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Saint Ansgar, Bishop
Saint Blaise, Bishop and Martyr

optional memorial Ordinary Time
Mass Readings → Liturgy of the Hours →

Selected Mass Reading

First Reading — 2 Samuel 18:9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30–19:3

And it happened that Absalom met the servants of David, riding on a mule: and as the mule went under a thick and large oak, his head stuck in the oak: and while he hung between the heaven and the earth, the mule on which he rode passed on. And one saw this and told Joab, saying: I saw Absalom hanging upon an oak. And Joab said: Not as thou wilt, but I will set upon him in thy sight. So he took three lances in his hand, and thrust them into the heart of Absalom: and whilst he yet panted for life, sticking on the oak, And David sat between the two gates: and the watchman that was on the top of the gate upon the wall, lifting up his eyes, saw a man running alone. And crying out he told the king: and the king said: If he be alone, there are good tidings in his mouth. And as he was coming apace, and drawing nearer,

Saints Memorialized Today

Ansgar
Ansgar Monk, Missionary, Bishop, Archbishop 801–865

Saint Ansgar was born on September 8, 801, near Amiens in present-day France, into a noble Frankish family. After his mother’s early death, he was raised at the Benedictine monastery of Corbie, where a childhood vision of his mother with the Blessed Virgin Mary awakened in him a deep seriousness about God. Formed in prayer and learning, he helped found the monastery of Corvey in Westphalia and soon became a teacher and preacher with a burning desire to bring Christ to the North. Sent first to Denmark and then to Sweden, Ansgar endured setbacks, political upheaval, and harsh travel, yet he patiently gathered small Christian communities, especially at Birka. In 831 he was appointed Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen and given responsibility for missions to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Even after Vikings destroyed Hamburg and many abandoned the work, he persevered, securing permission for churches and defending fragile congregations from pagan backlash. Known as the “Apostle of the North,” he is venerated as patron of Scandinavia, Hamburg, and missionaries. His feast day is February 3.

 Blaise of Sebaste
Blaise of Sebaste Bishop of Sebaste, Physician, Hermit, Martyr 300–316

Saint Blaise was born at Sebaste in Lesser Armenia, in what is now Sivas, Turkey. Trained as a physician, he became known not only for healing bodies but for guiding souls, and the Christians of Sebaste chose him as their bishop. Tradition says he withdrew for a time to a cave to pray, and that people and even wild animals sought his help, drawn by his gentleness and the signs of God’s mercy worked through him. During the persecution under Emperor Licinius, the governor Agricola had Blaise arrested. On the way to prison, Blaise is remembered for saving a child who was choking on a fish bone—an act that helped make him a beloved intercessor for those suffering illnesses of the throat. Refusing to renounce Christ, he endured scourging and torture with iron combs and was finally beheaded around AD 316, sealing his witness as a martyr and one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. He is also honored as patron of wool combers. His feast day is February 3.