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Saint Pius X - San Papa Sarto

'The Pope of the Eucharist' - 257th Pope - from Italy
Born Giuseppe Sarto on 2 June 1835 in Riese, Lombardy-Venetia.
Ordained priest on 18th September 1858; consecrated bishop on 20th November 1884;
created Cardinal on 12th June 1893; elected Pope on the Feast of St Jean Vianney, 4th August 1903. Died on 20th August 1914.
Beatified in 1951 & canonized on 29th May 1954 by Pope Pius XII
Feast Day - 21st August

On visiting Riese, the town of his birth, in 1985 St John Paul II said: "He fought and suffered for the Church's freedom, and for this freedom he proved to be ready to sacrifice privileges and honours, to face misunderstanding and ridicule, since he considered this freedom as the ultimate guarantee for the integrity and coherence of the faith."

Pius X had a great love for Mary; in his encyclical Ad Diem Illum Laetissimum he wrote of renewing all things in Christ, declaring that there was no surer or more direct road than by Mary.

Andrew, who's 23 & from Wales, chose Pius X as his Incredible Saint      

"Pius X died in 1914 at the time of the First World War. He couldn't comprehend the notion of Catholic fighting against Catholic and often seminarian being forced to fight against seminarian, whether they were German or English - that notion couldn't gel with his mind. He was said to have even prayed that God would accept him as a sacrifice, if to prevent the war. So we could say that he died of a broken heart almost."

Catechesis by Pope Benedict XVI
General Audience, Wednesday 18 August 2010 - also in Croatian, French, German, Portuguese , & Spanish & here below in Italian

"Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today I would like to dwell on the figure of my predecessor St Pius X, whose liturgical memorial is being celebrated next Saturday, underlining some features that can also be useful for pastors and faithful of our epoch.

Giuseppe Sarto, this was his name, born into a peasant family in Riese (Treviso) in 1835, after his studies in the Seminary of Padua was ordained a priest at 23 years old. At first he was vice parish priest in Tombolo, then parish priest at Salzano, then canon of Treviso Cathedral with the post of episcopal chancellor and spiritual director of the diocesan seminary. In these years of rich and generous pastoral experience, the future Pontiff showed that deep love for Christ and the Church, that humility and simplicity and that great charity towards the most needy, which were characteristics of his whole life. In 1884 he was appointed Bishop of Mantua and in 1893 Patriarch of Venice. On 4 August 1903, he was elected Pope, a ministry which he accepted with hesitation, because he did not consider himself up to/worthy of such a high task.

Pius X's pontificate has left an indelible mark on the Church's history and was characterised by a notable effort at reform, summarized in the/his motto Instaurare Omnia in Christo, "To renew all things in Christ". His interventions, in fact, involved different ecclesiastical areas. From the beginning/outset he dedicated/devoted himself to the reorganization of the Roman Curia; then he started work on the drafting of the Code of Canon Law, promulgated by his successor Benedict XV. He then promoted the revision of the studies and the process of formation of future priests, founding also various regional Seminaries, equipped with good libraries and qualified teachers. Another important sector was that of the doctrinal formation of the People of God. Starting from/Since the years in which he was parish priest he had himself drawn up a catechism and during the/his episcopate in Mantua he had worked to arrive at/achieve/produce a single catechism, if not universal, at least Italian. As an authentic pastor he had understood that the situation in the epoch/period, due also/partly to the phenomenon of emigration, rendered/made necessary a catechism to which every faithful (person) could refer independently of the place and circumstances of life. As Pontiff, he prepared a text of Christian doctrine for the diocese of Rome, which then spread throughout Italy and the world. This Catechism "of Pius X", as it was called, has been for many a sure guide in learning the trusts of the faith through the/its simple, clear and precise language and through the/its efficacy of presentation/ effective explanations.

