Category: July
Daily Prayers with the Saints
Saint Theodoric
July 1 Loving Lord, Saint Theodoric was taken from his parents as a boy because they were thieves and abused him. Raised by Christians, he became a monk and founded the abbey at Mont d’Or, France, where he served as its first abbot. He became a well-known evangelist and healer. He converted many, including his …
Saint Otto of Bamberg
July 2 Holy God, Saint Otto of Bamberg was a priest who worked for the royal court, but when his emperor broke from Rome and then appointed him bishop, the saint refused the position, declaring his obedience to the Church. He became bishop only after the Pope consecrated him. I ask him to pray for …
Saint Thomas the Apostle
July 3 Lord Jesus, Saint Thomas the Apostle doubted Your resurrection until he touched Your wounds. After Pentecost, You called him to become a missionary in India, but he doubted again and said no. He changed his mind only after being taken into slavery by a merchant who happened to be going to India. Once …
Saint Elizabeth of Portugal
July 4 Lord of Love, Saint Elizabeth of Portugal was married to a king, and her spiritual life was often interrupted by politics and family arguments. She regained her inner peace by spending time in prayer and doing works of charity. I ask her to pray for my family whenever we are quarreling, for my …
Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria
July 5 Our Heavenly Father, Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria started out as a physician and then realized he wanted to heal souls as well as bodies, so he became a priest. He devoted his life to renewing the Christian lifestyle of his parishioners, reforming their morals, encouraging them to work together in ministry, and promoting …
Saint Maria Goretti
July 6 Compassionate Savior, Saint Maria Goretti was a young girl when a farmhand tried to rape her. As she warned him that he was sinning, he stabbed her repeatedly. Before she died, she forgave him. Later, while in jail for his crime, the perpetrator had a vision in which Maria led him to conversion. …
Saint Syrus of Genoa
July 7 Blessed Lord, Saint Syrus of Genoa was a bishop whose virtuous life was such a powerful witness of mercy and charity and miraculous powers that Christianity spread throughout his diocese and beyond. I ask him to pray for me to be able to examine myself honestly—looking at how strong or weak I am …
Saint Kilian
July 8 Holy God, Saint Kilian was a bishop who traveled throughout his diocese to reach all the parishes and minister to his flock. He realized that his calling to be a missionary meant going beyond the borders of his own country, so he took eleven companions and left home to evangelize Gaul. I ask …
Martyrs of Orange
July 9 O Beloved Jesus, the martyrs of Orange were thirty-two nuns of several religious orders and were jailed during the French Revolution. In that dismal prison cell, they formed into a single community. They prayed together, encouraged each other, and bonded in love. I ask them to pray for the community of my parish, …
Saint Amalburga
July 10 Dear Holy Spirit, Saint Amalburga was the mother of three children whom she home-schooled and raised in the Faith. All three became canonized saints. I ask her to intercede for the mothers I know, especially those involved in home-schooling. Help them to raise their children under Your guidance and lead them into holy …
Saint Benedict
July 11 Good Jesus, Saint Benedict believed in excelling and doing his very best to honor You. When he attended school, the undisciplined attitude of the other students dismayed him. Later, when he founded twelve monasteries, the demand for spiritual excellence in his Monastic Rule was so frustrating to lazy monks, some of them tried …
Saint Veronica
July 12 O My Jesus, Saint Veronica served You on the way to Calvary by wiping Your beloved face with a towel on which Your sacred image then appeared. She protected this treasure, and whenever people touched it, they were miraculously healed. I ask her to pray for the growth of my ability to see …
Saint Henry II
July 13 Most Holy Spirit, Saint Henry II was one of the best rulers of the Christian Roman Empire. He reformed the Church, assisted the growth of new monasteries, and oversaw the building of many beautiful churches. Because he believed that the Creed was essential to understanding our faith, he convinced the Pope to institute …
Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha
July 14 Jesus My Lord, Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha was the daughter of a pagan Mohawk chief. A Jesuit missionary converted her, and then her relatives shunned her. They attacked her beliefs, resented her for refusing to work on Sundays, and insulted her prayer life. This did not deter her from practicing the Faith. Now she …
Saint Bonaventure
July 15 Holy Spirit, Saint Bonaventure was one of the greatest thinkers of the Middle Ages, exceptionally gifted in his soul, mind, and personality. I ask him to pray for me to make the most of my talents, my intelligence, and my spirituality. Help me, O Lord, to take none of these for granted but …
Our Lady of Mount Carmel
