Patron Saint

Our parish patron, St. Pius X, was born Giuseppe Melchiore Sarto on June 2, 1835, at Riesi, Province of Treviso in Venice or Northern Italy. "Beppo" as St. Pius was affectionately called as a boy, was a talented scholar growing up and while attending a seminary in Padua when he finished at the top of his class. He had to gain permission from the Vatican to be ordained at 23 years old which was earlier than the required age. 
 
As a young curate and pastor, he demonstrated easy and caring communication with children, kindness and love for the poor, and love of good Church music. His heartfelt sermons displayed God’s love. Known as a great homilist, he would use stipends he’d receive at speaking engagements to better care for the poor, whom he loved affectionately.
 
His papal reign was guided by the motto "to restore all things in Christ." As a Pope, his reign was often described to have great sanctity and simplicity. One of his first papal acts was to end the supposed right of governments to interfere by veto in papal elections. He demanded all Catholic priests take an oath against Modernism believing that the Modernists’ agnosticism of Church doctrine, Scriptures, and Sacraments could lead to atheism. He restored Gregorian chant in the Mass instead of classical music like those from Beethoven and Mozart.
 
Though poor, he was rich in his love of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. Pope Pius X is perhaps best remembered for his encouragement of the frequent reception of Holy Communion, especially by children. He is referred to as the “Pope of the Blessed Sacrament” for his efforts to change Canon Law’s age requirements to receive the Holy Eucharist from teenage years to the age of reason (six to seven years).
 
He shared Pius V’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, writing an encyclical on the 50th anniversary of the proclamation of the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception.  He helped to establish the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine by beginning the revision and regularization of the Code of Canon Law for the universal Church.  He required that every parish worldwide teach catechism and thought catechists should not only instruct, but also align their conduct to what they teach in Scripture and the saints.
 
On August 20, 1914, Pope Pius X died which most say was likely from grief that his efforts to avert war had not been successful, rather than by illness.  “This is the last affliction the Lord will visit on me. I would gladly give my life to save my poor children from this ghastly scourge.” He died a few weeks after World War I began, and was canonized in 1954. His feast day is celebrated on August 21. In his last will and testament, he wrote: "I was born poor, I lived poor, I die poor." His humility and love of the poor likely led to his comments regarding the pomp of the papal court. “Look how they have dressed me up,” he said in tears to an old friend. To another, “It is a penance to be forced to accept all these practices. They lead me around surrounded by soldiers like Jesus when he was seized in Gethsemani.”
 
This excerpt was adapted with permission from an article by Stephanie Mann found on:  http://m.ncregister.com/blog/stephaniemann/pope-st.-pius-x-restoring-all-things-in-christ.