OXYGEN

30 Apr – Memorial for St. Pius V, pope
Antonio Ghislieri (1504-1572) was born to impoverished Italian nobility, the son of Paolo Ghislieri and Domenica Augeria. He worked as a shepherd as a boy, and received an excellent education in piety and holiness, including a scholastic education from a Dominican friar. He joined the Order in [...]

29 Apr – Memorial for St. Catherine of Siena, virgin & doctor
Catherine (1347-1380) was the youngest child in a large family. At the age of six, she had a vision in which Jesus appeared and blessed her. Her parents wanted her to marry, but she became a Dominican tertiary. She was a mystic and stigmatist. [...]

28 Apr – Memorial for St. Peter Chanel, priest & martyr; Memorial for St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, priest
Peter Chanel (1803-1841) was born to a peasant family and was a shepherd as a boy. He was an excellent student and was ordained at 24. He was assigned to Crozet, a parish in decline; he turned [...]

27 Apr
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Acts 6:8-15
Stephen was filled with grace and power and began to work miracles and great signs among the people. But then certain people came forward to debate with Stephen, some from Cyrene and Alexandria who were members of the synagogue called the Synagogue of Freedmen, and others from Cilicia and Asia. They found they [...]

26 Apr – Third Sunday of Easter
Our Advocate With The Father
We celebrate with the living Christ, our advocate with the Father, in whose name repentance for the forgiveness of sins is preached to all the world.
- The Sunday Missal
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Acts 3:13-15. 17-19
Peter said to the people: “You are Israelites, and it is the God of Abraham, [...]

25 Apr – Feast of St. Mark, evangelist
St. Mark is believed to be the young man who ran away when Jesus was arrested (Mark 14:51-52), and the “John whose other name was Mark” (Acts 12:25). He was a disciple of St. Peter who travelled with him to Rome, and was referred to as “my son [...]

24 Apr – Memorial for St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, priest & martyr
St. Fidelis Sigmaringen (1577-1622) was a lawyer and teacher of philosophy. Disgusted by the greed, corruption, and lack of interest in justice by his fellow lawyers, Mark Rey abandoned the law, became a priest and a Franciscan friar with his brother George. He changed [...]

23 Apr – Memorial for St. George, martyr; Memorial for St. Adalbert, bishop & martyr
George (d. 304) was a soldier who was martyred for his faith. That’s all we know for sure.
Several stories have been attached to St. George, the best known of which is the “Golden Legend”. In it, a dragon lived in a [...]

22 Apr
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Acts of the Apostles 5:17-26
The high priest intervened with all his supporters from the party of the Sadducees. Prompted by jealousy, they arrested the apostles and had them put in the common gaol.
But at night the angel of the Lord opened the prison gates and said as he led them out, “Go and stand [...]

21 Apr – Memorial for St. Anselm, Bishop and Doctor
Anselm (1033-1109) was born of Italian nobility. After a childhood devoted to piety and study, he wanted to enter religious life, but his father prevented it, and Anselm became rather worldly for several years. Upon his mother’s death, Anselm argued with his father, fled to France, [...]