He/Pius X devoted notable attention to the reform of the Liturgy, in particular of sacred music, so as to lead the faithful to a deeper life of prayer and to a fuller participation in the Sacraments. In the Motu Proprio Tra le sollecitudini (1903, the first year of his Pontificate), he affirms that the true Christian spirit has its first and indispensable source in active participation in the sacrosanct mysteries and in the public and solemn prayer of the Church (cf ASS 36 [1903], 531). For this reason, he recommended often approaching the Sacraments, favouring the daily reception of Holy Communion, well prepared, and appropriately anticipating the First Communion of children to the age of seven/lowering the age when children receive their First Communion to about seven, "when the child begins to reason" (cf S Congr de Sacramentis, Decretum Quam singulari: AAS 2 [1910], 582).

Faithful to the task of confirming the/his brothers/brethren in the faith, faced with some tendencies that manifested themselves in the theological sphere at the end of XIX century and at the beginning of XX, St Pius X intervened with decision/decisively, condemning "Modernism", so as to protect the faithful from erroneous concepts and to promote a scientific study/examination of Revelation in consonance with the Tradition of the Church. On 7th May 1909, with the apostolic letter Vinea electa, he founded the Pontifical Biblical Institute. The last months of his life were devastated/overshadowed by the flares of the war/impending war. The/His appeal to the Catholics of the world, launched on 2nd August 1914 so as to express "the bitter pain" of the present hour, was the suffering cry/plea of the/a father who sees the/his children take/taking sides against each other. He died shortly afterwards, on 20th August and the fame of his holiness immediately began to spread among the Christian people.

Dear brothers and sisters, St Pius X teaches us all that at the base of our apostolic action, in the various fields in which we work, we must always have/there must always be an intimate personal union with Christ, to be cultivated and enhanced/developed day after day. This is the nucleus of all his teaching, of all his pastoral commitment. Only if we are in love with the Lord, shall we be able to bring people/men and women to God and (to) open them to His merciful love, and thus (to) open the world to God's mercy."

San Pio X      
Catechesi di Papa Benedetto
Palazzo Apostolico di Castel Gandolfo Mercoledì 18 agosto 2010

"Cari fratelli e sorelle!
oggi vorrei soffermarmi sulla figura del mio Predecessore san Pio X, di cui sabato prossimo si celebra la memoria liturgica, sottolineandone alcuni tratti che possono essere utili anche per i Pastori e i fedeli della nostra epoca.

Giuseppe Sarto, così il suo nome, nato a Riese (Treviso) nel 1835 da famiglia contadina, dopo gli studi nel Seminario di Padova fu ordinato sacerdote a 23 anni. Dapprima fu vice parroco a Tombolo, quindi parroco a Salzano, poi canonico della cattedrale di Treviso con l’incarico di cancelliere vescovile e direttore spirituale del Seminario diocesano. In questi anni di ricca e generosa esperienza pastorale, il futuro Pontefice mostrò quel profondo amore a Cristo e alla Chiesa, quell’umiltà e semplicità e quella grande carità verso i più bisognosi, che furono caratteristiche di tutta la sua vita. Nel 1884 fu nominato Vescovo di Mantova e nel 1893 Patriarca di Venezia. Il 4 agosto 1903, venne eletto Papa, ministero che accettò con esitazione, perché non si riteneva all’altezza di un compito così alto.

Il Pontificato di san Pio X ha lasciato un segno indelebile nella storia della Chiesa e fu caratterizzato da un notevole sforzo di riforma, sintetizzata nel motto Instaurare omnia in Christo, "Rinnovare tutte le cose in Cristo". I suoi interventi, infatti, coinvolsero i diversi ambiti ecclesiali. Fin dagli inizi si dedicò alla riorganizzazione della Curia Romana; poi diede avvio ai lavori per la redazione del Codice di Diritto Canonico, promulgato dal suo Successore Benedetto XV. Promosse, poi, la revisione degli studi e dell’"iter" di formazione dei futuri sacerdoti, fondando anche vari Seminari regionali, attrezzati con buone biblioteche e professori preparati. Un altro settore importante fu quello della formazione dottrinale del Popolo di Dio. Fin dagli anni in cui era parroco aveva redatto egli stesso un catechismo e durante l’Episcopato a Mantova aveva lavorato affinché si giungesse ad un catechismo unico, se non universale, almeno italiano. Da autentico pastore aveva compreso che la situazione dell’epoca, anche per il fenomeno dell’emigrazione, rendeva necessario un catechismo a cui ogni fedele potesse riferirsi indipendentemente dal luogo e dalle circostanze di vita. Da Pontefice approntò un testo di dottrina cristiana per la diocesi di Roma, che si diffuse poi in tutta Italia e nel mondo. Questo Catechismo chiamato "di Pio X" è stato per molti una guida sicura nell’apprendere le verità della fede per il linguaggio semplice, chiaro e preciso e per l’efficacia espositiva.

