About Today
Friday 8 May 2026
Friday of the 5th week of Eastertide
The Lord has truly risen, alleluia.
Year: A(II). Psalm week: 1. Liturgical Colour: White.
Other saints: Blessed Catherine of Saint Augustine (1632 - 1668)
Canada
Catherine de Longpré was born May 3, 1632 at Saint-Sauveur, France. Following the advice of Saint John Eudes, she entered the Augustinian Hospitaller Sisters of the Mercy of Jesus in 1644. She volunteered to go to her community’s mission in Quebec. Her family was strongly opposed to the idea, but she prevailed, and arrived there in 1648.
She spent her life ministering to the poor and sick in Quebec, and died there at the age of 36.
Other saints: Blessed John Sullivan (1861-1933)
8 May (where celebrated)
John Sullivan (1861 – 1933) was born into a wealthy Dublin family and baptized in the Church of Ireland. He was received into the Catholic Church in 1896, at the age of thirty-five. Four years later, he entered the Jesuits. He was known for his life of deep spiritual reflection and personal sacrifice; he is recognised for his dedicated work with the poor and afflicted; during his lifetime, cures were attributed to his intercession, though he himself did not accept this. He spent much of his time walking and riding his bike to visit those who were troubled or ill in the villages around Clongowes Wood College school where he taught from 1907 until his death.
Other saints: Bl Aloysius Rabatà (c.1443-1490)
8 May (where celebrated)
Aloysius was born at Erice, near Trapani, Sicily, around the year 1443. Little is known of his early life. Accounts from the canonical process of beatification identify him as the prior of the Carmelite Community of St Michael in Randazzo, Sicily. Brother Aloysius is remembered as a model Carmelite prior, living the care, concern and responsibility of a prior as outlined in the Carmelite Rule. His simple, virtuous and exemplary life was a model for the other brothers of his community. He shared in all aspects of work in the community, including the humbler tasks such as begging for the community’s bread. His welcome, hospitality and spiritual counsel were well remembered by visitors to the community. As well, his generosity of spirit overflowed into his care for the poor of Randazzo.
Toward the end of his life, while out collecting wood for the community, he was assaulted and wounded on the forehead and suffered for a long time as a consequence. In iconography Aloysius is often represented with a palm in his hand and an arrow driven into his forehead, believed to be the cause of his death. According to tradition, an unknown assailant had wounded Aloysius because he thought Aloysius had been excessive in reproving a brother for immoral conduct. He would never reveal who had hurt him and when questioned would only reply, “I pray that God will pardon him, and will be glorified by what has happened.”
Brother Aloysius died at Randazzo and was buried there in the church. Devotion to the memory of the Christ-like care Aloysius lived out brought healing to many at his tomb following his death.
Other saints: Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary over the entire Order of Preachers
8 May (where celebrated)
It has been customary for the Church to invoke the Blessed Virgin Mary under titles such as Mediatrix, thereby indicating the continuing saving role of her maternity in the order of grace, for “by her many acts of intercession she continues to gain for us gifts of eternal salvation.” (Lumen gentium, 62)
Blessed Humbert of Romans declares that “the Blessed Virgin was of great help in beginning the Order ... and it is to be hoped that she will bring it to a good end.” (Opera II, 70-71) From its foundation the Order has not hesitated to acknowledge the Patronage of the Blessed Virgin, to continuously experience it and to commend it to the hearts of the brothers and sisters, so that encouraged by this maternal help they might adhere more closely to their Mediator and Redeemer as they labor to carry out their mission of salvation in the world. (See Lumen gentium, 62)
Until the recent restoration of the liturgical calendar, the Order celebrated the Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary on December 22, the anniversary of the approval of the Order by Pope Honorius III (December 22, 1216). Keeping in mind the special character of the weekdays of Advent which take precedence over all other memorials, it is suggested that the commemoration of this Patronage be celebrated on May 8 – during the month which is specially dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and on the day when she is honored under similar titles in other proper liturgical calendars.
