visits throughout the world; among the fruits that he left were the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Code of Canon Law; in 2005, he departed peacefully to the Lord Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/22/26 Gospel: Luke 12:49-53

Wednesday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Hilarion, 291-371; Abbot and disciple of St. Anthony the Great, companion of St. Hesychius; born in Palestine, educated in Egypt; stayed with St. Anthony the Great in the desert before becoming a hermit in Gaza; he rejoined Anthony in Egypt in 356, but found that his fame had spread there too; he fled to Sicily to escape notice, but Hesychius traced him there; the two went to Dalmatia, Croatia, and then to Cyprus; Hilarion performed so many miracles that crowds flocked to him when it was discovered he was in any region; he died on Cyprus Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/21/26 Gospel: Luke 12:39-48

Tuesday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Paul of the Cross, 1694-1775; in his mid-twenties, he had a vision to form an order focused on the Passion of Christ; he drew up the Rule for the Passionists; he became ordained, the Rule was approved, and in 1747, the first general council of the order was held; St. Paul of the Cross was elected superior general, an office he held until his death; the order proclaims the Passion as a true sign of God’s love for humanity Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/20/26 Gospel: Luke 12:35-38

Monday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. John de Brebeuf and St. Isaac Jogues, and companions, the North American martyrs; these 17th century French missionaries traveled to the northeast part of the New World to share the Gospel; they visited the Iroquois and Mohawk peoples living in the Huron area; St. John de Brebeuf evangelized amongst the peoples for three successful years before being captured by the Iroquois and tortured to death; St. Isaac Jogues was captured; his hand mutilated, and he was killed by a tomahawk blow Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/19/26 Gospel: Luke 12:13-21

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/18/26 Gospel: Matthew 22:15-21

Saturday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch, 50-108; the second bishop of Antioch; during a persecution, St. Ignatius held to the faith, and was sent to Rome to be executed; on his way, he wrote seven surviving letters to various churches in modern-day Turkey, to Christians in Rome, and to his fellow bishop Polycarp; he emphasized Christian unity--centered on the bishop and the Eucharist, and stressed the reality of Christ’s humanity and divinity Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/17/26 Gospel: Luke 12:8-12

Friday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Hedwig, 1174-1243; duchess of Silesia, born at Castle Andechs, Bavaria; at age 12, she married Henry I the Bearded of Silesia; soon she became actively involved in the administration of her husband’s land, and used her influence for the construction of new monastic foundations, and assisted those existent in Silesia; Hedwig and Henry had seven children and after the birth of her last child, they decided to take a vow of chastity before the Bishop of Breslau; Henry died in 1238 and Hedwig made the Abbey of Trebnitz her permanent home until her death Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/16/26 Gospel: Luke 12:1-7

Thursday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Teresa of Avila, 1515-1582; born in Spain, and at age 20 entered the Carmelite convent of the Incarnation in Avila; she resolved to found new Carmelite convents committed to lives of poverty, seclusion and prayer; also, she experienced many visions and mystical impressions and began to write spiritual books about them; her important works include The Interior Castle, The Way of Perfection and her autobiography, The Life of Teresa of Jesus Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/15/26 Gospel: Luke 11:47-54

Wednesday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of Pope St. Callistus I; lived in the first part of the Third Century; he was originally a slave, who lost money which was entrusted to him; he fled, but was caught, and he promised to return the money; later, he was arrested for fighting at a syangogue; eventually, he was denounced as a Christian, and sentenced to the mines in Sardinia; Pope Victor secured his release, and sent him to antium with a monthly allowance; Pope Zephyrinus entrusted him with the burial chambers along the Appian Way, still known as the Catacombs of San Callisto; he was pope from 217 to 222, and is honored as a martyr Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/14/26 Gospel: Luke 11:42-46

Tuesday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Colman of Stockerau; 11th Century Irish or Scottish pilgrim who was martyred in Austria while on the way to the Holy Land; tortured and hanged as a spy in 1012, he edified everyone with his courage; his body remained preserved, and miracles were reported at his grave; the Austrians realized that Colman was a holy man, put to death by mistake; he became a patron saint of Austria Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/13/26 Gospel: Luke 11:37-41

Monday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Carlo Acutis, 1991-2006; he was a tech-savvy teen who lived with great faith and a love of the Sacraments, in particular the Eucharist and Confession; his interest in Eucharistic miracles inspired him to create an online catalog, putting to use his modern computer skills; Carlo is remembered for being "God's influencer" because of his heart for evangelization and his love of the poor; he truly had a unique ability to bring holiness into modern life Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/12/26 Gospel: Luke 11:29-32