Notevole attenzione dedicò alla riforma della Liturgia, in particolare della musica sacra, per condurre i fedeli ad una più profonda vita di preghiera e ad una più piena partecipazione ai Sacramenti. Nel Motu Proprio Tra le sollecitudini (1903, primo anno del suo pontificato), egli afferma che il vero spirito cristiano ha la sua prima e ed indispensabile fonte nella partecipazione attiva ai sacrosanti misteri e alla preghiera pubblica e solenne della Chiesa (cfr ASS 36 [1903], 531). Per questo raccomandò di accostarsi spesso ai Sacramenti, favorendo la frequenza quotidiana alla Santa Comunione, bene preparati, e anticipando opportunamente la Prima Comunione dei bambini verso i sette anni di età, "quando il fanciullo comincia a ragionare" (cfr S. Congr. de Sacramentis, Decretum Quam singulari: AAS 2 [1910], 582).

Fedele al compito di confermare i fratelli nella fede, san Pio X, di fronte ad alcune tendenze che si manifestarono in ambito teologico alla fine del XIX secolo e agli inizi del XX, intervenne con decisione, condannando il "Modernismo", per difendere i fedeli da concezioni erronee e promuovere un approfondimento scientifico della Rivelazione in consonanza con la Tradizione della Chiesa. Il 7 maggio 1909, con la Lettera apostolica Vinea electa, fondò il Pontificio Istituto Biblico. Gli ultimi mesi della sua vita furono funestati dai bagliori della guerra. L’appello ai cattolici del mondo, lanciato il 2 agosto 1914 per esprimere «l’acerbo dolore» dell’ora presente, era il grido sofferente del padre che vede i figli schierarsi l’uno contro l’altro. Morì di lì a poco, il 20 agosto e la sua fama di santità iniziò a diffondersi subito presso il popolo cristiano.

Cari fratelli e sorelle, san Pio X insegna a noi tutti che alla base della nostra azione apostolica, nei vari campi in cui operiamo, ci deve essere sempre un’intima unione personale con Cristo, da coltivare e accrescere giorno dopo giorno. Questo è il nucleo di tutto il suo insegnamento, di tutto il suo impegno pastorale. Solo se siamo innamorati del Signore, saremo capaci di portare gli uomini a Dio ed aprirli al Suo amore misericordioso, e così aprire il mondo alla misericordia di Dio."

Saluti:

"Chers pèlerins francophones, je suis heureux de vous accueillir ce matin, ici à Castel Gandolfo! Je salue particulièrement le groupe des Sri-Lankais de Paris et la jeunesse franciscaine de Bitche. Que saint Pie X, dont nous célébrerons la fête cette semaine, vous aide à laisser grandir en vous l’union personnelle avec le Christ pour devenir capables de témoigner parmi vos frères et vos sœurs de l’amour miséricordieux de Dieu. Bon pèlerinage à tous!

My dear brothers and sisters, today we recall Pope Saint Pius the Tenth, whose feast we celebrate this coming Saturday. He left an indelible mark in very many aspects of the Church’s life and activity, his overarching goal being to “renew all things in Christ” through our intimate personal union with our Saviour. By Pope Saint Pius’s prayers, may we grow daily in love for Christ and help open others to his love. God’s abundant blessings upon you all!

Ganz herzlich grüße ich alle Brüder und Schwestern aus den Ländern deutscher Sprache, heute besonders die Wallfahrer aus der Diözese Eisenstadt mit ihrem bisherigen Bischof Paul Iby und seinem Nachfolger Ägidius Zsifkovics. Und vielen Dank den Pilgern aus Vils für die schöne Musik, die sie uns schenken. In dieser Woche gedenken wir großer Heiliger wie Stefan von Ungarn oder Bernhard von Clairvaux und schließlich des Papstes Pius X., der uns einlädt – wie sein Motto lautete –, unser Leben stets »in Christus zu erneuern«. Gottes Geist geleite euch auf allen euren Wegen!

