|
| |
| St.
Pius X, Our Patron Saint
St. Pius X
Elected August 1903
Died August 1914
Canonized 1954
Feast Day - August 21st
Giuseppe Melchore Sarto was born of humble parents on June 2,
1835, in the small village of Riese near Venice. His father, a
village official, and his mother raised Giuseppe in a loving
Christian home. It was this home situation which prompted Giuseppe,
after his college days in Castelfranco, to enter the seminary in
Padua. Giuseppe Sarto was ordained at the age of 23 on September
18, 1858. His first assignment was as curate in the city of
Trombolo. After nine years he was transferred to Salzano as
pastor, a position he held for eight years. Due to his pastoral
and administrative abilities, his bishop named him spiritual
director of the diocesan major seminary and chancellor of the
archdiocese, a position he held from November, 1875, until his
elevation to the episcopacy of Mantua in 1884. After nine years as
bishop he was transferred to Venice as the city's patriarch and
cardinal. Giuseppe Cardinal Sarto won the hearts of the Venetians
through his humble spirit of poverty and his love for the Church,
especially in the areas of education, Catholic action and liturgy.
After the death of Leo XIII the conclave of 1903 elected
Cardinal Sarto pope despite his own hesitancy to accept the office
of Vicar of Christ. The new pope assumed the name Pius X. As
Supreme Pontiff, Pius took as his motto the passage from Paul,
"To restore all things in Christ, that Christ might be all
and in all" (I Cor. 15:28), a goal which was particularly
important during that period of the Church's emergence into the
modern world.
During his eleven-year pontificate, Pius would confront
challenge and inspire many crucial issues facing the Church. Pius
X has often been called the "Pope of the Eucharist." His
profound devotion to the Blessed Sacrament prompted a universal
appeal to all Catholics to a frequent and fervent reception of
Holy Communion. He also exhorted catechists to prepare the young
for an early, knowledgeable reception of the Eucharist. It was the
Holy Father's wish to use the unifying power of the Sacrament of
the Altar to indeed "restore all things in Christ."
It was also his love for the liturgy which caused him to be
remembered as the pope who began modern liturgical reform. Pius
called for a revision of the liturgy and the Church's prayer life.
He founded the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music dedicated to
keeping alive the valuable treasures of Catholic liturgical music.
Pius was also instrumental in urging sound philosophical and
Biblical scholarship warning against the errors of certain
philosophical systems of the day and promoting the venerable
tradition of St. Thomas Aquinas and Scholasticism. This devotion
led him to found the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome which,
to this day, is an important source of scholarship.
Pius was to witness the terrible beginnings of World War I. His
sorrow over the international conflict added to his ill health,
and sheer exhaustion led to his death on August 20, 1914, at the
age of 79. He was canonized St. Pius X on May 31, 1954. The
universal Church celebrates his holy life and example on August
21. He was the first pope in modern times to be canonized.
|
Pope
Pius X
(1835 - 1914)
Patron Saint of Our Parish
St. Pius X, the Pope
A fearless defender of the purity of
Christian Doctrine.
He realized the value of the Liturgy as the prayer of the
Church and the solid basis that is furnishes for the devotion of Christian
people. He spared no effort to urge early and frequent - even daily -
communion.
St. Pius X, the Parish
A consistent leader, in the forefront of new
programs, pilot projects, and new methods; that did not so much change, but help
to build up Christ's Church. all in accordance with the new Liturgy
brought about by Vatican II
St. Pius X Parish is a Leader!
A young vibrant and exciting community -
working together, worshipping together, serving and sacrificing - because they
love their God and each other.
Let us be leaders; but not of the worldly
type, who accomplish by forcing, urging and driving to get things done; rather
leaders who lead as Christ did: "Come, follow me!"
Reference: Our History, 1986, Jack Hubenig
FEAST OF ST. PIUS X, Pope
August 21
"To defend the
Catholic faith and make all things new in Christ" was the task that
St. Pius set for himself. His motto "To renew all things in
Christ" was the guiding principle of his reign as pope.
Giuseppe Sarto (1835-1914) was
born to poor parents. He entered the seminary at age 15 and was ordained
in 1858 at age 23. For seventeen years he was a parish priest, then
chancellor of his diocese. Appointed Bishop of Mantua in 1884, he endeared
himself to his people by his gentleness and warmth as he went about renewing his
diocese. Ten years later he was named Cardinal and Patriarch of Venice,
and in 1903 he was chosen to be Pope.
It was a time that called for
strength in leadership in the Church and this humble saint was equal to the
challenge. The opening prayers of the Mass (on His Feast Day) recognized
that he was filled with "heavenly wisdom and apostolic courage."
He met the needs of the Church and the needs of society. Primarily he
turned to the spiritual needs of the Church and is remembered as the pope who
encourage frequent reception of Holy Communion, especially by children, and he
urges that they receive this wonderful sacrament as early as possible.
Of great interest to us today is
the personal initiative that he took and encouraged in liturgical matters.
He initiated reforms of liturgical books, a revision of the text of the psalms,
and he encouraged an active participation of the laity in the celebration of
mass. It is known that he was convinced of the value of the vernacular in
the liturgy, but thought the time was not yet right for its use. Much of
what he envisioned and encouraged is a reality for us today.
In the internal affairs of the
Church he gave impetus to the codification of Church law. He took a strong
stand against interference in the internal affairs of the Church by governments,
especially France. He was concerned also for the correct teaching of
catholic doctrine and the strong catechetical formation of the youth. He
encouraged the serious and critical study of the Scriptures.
The years of the pontificate of
Pope Pius X were difficult, but he untiringly gave of himself "in spirit
of simplicity, poverty and courage, arousing the faithful to a Christian way of
life and waging constant warfare against the errors of his age."
(cf. note in The Liturgy of the Hours). He was a gentle and sensitive
shepherd after the model of Jesus the Good Shepherd. An historian wrote of
him: he was "a man of God who knew the unhappiness of the world and the
hardships of life, and in the greatness of his heart wanted to comfort
everyone." We have been blessed with great and competent popes in
our century. They have been teachers, spiritual giants, inspiring guides,
courageous and zealous preachers. Above all they have been holy pastors.
And today we are privileged to honor the first of the 20th century popes, the
gentle sensitive, pastoral Pius X.
_ Excerpts from St. Monica
Parish Bulletin 08/19/01, NYC, NY, USA -
From
Peter Scagnelli © Copyright,
J.S. Paluch Co.:
Presidential vetoes we understand. But imagine
vetoing a papal election! Yet in the conclave of 1903, the Archbishop of
Cracow (ironically, a predecessor in that office of Karol Wojtyla, the future
John Paul II) vetoed the leading candidate on the order of the Austro-Hungarian
emperor. Instead, the cardinals elected Giusppe Sarto of Venice as Pius X,
the first pope, after a succession of nobles and diplomats, to hail from humble
origins. Nor did the papacy alter his endearing simplicity. Tailors
eventually made his cassock cuffs detachable because he absentmindedly wiped his
fountain pen on them, forgetting that hsi old black cassock had been replaced by
papal white! Taking as his motto "To restore all things in
Christ" (Ephesians 1:10), Pius condemned the theological innovations called
"modernism," yet dramatically altered the then-common practice whereby
people rarely received Communion for fear of unworthiness, mandating early First
Communion and urging everyone to frequent reception. Refusing to bless
troops assembled in Saint Peter's Square - "I bless peace, not war!" -
he died brokenhearted as World War I engulfed "Christian" Europe
despite his peacemaking efforts.
|