Today's gospel reading John 15:12-17 You are my friends
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.’
Reflection on the watercolour
Friendship is one of the most precious gifts we are given. Each of us knows what it is to have a friend, to have someone who matters deeply to us: someone we choose, and who chooses us in return. True friendship cannot be one-sided; it is born when two hearts meet, when there is a 'mutual yes'. Without that response, friendship never quite comes alive.
And in today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks these extraordinary words to us: “You are my friends… I have chosen you.” He does not wait for us to make the first move. He has already chosen us. He has already befriended us. And He shows us the depth of that friendship in two profound ways: by giving His life for us, and by opening His heart to us, sharing all that He has received from the Father. Nothing is held back. But like all friendship, it asks for a response. We are invited to choose Him as He has chosen us. And how do we do that? By loving one another with His love. In loving others, we step into His friendship.
Our watercolour on paper, painted in 1937, depicts a friendship quilt. These quilts come mainly from European-American settler communities, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries, including groups like the Quakers and other Protestant communities. Quilting “bees” were social gatherings where women would sew together, and friendship quilts emerged from that culture of shared work and community life. These quilts were not made by one artist alone, but by a community: each person contributing a square of fabric, often signed with their name, a message, or a small symbol. The individual pieces were then stitched together into one single quilt, creating a patchwork of relationships.
What makes them so special is their purpose. Friendship quilts were often created to mark important moments such as someone leaving home, a marriage, a shared experience, or simply to express bonds of affection. Each square carries a story, but together they form something greater: a visible sign of unity, memory, and love. Upon receiving such a quilt, you were quite literally wrapped in the friendship of all those who had contributed a piece—each patch a quiet sign of love, presence, and belonging.
Friendship Quilt,
Painting by Florence Truelson (1901-1959),
Painted in 1937,
Watercolour and graphite on paper
© National Gallery of Art, Washington
Friday of the 5th week of Eastertide
The Lord has truly risen, alleluia.
Year: A(II). Psalm week: 1. Liturgical Colour: White.
Other saints: Blessed Catherine of Saint Augustine (1632 - 1668)
Canada
Catherine de Longpré was born May 3, 1632 at Saint-Sauveur, France. Following the advice of Saint John Eudes, she entered the Augustinian Hospitaller Sisters of the Mercy of Jesus in 1644. She volunteered to go to her community’s mission in Quebec. Her family was strongly opposed to the idea, but she prevailed, and arrived there in 1648.
She spent her life ministering to the poor and sick in Quebec, and died there at the age of 36.
Other saints: Blessed John Sullivan (1861-1933)
8 May (where celebrated)
John Sullivan (1861 – 1933) was born into a wealthy Dublin family and baptized in the Church of Ireland. He was received into the Catholic Church in 1896, at the age of thirty-five. Four years later, he entered the Jesuits. He was known for his life of deep spiritual reflection and personal sacrifice; he is recognised for his dedicated work with the poor and afflicted; during his lifetime, cures were attributed to his intercession, though he himself did not accept this. He spent much of his time walking and riding his bike to visit those who were troubled or ill in the villages around Clongowes Wood College school where he taught from 1907 until his death.
Other saints: Bl Aloysius Rabatà (c.1443-1490)
8 May (where celebrated)
Aloysius was born at Erice, near Trapani, Sicily, around the year 1443. Little is known of his early life. Accounts from the canonical process of beatification identify him as the prior of the Carmelite Community of St Michael in Randazzo, Sicily. Brother Aloysius is remembered as a model Carmelite prior, living the care, concern and responsibility of a prior as outlined in the Carmelite Rule. His simple, virtuous and exemplary life was a model for the other brothers of his community. He shared in all aspects of work in the community, including the humbler tasks such as begging for the community’s bread. His welcome, hospitality and spiritual counsel were well remembered by visitors to the community. As well, his generosity of spirit overflowed into his care for the poor of Randazzo.