Saludo a los grupos de lengua española, en particular a los peregrinos de la Diócesis de Orihuela-Alicante, de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, de Rosario, en Argentina, y de otros países latinoamericanos. Os aliento a poner vuestros ojos en el Papa san Pío Décimo. Acogiendo sus enseñanzas, cultivad intensamente la amistad con Cristo y sed testigos de su amor. Que Dios os bendiga.

A minha saudação a todos os peregrínos víndos do Brasil, de Portugal e demais países lusófonos, com uma bênção particular pára os alúnos do Seminário do Verbo Divino, de Tortoséndo: na vossa formação, empenhái-vos em seguír o exemplo dos grándes pastores como São Pio X, sendo sempre humildes e fiéis servidores da Verdade. Que Deus vos abençóe!

Drodzy pielgrzymi z Polski! Święty Papież Pius X wzywał, aby „odnowić wszystko w Chrystusie” i wskazywał, że ta odnowa dokonuje się w sercu człowieka dzięki zjednoczeniu z Panem w sakramencie Eucharystii. Ta nauka jest wciąż aktualna. Niech i dla nas częsta Komunia św. i adoracja Najświętszego Sakramentu będzie niewyczerpanym źródłem wiary i miłości. Niech Bóg wam błogosławi!

Szeretettel köszöntöm a magyar zarándokokat, különösen is a verbita csoport tagjait Budapestről. Isten hozott Benneteket! Szent István király ünnepe közeledik. Az ő nagy hite és Rómához való ragaszkodása legyen példa mindannyiunk számára. Apostoli áldásom legyen veletek. Dicsértessék a Jézus Krisztus!

Saluto con affetto i pellegrini di lingua italiana, in particolare le rappresentanti delle Ancelle del Sacro Cuore, riunite a Roma per il loro Capitolo Generale. Saluto poi i partecipanti al pellegrinaggio in bicicletta promosso dalla Diocesi di Brescia. Mi rivolgo, infine, ai giovani, ai malati e agli sposi novelli. Tutti invito a dedicare sempre più tempo alla formazione cristiana, per essere fedeli discepoli di Cristo, via, verità e vita."

Pope Saint Pius X's Encyclicals:

E Supremi (4 October 1903) - on the Restoration of all things in Christ
- in English, French, Italian & Latin

Ad Diem Illum Laetissimum (2 February 1904) - on the Immaculate Conception
- in English & French

Iucunda Sane (12 March 1904) - on Pope Gregory the Great
- in English & French

Acerbo Nimis (15 April 15 1905) - on Teaching Christian Doctrine
- in English & French

Il Fermo Proposito (11 June 1905) - on Catholic Action in Italy
- in English, French & Italian

Vehementer Nos (11 February 11 1906) - on the French Law of Separation
- in English & French

Tribus Circiter (5 April 1906) - on the Mariavites or Mystic Priests of Poland
- in English

Pieni L'Animo (28 July 1906) - on the Clergy in Italy
- in English

Gravissimo Officii Munere (10 August 1906) - on French Associations of Worship in France
- in English

Une Fois Encore (6 January 1907) - on the Separation of Church and State in France
- in English & French

Pascendi Dominici Gregis (8 September 1907) - on the Doctrines of the Modernists
- in English, French, Italian, Latin, Portuguese & Spanish

Communium Rerum (21 April 1909) - on Saint Anselm of Aosta
- in English & Italian

Editae Saepe (26 May 1910) - on Saint Charles Borromeo
- in English, Italian & Latin

Iamdudum (24 May 1911) - on the Law of Separation in Portugal
- in English & Latin

Lacrimabili Statu (7 June 1912) - on the Indians of South America
- in English

Singulari quadam (24 September 1912) - on Labour Organizations in Germany
- in English & Latin

Pope Pius XII's address following the rite of canonization of St Pius X
May 29, 1954 - in Italian

"[Quest'ora di fulgente trionfo...] This hour of splendid triumph which God, Who lifts up the lowly, has arranged and as it were hastened in order to set His seal on the marvelous elevation of His faithful servant Pius X in the supreme glory of the altars, fills Our heart with joy, a joy in which you, Venerable Brothers and Beloved Sons, share abundantly by your presence here. We offer heartfelt thanks then to God in His goodness for allowing Us to take part in this extraordinary event; all the more so since, for perhaps the first time in the history of the Church, the formal canonization of a Pope is proclaimed by one who had the privilege of serving him in the Roman Curia.

