Catholic Family Devotions

Understanding the Day

Season

Lent

Week

Week 3 of Lent

Rank

Feast

S. Gregory the Great is celebrated within Lent, a penitential season of prayer, fasting, and preparation for Easter. There is no octave or vigil noted here, so the observance is a single-day commemoration rather than an extended celebration. This day honors Gregory’s role as pope, confessor, and Doctor of the Church—titles that point to his leadership, holiness, and contribution to the Church’s teaching and pastoral care.

Introit (Daily Prayer)

I am the salvation of the people, says the Lord. From whatever tribulation they shall cry to Me, I will hear them; and I will be their Lord forever.
Ps 77:1
Hearken, My people, to My teaching; incline your ears to the words of My mouth.
Glory Be to the Father…

Commemoration St. Gregory the Great
O God, Who made Your Bishop, blessed Gregory, an equal to the saints in merit, graciously grant that we, who keep this feast in his memory, may also imitate the example given by his life.
Through our Lord…

Weekly Prayer

Prayer to the Holy Family

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,
bless us and grant us the grace
to love and serve God faithfully,
to honor one another with patience and charity,
and to make our home a dwelling place of peace.

Holy Family of Nazareth,
help us to grow in faith, hope, and love.
Guide our work, our rest, our words, and our choices,
so that in all things we may seek the will of God.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,
pray for us and protect our family. Amen.

Weekly Formation

Beatitude 3

The Beatitudes

Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted.
The blessed mourners grieve chiefly for sin—their own and the sins of the world—and bear unavoidable trials in union with God. Their promised comfort is not mere earthly relief but the consolation of grace and, finally, eternal joy.

Saint & Feast

Principal celebration

Gregory the Great

S. Gregory the Great, Pope, Confessor and Doctor of the Church

64th Bishop of Rome, Head of the Roman Catholic Church from 590 to 604

Born: 0540-11-30 · Rome
Died: 0604-03-12 · Rome

Pope Gregory I, commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was the 64th Bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 until his death on 12 March 604. He is known for instituting the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregorian mission, to convert the then largely pagan Anglo-Saxons to Christianity. Gregory is also well known for his writings, which were more prolific than those of any of his predecessors as pope. The epithet Saint Gregory the Dialogist has been attached to him in Eastern Christianity because of his Dialogues. English translations of Eastern texts sometimes list him as Gregory "Dialogos" from the Greek διάλογος, or the Anglo-Latinate equivalent "Dialogus". He is the second of the three Popes listed in the Annuario Pontificio with the title "the Great", alongside Popes Leo I and Nicholas I.

Learn more about Gregory the Great

Customs & Fasting

Traditional fast

Traditional Lenten fast.

Today in Church History

Canonization of Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier
1622Canonization
In 1622, the Roman Catholic Church canonized Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier, co-founders of the Society of Jesus. This event marked a significant recognition of their contributions to the Church and the spread of the Gospel, highlighting the Jesuits' role in education and missionary work.
The canonization of these saints inspires believers to pursue a life of service and dedication to God.

Catechism

Catechism of the Catholic Church

In Christ’s Ascension, we see him established as Lord over all creation and history, sharing in God’s power and authority and bringing God’s plan toward its fulfillment. He is the head of the Church, his Body, and his kingdom is already present in mystery: on earth, the Church is its seed and beginning. Yet Christ’s reign still awaits its full fulfillment when he returns in power and great glory. As we pray, worship, and live through the struggles of this present age, we wait and watch with hope, joining the Church in the prayer: “Maranatha! Our Lord, come!”

In the face of final trials leading up to Christ's second coming, the Church will endure persecution that tests the faith of many. The deception of the Antichrist, which promotes a false sense of salvation through self-glorification, poses a significant threat to authentic belief. However, the fulfillment of God's kingdom will come not through worldly triumphs but through Christ's victory over evil, culminating in the Last Judgment where each person's heart and actions will be revealed. For Catholic families, this serves as a reminder to live in grace and love, embracing each other with compassion, as our treatment of one another reflects our acceptance of Christ’s teachings and prepares us for the eternal life He offers.

¶ 669

As Lord, Christ is also head of the Church, which is his Body. Taken up to heaven and glorified after he had thus fully accomplished his mission, Christ dwells on earth in his Church. the redemption is the source of the authority that Christ, by virtue of the Holy Spirit, exercises over the Church. "The kingdom of Christ (is) already present in mystery", "on earth, the seed and the beginning of the kingdom".

Today's Mass Readings

Open the day's Sancta MissaDivinum Officium · Divino Afflatu - 1954View readings