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| St. Pius X, ora pro nobis |
The true friends of the people are neither revolutionaries nor innovators, but traditionalists. ~ St. Pius X (1)September 3rd is the Feast of St. Pius X (1835-1914), Pope and Confessor. Born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto in Riese, when the Veneto was part of the Austrian Empire, he rose to the Pontifical Throne on August 4, 1903. A staunch conservative, Pius X tirelessly waged war against the evils of the Revolution and defended the Church against the heresy of modernism. On this front, in 1907 he issued the decree, Lamentabili Sane Exitu, a syllabus condemning modernist errors, and Pascendi Dominici Gregis, a prophetic encyclical on the nefarious doctrines and tactics used by the numerous "enemies of the Cross of Christ." Three years later, in his edict Sacrorum Antistitun, His Holiness required all Catholic clergy and educators to take an oath against modernism.
During his papacy, Pius X regularly visited the sick in hospitals, supported European immigrants in the Americas, and helped relieve the victims of earthquakes in Calabria and the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in Campania. A highly prolific writer and liturgical reformer, he made great efforts to improve priestly formation and promulgate reverence for the Eucharist. Encouraging frequent reception of Holy Communion, Pius X also lowered the age requirement for children receiving First Communion to the age of reason. Thus he is the patron saint of First Communicants.
In celebration, I’m posting a prayer to St. Pius X. Links to the works cited are provided below and clearly they are still relevant today. The photo of the relic was taken at the 2019 Feast of St. Pius X at Holy Name of Jesus Church (245 Prospect Park West) in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn. Evviva San Pio X!
Prayer to St. Pius X
Glorious Pope of the Eucharist, Saint Pius X, you sought "to restore all things in Christ." Obtain for me a true love of Jesus so that I may live only for Him. Help me to acquire a lively fervor and a sincere will to strive for sanctity of life, and that I may avail myself of the riches of the Holy Eucharist in sacrifice and sacrament. By your love for Mary, mother and queen of all, inflame my heart with tender devotion to her.
Blessed model of the priesthood, obtain for us holy, dedicated priests, and increase vocations to the religious life. Dispel confusion and hatred and anxiety, and incline our hearts to peace and concord. so that all nations will place themselves under the sweet reign of Christ. Amen.
Saint Pius X, pray for me.
(1) Excerpt from the Encyclical Notre Charge Apostolique, Acta Apostolicae Sedis, Typis Polyglottis Vaticanis, 1910, vol.18, p.803. Source: traditioninaction.org.
Additional reading:
• The Apostolic Constitution “Lamentabili Sane Exitu” Source: fisheaters.com
• The Encyclical “Pascendi Dominici Gregis” Source: fisheaters.com
• The Motu Proprio “Sacrorum Antistitum” Source: fisheaters.com
