Ordinary Time
Friday, August 14, 2026
On Friday, August 14, 2026, the Catholic Church is in Ordinary Time and the liturgical color is red. The Church celebrates St Maximilian Kolbe.
Liturgical color: Red · for the memorial of St Maximilian Kolbe
Gustave Doré · The Egyptians Ask Moses to Depart · 1866 · public domain
Saint of the day
Memorial
St Maximilian Kolbe
(1894–1941) Polish Franciscan and publisher. At Auschwitz he volunteered to take the place of a married prisoner condemned to die in the starvation bunker. He survived two weeks; finally killed by lethal injection. Martyr of charity.
Saint Maximilian, who gave your life for another, pray for the freedom of the prisoner.
A memorial is an obligatory commemoration of a saint.
About Ordinary Time
Ordinary Time is the Church's ordered counting of weeks — 'ordinal', not 'ordinary' in the sense of plain. It falls in two stretches, after the Christmas season and after Pentecost, and it is where most of the Gospel is read straight through, Sunday by Sunday.
Why red?
Red is worn on Palm Sunday and Good Friday, at Pentecost, and on the feasts of martyrs: the color of both fire and blood.
Verse of the day
Jas 1:2
Read it in context — the whole Catholic Bible is in the app, offline and free.
Frequently asked
What liturgical color is worn on August 14, 2026?
Red, for the memorial of St Maximilian Kolbe. Red is worn on Palm Sunday and Good Friday, at Pentecost, and on the feasts of martyrs: the color of both fire and blood.
What liturgical season is August 14, 2026 in?
Ordinary Time. Ordinary Time is the Church's ordered counting of weeks — 'ordinal', not 'ordinary' in the sense of plain. It falls in two stretches, after the Christmas season and after Pentecost, and it is where most of the Gospel is read straight through, Sunday by Sunday.
Is August 14, 2026 a holy day of obligation in the United States?
No. In the United States the holy days of obligation are Mary, Mother of God (1 January), the Assumption (15 August), All Saints (1 November), the Immaculate Conception (8 December), and Christmas (25 December); the Ascension is observed on a Thursday or the following Sunday depending on the diocese.
Which saint is celebrated on August 14, 2026?
St Maximilian Kolbe. (1894–1941) Polish Franciscan and publisher. At Auschwitz he volunteered to take the place of a married prisoner condemned to die in the starvation bunker. He survived two weeks; finally killed by…
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