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LAWRENCE G. LOV ASIK, S.V. D. 

Divine Word Missionary 

+ 

1st PRINTING 10,000 

2nd PRINTING 20,000 

DIVINE WORD MISSIONARY PUBLICATIONS 

TECHNY, ILLINOIS 



FOREWORD 

Here is the story of the humble peasant 
boy, Giuseppe Sarto, who, by the grace 
of God, was destined to guide the Church 
through the turbulent years that preceded 
World War I. He reached out to the 
downtrodden and to the children of the 
world, made them feel more at home in 
the Church and brought the Church 
!:loser to their hearts. This Pope's child-
like simplicity and depth of understand-
ing endeared him to the people of all 
classes and conditions of life. Even 
during his lifetime they called him, "Il 
Santo"- The Saint. Numberless miracles 
and favors granted during his life and 
especially after his death, together with 
the urgent pleadings of devoted clients 
from every part of the world, have has-
tened the day of his canonization. On 
May 29, 1954, he was canonized by his 
illustrious successor Pope Pius XII. 

May this brief message bring Saint 
Pius X into your life as a loving Father 
and devoted friend, and encourage you 
to seek his powerful intercession in your 
spiritual and temporal needs! I entrust 
these pages to Our Blessed Mother to 
whom Saint Pius X was so deeply 
devoted. 

Father Lawrence G. Lovasik, S.V.D. 

Sacred Heart Mission Seminary 
Girard, Pennsylvania 

2 



PART I 

HIS LIFE STORY 

Journey to the Priesthood 

Riese is a small town near the center 
of Italy's Venetian plain. There Guiseppe 
(Joseph ) Sarto was born on the 2nd of 
June, 1835. He was the son of a village 
cobbler and eldest of eight children. His 
parents were poor people, and found it 
difficult sometimes to make ends meet. 

Little Beppo was remarkable both for 
his intelligence and for his restless activi-
ty. He loved jokes and games. He be-
came an efficient server at Mass, and at 

. the age of ten was appointed leader of 
the somewhat unruly band of boys who 
served in the village church. 

About half a mile beyond the village 
of Riese stands a chapel dedicated to the 
Blessed Virgin. There little Beppo loved 
to go and pray, pouring out the joys and 
sorrows of his young heart at the feet of 
the Mother of Christ. Maybe she was the 
first to know his secret desire to conse-
crate his life to God. At eleven the boy 
made his First Communion in the Church 
of Riese. Perhaps it was the memory of 
his own longing that moved him in after 
years to shorten the time of preparation 
for Holy Communion for the children of 
the Catholic world. 

Two priests of the parish, after observ-
ing the exemplary behavior of Beppo 
over a number of years decided to send 
him to the grammar school at Castel-

3 



franco because they saw that he had the 
makings of a scholar, and perhaps also 
a vocation to the priesthood. Beppo got 
his first pair of "regular" shoes the day 
he started to school. I must save them," 
he thought. Although it was over four 
miles to Castelfranco, Beppo unlaced the 
shoes and carried them hung about his 
neck. Until cold weather came, he 
walked barefoot all the way to school. 

Later on in high school Beppo stood 
first in all his classes. He loved to joke 
and play, but that did not interfere with 
his being very helpful to his parents at 
home. By that time he had made up his 
mind that he wanted to be a priest, but 
his family could not spare the money for 
his seminary education. Beppo and his 
mother prayed and prayed at the shrine 
of the Madonna near Riese. The village 
priest managed to get a scholarship for 
the boy. When Beppo was about to leave 
for the seminary at Padua the good priest 
also gave him a little expense money, 
which the people of Riese had collected. 

The intelligence and good humor of 
Giuseppe, joined to the charm of manner 
that was his from childhood, soon made 
him a general favorite both with boys 
and teachers at the Padua seminary. 
"His mind is quick," wrote one of his 
teachers, "his will is strong and mature, 
while his industry is remarkable." He 
was first in all his classes. A willing sub-
mission to authority was characteristic of 
his life. " In order to command," he was 
wont to say, later on, as Pope, "it is nec-
essary to have learned to obey." 

4 



During Giuseppe's second year at the 
seminary his father died, after only a few 
days of illness. The thought of the strug-
gle which his mother was waging against 
poverty lay like a heavy weight upon the 
boy's heart, but not for worlds would his 
good mother have allowed him to give up 
the thought of his priestly career. 

At the end of August, 1858, Giuseppe 
Sarto's seminary life was over. He was 
only twenty-three years old. As he knelt 
at the altar of the Castelfranco Cathedral 
to receive the sacred unction of Priest-
hood, it seemed to him as if earth had 
nothing more to give him. On the follow-
ing day, the Feast of Our Lady of Sor-
rows, he sang his first Mass in the parish 
church of Riese. His good mother and the 

. congregation kissed the hands of the 
young priest whom they had known and 
loved from childhood - hands that had 
touched for the first time the Body of the 
Lord. 

