| DIES | 05 Sun | 06 Mon | 07 Tue | 08 Wed | 09 Thu | 10 Fri | 11 Sat | 12 Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Officium | Dominica XVII Post Pentecosten | S. Brunonis Confessoris | Sanctissimi Rosarii Beatæ Mariæ Virginis | S. Birgittæ Viduæ | S. Joannis Leonardi Confessoris | S. Francisci Borgiæ Confessoris | Maternitatis Beatæ Mariæ Virginis | Dominica XVIII Post Pentecosten |
| Classis | Dominica minor | Duplex | Duplex II | Duplex | Duplex | Semi-duplex | Duplex II | Dominica minor |
| Color* | Viridis | Albus | Albus | Albus | Albus | Albus | Albus | Viridis |
| Missa | Justus es | Os justi | Gaudeámus | Cognóvi | In sermónibus | Os justi | Ecce Virgo | Da pacem |
| Orationes | 2a. Ss. Placidi et Sociorum Martyrum 3a. A cunctis | NA | 2a. S. Marci Papæ Confessoris | NA | 2a. S. Dionysii Epíscopi, Rustici et Eleutherii Martyrum | 2a. A cunctis 3a. ad libitum | NA | 2a. A cunctis 3a. ad libitum |
| Notae | Gl. Cr. Pref. de Trinitate | Gl. Pref. de Communis | Gl. Cr. Pref. de B.M.V. | Gl. Pref. de Communis | Gl. Pref. de Communis | Gl. Pref. de Communis | Gl. Cr. Pref. de B.M.V. | Gl. Cr. Pref. de Trinitate |
| Nota Bene/Vel/Votiva | EU: S. Dionysii Epíscopi, Rustici et Eleutherii Martyrum, Missa “Sapiéntiam Sanctórum” | UK: S. Paulini, Ebor Missa “Statuit” |
SUNDAY
5 October – St. Placid and Companions, Martyrs
St. Placid was a disciple of St. Benedict, sent as a young boy to live under the holy patriarch’s guidance at Subiaco. Later, with a small group of fellow monks, he travelled to Sicily to establish monastic life there. Around the year 541, Placid and his companions were slain by Saracen raiders, becoming martyrs of Christ. His life reminds us of the spiritual fruitfulness of obedience to a master in the faith, and the hidden heroism of the contemplative life, which in God’s providence may culminate in martyrdom. In Placid’s witness, we see how the Benedictine tradition spread rapidly across Europe, sowing seeds of Christian civilisation.
6 October – St. Bruno, Confessor
St. Bruno (c. 1030–1101) was a German priest and scholar, renowned in Reims for his learning and teaching, but later moved by grace to renounce worldly honours. He founded the Carthusian Order, withdrawing into the solitude of Chartreuse, France, with six companions. The Carthusians, famous for their strict silence, solitude, and prayer, have endured to this day as one of the most austere yet fruitful religious families in the Church. Bruno’s life teaches us that true renewal in the Church begins not with noisy reforms but with fidelity to prayer, silence, and penance.
7 October – The Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary
This feast, instituted by Pope St. Pius V, commemorates the great victory at Lepanto in 1571, when Christian forces defeated the Ottoman fleet after the Pope had called all of Christendom to recite the Rosary. It was originally titled “Our Lady of Victory.” The Rosary is both a weapon and a school of sanctity: it teaches us to contemplate the mysteries of Christ through Mary’s eyes, and it arms us in spiritual battle. In an age beset by confusion and darkness, this feast exhorts the faithful to rediscover the daily Rosary, the “Psalter of the Virgin,” as a bulwark against error and sin.
8 October – St. Bridget of Sweden, Widow
St. Bridget (1303–1373), born into Swedish nobility, married and bore eight children, among them St. Catherine of Sweden. After her husband’s death, she dedicated herself to a life of prayer, charity, and reform. She received mystical revelations, many concerning the sufferings of Christ and the state of the Church. She travelled to Rome, urging the Pope to return from Avignon, and founded the Brigittine Order. Her witness combines deep mystical piety with courageous action, reminding us that true sanctity unites contemplation with a prophetic voice calling the Church to fidelity.
9 October – St. John Leonardi, Confessor
Born in Lucca, Italy (1541–1609), St. John Leonardi was a pharmacist before becoming a priest. He founded the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God and was active in the Catholic Counter-Reformation. He emphasised catechesis, the reform of clergy, and devotion to the Blessed Virgin. With Ven. Bartholomew Holzhauser, he is regarded as one of the forerunners of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. His insistence on sound doctrine and missionary zeal reminds us that renewal comes through truth and holiness, not compromise with the world.
10 October – St. Francis Borgia, Confessor
St. Francis Borgia (1510–1572), a Spanish nobleman and Duke of Gandía, was married and had eight children. On his wife’s death, he renounced his estates and joined the Society of Jesus, becoming its third Superior General. His zeal expanded the Jesuit missions across Europe and the New World, while his humility and mortification were renowned. Borgia’s conversion from worldly splendour to radical discipleship illustrates the fleeting nature of earthly glory and the eternal value of serving Christ alone.
11 October – The Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
This feast, instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1931 on the 1500th anniversary of the Council of Ephesus, celebrates Our Lady as Mother of God (Theotokos), a title solemnly affirmed against the Nestorian heresy. In the Tridentine calendar, it is observed on 11 October. The feast exalts Mary’s unique dignity, not as an incidental honour, but because her Divine Motherhood safeguards the truth of the Incarnation: that Jesus is one Divine Person with both a human and divine nature. For the faithful, this feast affirms that devotion to Mary is always Christocentric, for to honour her as Mother of God is to confess Christ as true God and true man.
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