Harrisburg Diocesan Council of Catholic Women

08/18/2026

08/15/2026

The Assumption Lily, also called the plantain lily, is actually a highly fragrant species of hosta with white flowers. It blooms during August and is therefore associated with the Assumption of Mary. After visitors to Asia brought it to Europe for cultivation, it was given its Marian name. In naming garden plants in this manner, Christians of times past expressed their devotion to Mary, the Mother of God. We are reminded that Mary’s life reflects what ours is to be, if we but faithfully follow Christ Jesus who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

08/15/2026

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, our Lord and God: having completed the course of her earthly life, she was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory. This faith, received from the tradition of the Church, was solemnly defined by Pope Pius XII.

08/11/2026

Today is the Memorial of Saint Clare. As a friend and as cofounder of the Franciscan movement, she supported Francis as he discerned God’s message for himself and his followers. Together with her sisters, she wrote the first Rule written for religious women by a woman. Clare of Assisi and her companions lived lives of prayer, simplicity, community and joy. Today, let us offer a special prayer for the spiritual companions who help us to be true to ourselves and to the gospel.

08/10/2026

FEAST OF SAINT LAWRENCE, DEACON AND MARTYR
As deacon in Rome, Saint Lawrence was responsible for the material goods of the Church and the distribution of alms to the poor. When a Roman official ordered Lawrence to hand over the treasures of the Church, he asked for time to make an inventory. He returned to the official with a great number of poor, sick, orphaned, and widowed people and simply said, “These are the treasures of the Church.” The poor, sick, and vulnerable continue to be the church’s greatest treasure. “Love for the Lord, then, is one with love for the poor,” says Pope Leo XIV. In our service to those in material need we will find our life’s greatest riches.

08/07/2026

Lord our God,
open our eyes to see your hand at work
in the splendor of creation,
in the beauty of human life.
Touched by your hand our world is holy.
Help us to cherish the gifts that surround us,
to share your blessings with our
brothers and sisters, and to experience
the joy of life in your presence.

08/06/2026

FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION OF THE LORD
The divinity of Jesus, shining through his human body, reveals the extraordinary possibilities at the depths of every one of us. Here Jesus dwells, one with the Father and the Spirit, in the sanctuary of the soul, transfiguring our lives in small but powerful ways.

08/04/2026

Today is the Memorial of Saint John Vianney whose lifelong desire was to be a priest. After overcoming many difficulties, he was ordained and entrusted with a parish in the town of Ars. As a kind and compassionate confessor, he regularly spent 11 to 12 hours a day in the winter months reconciling people with God. This time increased to 16 hours during the summer months. By 1855, four years before his death at age seventy-three, more than twenty thousand pilgrims a year were coming to Ars. Saint John Vianney spared no effort to become a minister of divine mercy and forgiveness. Today, let us pray for all parish priests.