Friday of the Twelfth Week of Ordinary Time

Saint Cyril of Alexandria was born around 376 in Didouseya, Egypt (modern El-Mahalla El-Kubra). Formed in the rich Christian learning of Alexandria and guided by his uncle, Patriarch Theophilus, he studied Scripture and theology deeply and early took part in the wider struggles of the Church, including the Synod of the Oak in Constantinople. In 412, after Theophilus’s death, Cyril became Patriarch of Alexandria amid civic unrest and fierce religious tensions. His long episcopate was marked by vigorous leadership, extensive writing, and a decisive role in the great Christological controversies of his age. Above all, he is remembered for defending the truth of Christ’s person and for his central part at the Council of Ephesus in 431, where Nestorius was deposed and the Church’s confession of Mary as Mother of God was upheld. Though his governance in Alexandria was also entangled in painful conflicts and accusations, the Church venerates him as a Father and Doctor, a “Pillar of Faith.” He is honored as patron of Carpino and of the St. Cyril of Alexandria community in Tucson. His feast day is June 9.

Saint Josemaría Escrivá was born on January 9, 1902, in Barbastro, Huesca, Spain, into a hardworking family whose later financial hardship helped shape his compassion and trust in God. As a young man in Logroño, a striking sign—footprints of a barefoot religious in the snow—deepened his sense that the Lord was calling him to something special. He studied for the priesthood in Logroño and Zaragoza and was ordained in Zaragoza in 1925, while also pursuing studies in law. In Madrid, amid ordinary work and pastoral service to the poor and sick, he discerned a mission that would mark his life: on October 2, 1928, he founded Opus Dei, teaching that holiness is not reserved for a few but is found in daily life, especially through one’s work, family duties, and faithful prayer. The turmoil of the Spanish Civil War forced him to flee, yet he later continued guiding Opus Dei’s growth from Rome, forming both laypeople and priests and spreading the message of the universal call to holiness. He died on June 26, 1975, and was canonized in 2002. His feast day is June 26.

Saint Pelagius of Córdoba was born around 912 in northern Iberia and, while still a child, was drawn into the struggles of Christian life under Muslim rule in al-Andalus. At about ten years old, his uncle left him as a hostage in Córdoba in an attempted exchange for the captured bishop Hermoygius. The exchange never took place, and Pelagius endured three years of captivity. As he approached thirteen, his steadfast faith became known even among fellow prisoners. The caliph Abd-ar-Rahman III offered him freedom and favor if he would abandon Christ, but Pelagius refused. Accounts also tell of the boy’s firm resistance to the caliph’s immoral demands, choosing purity and fidelity to his baptism over safety. Enraged, the caliph ordered him tortured and killed around 926, and Pelagius died a martyr in Córdoba. Venerated as a courageous witness to Christ, his relics were later honored in Toledo and Oviedo. He is invoked as patron of Anadia, Arcos de Valdevez, and Villafruela del Condado. His feast day is June 26.

Vigilius of Trent was born around 353, traditionally into a Roman patrician family, the son of Maxentia and a father sometimes named Theodosius. Educated at Athens and remembered as a friend of John Chrysostom, he came to Trent in 380 and was chosen as its bishop, receiving fatherly support from Ambrose of Milan. With apostolic zeal, Vigilius labored to lead Arians and pagans to the fullness of Nicene faith, founding many parishes and being remembered as a founder of Santa Maria Maggiore in Trent. He preached beyond his own diocese as well, and was aided by the missionaries Sisinnius, Martyrius, and Alexander, whose martyrdom at Sanzeno in 397 he met with forgiveness and reverent care for their relics. Later tradition holds that Vigilius himself died a martyr on mission in the Rendena Valley, stoned for opposing pagan worship. Buried in the church he built, later Trent Cathedral, he was quickly venerated and is honored as patron of several local communities, including Al Plan, Amblar, and Moena. His feast day is June 26.