This day is blessed and memorable, not only for Us, who count it among the happiest days of Our pontificate, to which Providence has allotted so many sorrows and cares, but also for the entire Church, which, gathered around Us in spirit, rejoices all together in a great thrill of religious feeling.

This wonderful evening the endearing name of Pius X, pronounced in the most diverse accents, spans the whole earth; it resounds in enduring testimony to the fruitful presence of Christ in His Church, by evoking everywhere aspirations to sanctity, great graces of faith, of purity, of devotion to the Holy Eucharist. God, Who rewards with liberality, bears witness to His servant’s lofty sanctity in exalting him. It was this sanctity, even more than the supreme Office he held, that made Pius X an outstanding hero of the Church, and as such today the Saint raised up by Providence for our times.

Now it is precisely in this light that We wish you to contemplate the gigantic and yet humble figure of the holy Pope, so that when the shadows of this memorable day fall and the cries of the immense hosanna fade away, the solemn rite of his canonization may linger to bless your souls and help in saving the world.

1. He solemnly announced the programme of his pontificate in his very first Encyclical (E supremi of Oct. 4, 1903) in which he declared that his only aim was “to re-establish all things in Christ” (Eph. 1:10), that is, to sum up, to restore all things to unity in Christ. But where is the road that leads to Christ, he asked himself, looking in compassion at the hesitating, wandering souls of his time. The answer, valid yesterday as well as today and always, is: the Church! His primary aim then, unceasingly pursued till death, was to make the Church ever more effectually suitable and ready to receive the movement of souls toward Jesus Christ. With this aim, he conceived the bold undertaking of recasting the body of church law in such wise as to give the Church a more ordered life, greater certainty and flexibility of movement, such, as was demanded by an age typified by growing dynamism and complexity. It is surely true that this work, which he himself called “truly an arduous task,” was consonant with his eminent practical sense and the vigour of his character. Nevertheless the ultimate reason for his undertaking this difficult task is not, it seems, to be found only in the temperament of the man. The well-spring of the legislative work of Pius X is to be looked for above all in his personal sanctity, in his profound personal conviction that the reality of God, which he experienced in a life of constant union, is the source and basis of all order, all justice, all law on earth. Where God is, there is order, justice and law; and conversely, all just order safeguarded by law manifests the existence of God. But what institution here below ought to demonstrate this relationship between God and law more clearly than the Church, the mystical body of Christ Himself? God has blessed abundantly this work of the Holy Pontiff, so that the Code of canon law will remain for future ages the great monument of his pontificate and he himself will justly be hailed the providential Saint of our age.

Would that this spirit of justice and law, which Pius X gave witness to and exemplified for the modern world, could penetrate the conference halls of nations, where the most serious problems affecting the whole human family are discussed, particularly the method of banishing forever the fear of terrifying cataclysms and of guaranteeing for all peoples a lasting happy era of tranquility and peace.

