St. Pius X

St. Pius X

Monday, August 21 

A humble man, born Giuseppe Sarto, this 20th century pontiff was sometimes embarrassed by the pomp of the papal court. He was ordained a priest in 1853 and served as a parish priest, chancellor of his diocese, spiritual director of a seminary and then bishop. Eventually he was named Cardinal and Patriarch of Venice and in 1903 was elected Pope and took the name Pius.

Taking as his motto, “To restore all things in Christ,” he enacted a number of reforms. In the realm of the sacred liturgy, he encouraged active lay participation at Mass, and promoted Gregorian Chant over operatic and secular styles of music. He challenged the passive attitudes at Mass that were common at the time.

He advanced catechetical formation of the young through the establishment of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) and strongly encouraged the frequent even daily reception of Holy Communion and allowed children to receive the Eucharist at a young age. He gave great impetus to biblical studies and codified the Church’s Canon Law.

During his reign, he waged a battle against the errors of Modernism which sought to adapt the Church’s teachings to contemporary culture. Pope Pius viewed as dangerous the questioning of the traditional interpretations of Scripture and doctrine. Pius X’s influence was also felt on our local community. His pastoral solicitude for the immigrants coming to the United States, moved him in 1910 to order five Sisters of the Religious Teachers Filippini in Rome, to staff St. Joachim’s School in Trenton. The community would spread throughout New Jersey and beyond.