Toward the end of his life, while out collecting wood for the community, he was assaulted and wounded on the forehead and suffered for a long time as a consequence. In iconography Aloysius is often represented with a palm in his hand and an arrow driven into his forehead, believed to be the cause of his death. According to tradition, an unknown assailant had wounded Aloysius because he thought Aloysius had been excessive in reproving a brother for immoral conduct. He would never reveal who had hurt him and when questioned would only reply, “I pray that God will pardon him, and will be glorified by what has happened.”
Brother Aloysius died at Randazzo and was buried there in the church. Devotion to the memory of the Christ-like care Aloysius lived out brought healing to many at his tomb following his death.
| MT |
Other saints: Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary over the entire Order of Preachers
8 May (where celebrated)
It has been customary for the Church to invoke the Blessed Virgin Mary under titles such as Mediatrix, thereby indicating the continuing saving role of her maternity in the order of grace, for “by her many acts of intercession she continues to gain for us gifts of eternal salvation.” (Lumen gentium, 62)
Blessed Humbert of Romans declares that “the Blessed Virgin was of great help in beginning the Order ... and it is to be hoped that she will bring it to a good end.” (Opera II, 70-71) From its foundation the Order has not hesitated to acknowledge the Patronage of the Blessed Virgin, to continuously experience it and to commend it to the hearts of the brothers and sisters, so that encouraged by this maternal help they might adhere more closely to their Mediator and Redeemer as they labor to carry out their mission of salvation in the world. (See Lumen gentium, 62)
Until the recent restoration of the liturgical calendar, the Order celebrated the Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary on December 22, the anniversary of the approval of the Order by Pope Honorius III (December 22, 1216). Keeping in mind the special character of the weekdays of Advent which take precedence over all other memorials, it is suggested that the commemoration of this Patronage be celebrated on May 8 – during the month which is specially dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and on the day when she is honored under similar titles in other proper liturgical calendars.
Today's gospel reading John 15:12-17 You are my friends
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.’
Reflection on the watercolour
Friendship is one of the most precious gifts we are given. Each of us knows what it is to have a friend, to have someone who matters deeply to us: someone we choose, and who chooses us in return. True friendship cannot be one-sided; it is born when two hearts meet, when there is a 'mutual yes'. Without that response, friendship never quite comes alive.
And in today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks these extraordinary words to us: “You are my friends… I have chosen you.” He does not wait for us to make the first move. He has already chosen us. He has already befriended us. And He shows us the depth of that friendship in two profound ways: by giving His life for us, and by opening His heart to us, sharing all that He has received from the Father. Nothing is held back. But like all friendship, it asks for a response. We are invited to choose Him as He has chosen us. And how do we do that? By loving one another with His love. In loving others, we step into His friendship.
Our watercolour on paper, painted in 1937, depicts a friendship quilt. These quilts come mainly from European-American settler communities, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries, including groups like the Quakers and other Protestant communities. Quilting “bees” were social gatherings where women would sew together, and friendship quilts emerged from that culture of shared work and community life. These quilts were not made by one artist alone, but by a community: each person contributing a square of fabric, often signed with their name, a message, or a small symbol. The individual pieces were then stitched together into one single quilt, creating a patchwork of relationships.
What makes them so special is their purpose. Friendship quilts were often created to mark important moments such as someone leaving home, a marriage, a shared experience, or simply to express bonds of affection. Each square carries a story, but together they form something greater: a visible sign of unity, memory, and love. Upon receiving such a quilt, you were quite literally wrapped in the friendship of all those who had contributed a piece—each patch a quiet sign of love, presence, and belonging.
Friendship Quilt,
Painting by Florence Truelson (1901-1959),
Painted in 1937,
Watercolour and graphite on paper
© National Gallery of Art, Washington