2. In the second of his distinguished accomplishments Pius X is revealed as the indomitable champion of the Church and the providential Saint of our times. In sometimes dramatic circumstances this accomplishment resembled the struggle of a giant in defence of a priceless treasure: the internal unity of the Church in her innermost foundation, the faith. Even from his childhood years Divine Providence was preparing the Saint in his humble family, built upon authority, good habits, and the exact practice of the faith. No doubt every other Pontiff would by virtue of the grace of state have fought and repulsed the assaults which were aimed at the very foundation of the Church. But we must recognize that the perspicuity and strength with which Pius X carried on the victorious struggle against the errors of Modernism, testify to the heroic degree with which the virtue of faith burned in his saintly heart. Uniquely concerned that the inheritance of God be preserved intact for the flock confided to his care, the great Pontiff knew no weakness when dealing with persons of dignity or authority; nor did he manifest vacillation when confronted with alluring but false doctrines within or without the Church; nor did he betray fear lest he bring upon himself personal affronts and unjust interpretations of his pure intentions. He had the clear conviction that he was fighting for the most holy cause of God and souls. The words which the Lord addressed to the Apostle Peter are literally verified in him: “I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not, and you.. . will confirm your brethren” (Luke 22:32). The promise and the command of Christ once again instil in the indefectible rock of one of His Vicars the invincible courage of an athlete. It is right that the Church by conferring upon him the supreme glory in this hour and in this very place where the ever lustrous glory of Peter has shone forth for centuries, thus uniting both one and the other in a single exaltation, should offer to Pius X her gratitude and at the same time invoke his intercession that she may be spared new conflicts of the same nature. The subject then under consideration, namely, the preservation of the close alliance between faith and science, is so noble a good for all humanity, that this second great achievement of the saintly Pontiff exercises a notable influence even beyond the Catholic world.

Any theory, such as Modernism, which separates faith and science in their source and in their object by opposing one to the other, produces in these two vital areas a schism which is so pernicious “that a little is more than death.” This consequence has been actually observed. Man, who at the turn of the century was already divided within himself and yet labouring under the delusion that he possessed his unity under the shallow appearances of harmony and happiness, based upon a purely earthly progress, seemed to be rent asunder under the impact of a reality which was far different.

With watchful gaze Pius X observed the advent of this spiritual calamity of the modern world, this bitter delusion which especially affected the cultured classes. He perceived how such an apparent faith, that is, a faith not founded upon the revelation of God, but rooted in a purely human soil, would lure many into atheism. Likewise he recognized the fatal destiny of a science, which contrary to nature and in voluntary limitation, interdicted the way to absolute Truth and Good, leaving to man, deprived of God and confronted with the invisible obscurity in which he found all being clothed, only the attitude of anguish or arrogance.

The Saint met this deadly evil with the only possible real salvation: Catholic and Biblical truth, the truth of faith, accepted as “reasonable service” (Rom. 12:1) towards God and His revelation. By thus coordinating faith and science, faith as the supernatural extension and at times confirmation of science, and science as the way which leads to faith, Pius X restored to Christians unity and peace of soul, which are the inviolable premises of life.

If today there are many who, impelled as it were by the emptiness and affliction of their abandonment, have turned to this truth and have realized it in the firm possession of the Church, they owe a debt of gratitude for this to the foresight and achievements of Pius X. In fact both believers, who enjoy the full light of truth, and those who sincerely seek truth are obligated to him for protecting truth from error. For others his firm attitude in regard to error may still remain a stone of scandal; in reality it is the ultimate service of charity rendered by a Saint, as Head of the Church, to all humanity.


3. Sanctity, which was the inspiration and directing force of the aforementioned undertaking of Pius X, is still more clearly discernible in his personal life. Before applying it to others, he put into practice in his own life his programme of unifying all things in Christ. First as a humble parish priest, then as bishop, and finally as Supreme Pontiff he was intimately convinced that the sanctity to which God called him was priestly sanctity. For what sanctity is more pleasing to God in a priest of the New Law than that which belongs to him as representative of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Who left to His Church in the holy Sacrifice of the Mass a memorial for all time and a perpetual renovation of His Sacrifice on the Cross, until He shall come for the last judgment (I Cor. 11:24-26); and Who in the Sacrament of the Blessed Eucharist has given Himself as the food of the soul: “He that eateth this bread shall live forever” (In. 6 :58).

A Priest, above all in the Eucharistic ministry: this is the most faithful portrayal of St. Pius X. To serve the mystery of the Blessed Eucharist as a priest, and to fulfill the command of Our Saviour “Do this for a commemoration of Me” (Luke 22:19), was his goal. From the day of his sacred ordination until his death as Pope, he knew no other path than this in order to arrive at heroism in his love of God and to make a wholehearted return to that Redeemer of the world, Who by means of the Blessed Eucharist poured out the wealth of His divine Love on men” (Council of Trent, Sess. XIII, chap. 2). One of the most expressive proofs of his consciousness of his priesthood was the extreme care he took to renew the dignity of divine worship. Overcoming the prejudices springing from an erroneous practice, he resolutely promoted frequent, and even daily, Communion of the faithful, and unhesitatingly led children to the banquet of the Lord, and offered them to the embrace of the God hidden on the altars. Then, the Spouse of Christ experienced a new Springtime of Eucharistic life.