July 16 Heavenly Father, Our Lady of Mount Carmel lived a life of piety and contemplation in nearby Nazareth. Mount Carmel is where Elijah proved that You are greater than pagans gods. Later, the Carmelites became a religious order devoted to contemplative prayer under her protection, and when its general, Saint Simon Stock, prayed for …
Saint Alexius
July 17 Precious Lord, Saint Alexius ran away from home disguised as a beggar in order to pursue his vocation. Later, he returned as a beggar, keeping his true identity hidden, but his parents who were kind to the needy invited him in. For seventeen years they let him live in a corner under their …
Saint Bruno of Segni
July 18 Sacred Jesus, Saint Bruno of Segni was an avid defender of orthodox Christian teachings. One of the doctrines he strongly promoted was Your real presence in the Eucharist. I ask him to pray for those who don’t understand, those who reject, and those who abuse the supernatural reality of the Eucharist. Help us …
Saint Macrina
July 19 Dear God, Saint Macrina helped her mother raise nine brothers and sisters. One of her brothers was Saint Basil the Great, and he obtained for his mother and sister a manor in which to live. Because of their spirituality, many women came to live with them to learn how to grow in holiness. …
Saint Margaret of Antioch
July 20 O Loving Lord, Saint Margaret of Antioch was the daughter of a pagan priest. Her escape from his false beliefs was depicted in a story of being swallowed by a dragon representing paganism, and then escaping from its belly as if being born anew. Because of this tale, she has become the patron …
Saint Lawrence of Brindisi
July 21 O Prince of Peace, Saint Lawrence of Brindisi served You as a military chaplain who preached effectively and taught the Faith in many languages. I ask him to pray for all the chaplains in military service, and for the troops to whom they minister. Teach them how to inspire others to form this …
Saint Mary Magdalene
July 22 Good Jesus, Saint Mary Magdalene was one of the women who assisted You and the apostles during Your public ministry. She cried with the Blessed Mother and Saint John at the foot of Your cross, and she helped to bury Your dead body. For serving You with such devotion, she was the first …
Saint Bridget of Sweden
July 23 Beloved Lord Jesus, Saint Bridget of Sweden first served You as a wife and mother, taking good care of her family, helping her Church, and getting involved in her community. After becoming a widow, she began to receive revelations about Your passion and suffering. I ask her to intercede for the widows and …
Saints Boris and Gleb
July 24 Almighty Savior, Saints Boris and Gleb were brothers called the “passion bearers” because they submitted to injustices to the point of death. When they were attacked, they refused to fight back. Rather than contribute to the violence, they refused to force their will upon the other. I ask them to pray against the …
Saint James the Greater
July 25 O Gentle Jesus, Saint James was one of Your first apostles, but he started out as a very impulsive, self-centered man. He dared to ask You for a place of honor in Your kingdom, and he wanted You to destroy the villages that had rejected You, but eventually he developed a true understanding …
Saints Joachim and Ann
July 26 Dear Jesus, Saints Joachim and Ann dedicated their precious daughter Mary to the service of the Temple when she was three years old, preparing the way for her to become Your Blessed Mother. Since they are Your grandparents, I ask them to intercede for the needs of the grandparents in my family: those …
Saint Pantaleon
July 27 O Powerful Holy Spirit, Saint Pantaleon was a Christian who, little by little, let the sinful examples of those around him eat away at his morals until he actually got to the point of forsaking his Christian Faith. It was through a holy priest that he later realized the grave sin he had …
Saint Samson
July 28 Father in Heaven, Saint Samson was a holy monk who exceeded those around him in spiritual maturity. When he met some Irish monks whose spiritual education was more advanced than his own, he went with them to Ireland so he could learn from them while he served at their side. I ask him …
Saint Martha
July 29 O Sweet Jesus, Saint Martha lived in Bethany with her brother and sister, Saints Lazarus and Mary. She attended to Your physical needs while You rested and fellowshipped with good friends. I ask her to pray for my gift of hospitality. Teach me, dear Lord, how to truly welcome friends, family, and strangers. …
Saint Peter Chrysologus
July 30 Dear God, Saint Peter Chrysologus was called “the golden-worded one” because of his outstanding gift of preaching. He could be powerful yet brief, direct while being compassionate, and persuasive without being judgmental. I ask him to pray for my own use of words. Holy Spirit, give me Your words to speak whenever I …
Saint Ignatius of Loyola
July 31 Good Savior, Saint Ignatius was wounded in battle and had to spend months in recovery. He wanted to pass the time reading adventure books about knights, but all he could find were biographies on the saints. Reading these, he felt challenged to do what the saints had done. I ask him to pray …
