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Liturgy of the Hours for March 18

About Today for Monday in the 5th week of Lent or St. Cyril of Jerusalem, B & D

Please Note

This is the Liturgy of the Hours for December 31. Your local date is .

July 5

Saint Anthony Zaccaria, Priest and Saint Elizabeth of Portugal

Optional Memorials

Saint Anthony Zaccaria was born in 1502 in Italy. Well-educated; he studied Greek, Latin, philosophy and medicine. His mother’s love for the poor inspired his own charisms; so, at age 26, Saint Anthony decided to change professions and enter the priesthood. As a man for the masses, Saint Anthony moved to the populous city of Milan and preached among the people. He pursued the Gospels simply and clearly and as such, incited a movement. The Clerics Regular of St. Paul, the Angelic Sisters of St. Paul, and the Laity of St. Paul were all founded under his initial leadership. Pope Benedict XVI, in a preface written about Saint Anthony wrote he was, “an authentic man of God… a true leader, able to convert others to good.”[1][2]

Saint Elizabeth of Portugal was a princess and queen in the 13th century, daughter to Pedro III; King of Aragon, and Constantia; granddaughter to Frederick II. Her upbringing led her to pious works including the daily recitation of the Office, fasting, and works of charity and mercy. When her husband, Denis; the King of Portugal, and her son went to war over the throne, Saint Elizabeth valiantly rode into battle between their armies to incite peace. A truce was formed and as such, Saint Elizabeth often bears the name ‘Peacemaker.’[3]

Written by Sarah Ciotti
[1] Catholicpedia: The Original Catholic Encyclopedia (1917) for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. s.v. “St. Antonio Maria Zaccaria.”
[2] Benjamin Mann, Church honors priest and founder St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria, Catholic News Agency, 2012.
[3] Catholicpedia: The Original Catholic Encyclopedia (1917) for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. s.v. “St. Elizabeth of Portugal.”
Note: Optional Memorials and Commemorations are optional celebrations and, at present, we do not include content specific to these special days. This “About Today” is provided so that you can celebrate these Saints as you worship Christ.

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Divine Office Blog

News and Updates from our ministry

New email notifications for our community members

Monica on May 29th, 2023at 6:25

Dear community, In an effort to encourage and promote among our community members more interaction, communication and spiritual support for one another, Divine Office has been working on a new email notification system where members... Continue reading

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Monica on May 10th, 2023at 3:35

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Dear Community, At the start of the New Year, our gift to you is a new website design with a different architecture. We meant it to be fresh and beautiful, to promote our members’ interactions... Continue reading

Divine Office is available with Alexa

Monica on August 5th, 2022at 5:31

Dear community, Those of you in the United States can now pray the Liturgy of the Hours with Alexa. It’s yet another simple and convenient way to pray the hours and we hope it will... Continue reading

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