Catholic Family Devotions

Understanding the Day

Season

Time After Pentecost

Week

Week 9 of Time After Pentecost

Rank

Feast

St. Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr, is celebrated in Ordinary Time after Pentecost as part of the Church’s ongoing season of growth in faith and charity. There is no octave or vigil attached in this canonical listing, so the observance is for the single day marked on the calendar. This celebration matters because it honors a bishop who witnessed to Christ even unto death, reminding families of the call to steadfast faith, pastoral service, and courage in suffering.

Daily Prayer

The Introit for this day has not yet been generated.

Weekly Prayer

Weekly prayer content will appear here once it is scheduled.

Weekly Formation

The Precepts of the Church: Eucharist and Discipline

The Precepts of the Church

You shall receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season.
This precept requires worthy reception of Holy Communion at least during the Easter season. The minimum joins the faithful sacramentally to the Paschal mystery and presumes the preparation required for receiving the Eucharist reverently.
You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church.
This precept requires observance of the days and forms of fasting and abstinence established by lawful Church authority. These common disciplines unite bodily self-denial with repentance, prayer, and obedience rather than treating penance as a merely private preference.

Saint & Feast

Principal celebration

Apollinaris

St. Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr

Syrian bishop and saint

Born: 0100-00-00 · Antioch
Died: 0075-07-23 · Ravenna

Apollinaris of Ravenna is a Syrian saint, whom the Roman Martyrology describes as "a bishop who, according to tradition, while spreading among the nations the unsearchable riches of Christ, led his flock as a good shepherd and honoured the Church of Classis near Ravenna by a glorious martyrdom."

Learn more about Apollinaris

Commemoration

Liborius

Customs & Fasting

No traditional fast · Complete abstinence

Traditional Friday complete abstinence.

Today in Church History

No Church history reflection has been prepared for this date yet.

Catechism

Catechism of the Catholic Church

In the sacrament of Matrimony, a profound and lasting bond is established between spouses, rooted in God’s design and strengthened by sacramental grace. This irrevocable covenant perfects their love and strengthens their unity, helping them grow in holiness in married life and in welcoming and educating their children. As they live their commitment day by day, Christ dwells with them, giving them strength to forgive, bear one another’s burdens, and love one another with tender and fruitful love. Their communion is deepened through shared faith and the Eucharist, reflecting divine love through their mutual self-giving, equal personal dignity, and faithful, exclusive union.

In the sacrament of Matrimony, spouses are called to embody inviolable fidelity, reflecting God's unwavering love for His people and Christ's devotion to the Church. This commitment requires a profound mutual giving and an unbreakable union, essential not only for the couple but also for the well-being of their children. While the challenges of lifelong fidelity can seem daunting, couples can draw strength from God's definitive love, enabling them to witness this love even amidst difficulties. In cases where marital life becomes unfeasible, the Church upholds the indissolubility of marriage but encourages reconciliation and offers support, ensuring that those facing separation still feel embraced by the Christian community as they strive to live out their faith.

¶ 1641

"By reason of their state in life and of their order, [Christian spouses] have their own special gifts in the People of God." This grace proper to the sacrament of Matrimony is intended to perfect the couple's love and to strengthen their indissoluble unity. By this grace they "help one another to attain holiness in their married life and in welcoming and educating their children."

Today's Mass Readings

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