In the profound vision which he had of the Church as a Society, Pius X recognized that it was the Blessed Eucharist which had the power to nourish its intimate life substantially, and to raise it high above all other human societies. Only the Eucharist, in which God gives Himself to man, is apt to lay the foundations of a social life worthy of those who live it, cemented more by love than by authority, rich in activity and aimed at the perfection of the individual: a life that is “hidden with Christ in God.”

What a providential example for the world of today, where earthly society is becoming more and more a mystery to itself, and is feverishly trying to rediscover its soul! Let it look, then, for its model at the Church, gathered around its altars. There in the sacrament of the Eucharist mankind really discovers and recognizes that its past, present, and future are a unity in Christ (cf. Council of Trent, l.c.). Conscious of, and strong in his solidarity with Christ and his fellow men, each member of either Society, the earthly and the supernatural one, will be enabled to draw from the altar an interior life of personal dignity and personal worth, such as today is almost lost through insistence on technology and by excessive organization of existence, of work and even play. Only in the Church, the holy Pontiff seems to repeat, and for her in the Blessed Eucharist which is ‘‘life hidden with Christ in God,” is to be found the secret and source of renewed social life.

Hence follows the grave responsibility of ministers of the altar whose duty it is to disclose to souls the saving treasure of the Eucharist. Many indeed are the activities which a priest can exercise for the salvation of the modern world; one of them, and undoubtedly the most efficacious, and the most lasting in its effects, is to act as dispenser of the Holy Eucharist, after first nourishing himself abundantly with It. His work would cease to be sacerdotal, if, even through zeal for souls, he were to put his Eucharistic vocation in a secondary place. Let priests conform their outlook to the inspired wisdom of Pius X, and let them confidently exercise their whole apostolate under the sign of the Blessed Eucharist.

Similarly let religious men and women, those who live under the same roof as Jesus Christ and are daily nourished with His body, take as a safe norm in the pursuit of the sanctity proper to their state, what the holy Pontiff once declared on an important occasion, namely, that the bonds which through their vows and community life link them with God are not to be subordinated to any other activity, however legitimate, for the good of their neighbour (cf. Letter to Gabriel Marie, Superior General of the Christian Brothers, 23 April, 1905—Pii X P. M. Act, II, 87 f.).

In the Blessed Eucharist the soul should strike roots for nourishing the interior life, which is not only a fundamental treasure of all souls consecrated to the Lord, hut also a necessity for every Christian, whom God calls to he saved. Without interior life, any activity, however praiseworthy, is debased and becomes purely mechanical action without any vitalizing effect.

The Holy Eucharist and the interior life: this is the supreme and universal lesson which Pius X, from the height of glory, teaches in this hour to all souls. As apostle of the interior life, he becomes, in the age of the machine, of technology, and of organization, the Saint and guide of men of our time.


Saint Pius X, glory of the priesthood, light and honour of the Christian people, you in whom lowliness seemed blended with greatness, severity with mildness, simple piety with profound learning; you, Pope of the Holy Eucharist and of the catechism, of unsullied faith and fearless strength, turn your gaze on holy Church, which you so loved and to which you consecrated the choicest of those treasures with which the lavish hand of the Divine Bounty had enriched your soul; obtain for her safety and steadfastness amid the difficulties and persecutions of our times; sustain this poor human race, whose sufferings you shared in so largely, those sufferings which at the end stilled the beating of your great heart; bring it about that this troubled world witness the triumph of that peace which should mean harmony among nations, brotherly accord and sincere collaboration among the different classes of society, love and charity among individual men, so that thus those ardent desires which consumed your apostolic life may become by your intercession a blessed reality, to the glory of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns forever and ever, Amen!"