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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!"
St. Pius X
Elected August 1903
Died August 1914
Canonized 1954
More of St. Pius X
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.
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