Catholic Family Devotions

Understanding the Day

Season

Time After Pentecost

Week

Week 9 of Time After Pentecost

Rank

Major feast

This day falls in Ordinary Time after Pentecost, a season when the Church focuses on the life and witness of the saints and the growth of Christian discipleship. The rank here, "Greater Double," is an older liturgical classification indicating a celebration more solemn than a simple feast but not as high as a principal feast; in family terms, it means the celebration has special prayers and may affect the daily prayer cycle or liturgy without replacing the chief Sundays of the season. There is no octave or vigil attached above, so the observance is celebrated on this single day. The celebration matters because it holds up a model of Christian conversion and dedication that can inspire personal growth and communal prayer.

Introit (Daily Prayer)

Phil. 2:10-11
At the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven, on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.
Ps 5:12-13
All who love Your name shall glory in You, for You bless the just man.
Glory Be to the Father…

O God, Who, to spread abroad the greater glory of Your name through St. Ignatius, strengthened the Church militant with new power; grant that we who are struggling on earth may, by his help and after his example, be found worthy to be crowned with him in heaven.
Through our Lord…

Weekly Prayer

Confiteor

I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,

through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault;

therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.

Weekly Formation

The Needs of the Church

The Precepts of the Church

You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church.
This precept requires the faithful to contribute, according to their means, to the material needs of the Church. Such support provides for divine worship, apostolic work, clergy and ministers, and assistance to those in need.

Saint & Feast

Principal celebration

Ignatius of Loyola

St. Ignatius of Loyola, Confessor

Spanish Catholic priest and theologian (1491–1556)

Born: 1491-10-23 · Holy House
Died: 1556-07-31 · Camere di San Ignazio

Ignatius of Loyola, venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Basque Spaniard Catholic priest and theologian, who, with six companions, founded the religious order of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), and became its first Superior General, in Paris in 1541.

Learn more about Ignatius of Loyola

Customs & Fasting

No traditional fast · Complete abstinence

Traditional Friday complete abstinence.

Today in Church History

Death of Saint Germanus of Auxerre
432Church Father
Saint Germanus of Auxerre, a bishop known for his role in combating Pelagianism in Britain, died on July 31, 432. His efforts helped preserve orthodox Christian teachings in the early Church.
Saint Germanus' life exemplifies the courage needed to defend the faith against heresy.
Death of Saint Ignatius of Loyola
1556Church Father
Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), died on July 31, 1556. His work in education and missionary efforts significantly impacted the Catholic Church's Counter-Reformation.
Saint Ignatius' life reminds us of the transformative power of spiritual discernment and dedication to God's mission.

Catechism

Catechism of the Catholic Church

In the life of the Holy Spirit, human dignity is rooted in being created in God’s image and likeness and is fulfilled in our vocation to divine beatitude. We freely direct ourselves toward this fulfillment, seeking and loving what is true and good, while relying on grace to grow in virtue, avoid sin, and return to the mercy of our Father when we fall. In Christ, the image of the invisible God, our true identity and exalted vocation are revealed; through him, the divine image wounded by sin is restored and ennobled by grace. As we listen to conscience, love God and neighbor, and face the ongoing struggle between good and evil, we are invited to grow toward the perfection of charity and to live in divine charity and human solidarity.

Through his Passion, Christ delivered us from sin and Satan and merited for us new life in the Holy Spirit. His grace restores what sin has damaged in us. By believing in Christ, we become children of God, able to follow his example, act rightly, and do good. As we mature in grace and remain united with our Savior, we grow toward the holiness and perfection of charity that blossom into eternal life in heaven.

Each person, endowed with a spiritual soul, intellect, and free will, is ordered to God and destined for eternal beatitude. We are called to seek and love what is true and good, and our true freedom reflects the divine image. Though original sin wounds our nature, leaving us subject to error and inclined toward evil, the moral law speaks in our conscience and calls us to do good and avoid evil. In daily life, we can return with confidence to Christ, whose grace strengthens us as we grow in the new life of the Holy Spirit.

¶ 1703

Endowed with "a spiritual and immortal" soul, The human person is "the only creature on earth that God has willed for its own sake." From his conception, he is destined for eternal beatitude.

Today's Mass Readings

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