Author Archives: Steve Benner

Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/4nsdks7h O sing a new song to the Lord,for he has worked wonders;in the sight of the nationshe has shown his deliverance, alleluia. Psalm 98 Almighty God,to whom all hearts are open,all desires, known,and from whom no secrets are hid:Cleanse the thoughts of our heartsby the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,that we may perfectlyContinue reading “Oremus for Friday, August 18, 2023”

Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/7fs7f7em The Lord became my protector.He brought me out to a place of freedom;he saved me because he delighted in me. Psalm 18 Almighty God,to whom all hearts are open,all desires, known,and from whom no secrets are hid:Cleanse the thoughts of our heartsby the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,that we may perfectly love youand worthilyContinue reading “Oremus for Thursday, August 17, 2023”

Brother Roger of Taizé Roger Schütz was founder of the Taizé community and a living paradox. Totally identified with the ecumenical “monastery” he had created, humble and stubborn, childlike and cunning, mystical and realist, mild and authoritarian, he was a pioneer in the ecumenical field and never wavered in his self-imposed lifelong mission: to work towardsContinue reading “Oremus for Wednesday, August 16, 2023”

The Blessed Virgin MaryThe honor paid to Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ, goes back to the earliest days of the Church. Two Gospels tell of the manner of Christ’s birth, and the familiar Christmas story testifies to the Church’s conviction that he was born of a virgin. In Luke’s Gospel, we catch a briefContinue reading “Oremus for Tuesday, August 15, 2023”

Maximilian KolbeMaximilian Kolbe was born at Zdunska Wola near Lodz in Poland in 1894. His parents were Franciscan Tertiaries and, beginning his training for ordination in 1907, Maximilian joined the Franciscan noviciate in 1910. He studied at Rome but, suffering from tuberculosis, he returned to Poland and became a lecturer in church history. After sufferingContinue reading “Oremus for Monday, August 14, 2023”

Antiphon 1 Ant. In you have I put my trust, O Lord;I said: “You are my God, my destiny is in your hands.”V. Let your face shine on your servant. *Save me in your merciful love.Let me not be put to shame, O Lord, *for I call on you;let the wicked be shamed! *Let them be silenced inContinue reading “Oremus for Sunday, August 13, 2023”

Florence NightingaleFlorence Nightingale was born in 1820 into a wealthy family. In the face of their opposition, she insisted that she wished to train in nursing. In 1853, she finally achieved her wish and headed her own private nursing institute in London. Her efforts at improving conditions for the wounded during the Crimean War wonContinue reading “Oremus for Saturday, August 12, 2023”

ClareBorn in 1193 in Assisi of a wealthy family, Clare caught the joy of a new vision of the gospel from Francis’ preaching. Escaping from home, first to the Benedictines and then to a Béguine-style group, she chose a contemplative way of life when she founded her own community, which lived in corporate poverty understood as dependence onContinue reading “Oremus for Friday, August 11, 2023”

LawrenceThe sources for the martyrdom of Laurence are among the earliest, though the details are thin. Laurence was one of the seven deacons at Rome and closely associated with Pope Sixtus II, martyred just a few days before him. His examiners insisted he produce the Church treasures. He promptly did so: assembling all the poor,Continue reading “Oremus for Thursday, August 10, 2023”

John Henry NewmanJohn Henry Newman was born in 1801. His intellectual brilliance saw him appointed to a Fellowship in Oxford at the young age of twenty-one. His Evangelical roots gradually gave way to a more Catholic view of the Church, particularly after liberal trends both in politics and theology appeared to undermine the Church of England’s authority.Continue reading “Oremus for Wednesday, August 9, 2023”