The Tireless Pastor 
Giuseppe's first assignment was that 

of assistant to the pastor at Tombolo, a 
little town in the mountains. The parish-
ioners were cattle drovers, simple and 
rough of speech. They soon learned to 
like Don Giuseppe Sarto; particularly the 
children. One minute they laughed 
heartily when he imitated their loud 
singing; the next minute they were like 
statues listening to his beautiful voice as 
he showed them how it should be done. 

The ailing pastor of the parish looked 
upon Don Giuseppe as a son. He wrote 
to a friend : "The Bishop has sent me a 

5 



young man as curate, with orders that I 
should teach him the duties of a parish 
priest. However, he is so zealous, so full 
of common sense and other precious 
qualities that I could find much to learn 
from him. Some day he will wear the 
mitre - of that I am certain - and after· 
wards? Who knows?" 

Don Sarto had the deepest insight into 
the ways in which people plot to fool 
themselves. He did not clothe his ideas 
in big words; but spoke with the sim-
plicity and directness of a peasant. Being 
an ardent student of the Gospels, he 
made Jesus so real and lovable, that lis-
teners could imagine the Lord walking 
about the streets of Tombolo. It was so 
evident that he spoke from the fulness 
of a soul, on fire with the love of God, . 
that his enthusiasm was catching, and 
his sermons bore great fruit. 

Don Sarto spent nine happy years in 
Tombolo. and was sad when he was 
made pastor of the large parish of Sal-
zano, in May of 1867. He remained poor 
because he gave everything away, in-
cluding most of his food. His frank sim-
plicity, his understanding, sympathy, and 
zeal for the salvation of these people 
gained their hearts at once. He gave 
special attention to the instruction of 
children. "Most of the evil in the world," 
he would often say, "comes from a 
want of the knowledge of God and His 
truth." 

During a cholera epidemic in 1873, the 
people of the district turned to Don Sarto. 
He had to function in turn as doctor. 

6 



priest, and friend. He seemed to be for-
ever on the road. When urged by his 
doctor, his sister and friends to take a 
little rest. Don Sarto dismissed their pleas 
in a quiet voice: "You ask me to run away 
from the cholera and expose myself to 
the anger of God? I have my duties here, 
and here I stay." 

With Don Giuseppe the service of 
Christ, in His poor, went hand in hand 
with the service of Christ in the Eucharist. 
He improved and decorated the church. 
He got together a voluntary choir of 
young men and boys and taught them 
to sing the stately Gregorian music that 
he loved for its devout and prayerful 
spirit. Even those who knew the stark 
poverty of his private life did not always 
understand how he obtained the means 
to carry out all the plans he had at heart. 
"God will provide," was the quiet answer 
always given by him to those who ex-
pressed fear that some undertaking of 
his might faiL for lack of funds. 

From Bishop to Cardinal 
From Salzano Don Sarto was trans-

ferred to Treviso. On November 28, 1875, 
he was named Chancellor of the diocese 
and Canon of the Cathedral. Though 
many burdensome responsibilities now 
developed upon him, he took them all in 
his stride. He continued to teach as for-
merly, gladly taking catechism classes, 
and giving instructions in church music. 

He was also made spiritual director of 
the seminary. His first conference was an 
object-lesson in humility. In this instruc-

7 



tion he said, "You are expecting to find in 
me a man of profound learning and of 
wide experience in spiritual matters, a 
master in asceticism and doctrine. You 
will be disappointed, for I am none of 
these things, but only a poor country 
parish priest. However, as I am here by 
God's will - you must bear with me." 
Gentle and kind as he was when dealing 
with the weak and misguided ones he 
could be stern enough when that was 
necessary, and his reproofs were seldom 
forgotten. If any of the seminarians fell 
sick, he would nurse them with a 
mother's tenderness; and to those of them 
who were the sons of poor parents he 
gave material as well as moral help. 

Pope Leo XIII had become informed 
regarding Don Sarto's wonderful work 
and, on November 10, 1884, made him 
Bishop of Mantua. The spirit in which 
Bishop Sarto took up his new work 
showed itself in his first pastoral letter to 
his flock. in which he said: "I shall spare 
myself neither care nor labor nor vigils 
for the salvation of souls. My hope is in 
Christ, who strengthens the weakest by 
His divine help; I can do all things in Him 
who strengthens me! His power is infi-
nite; and if I lean on Him, His strength 
will be mine; His wisdom is infinite, and 
if I look to Him for counsel, I shall not be 
deceived; His goodness is infinite, and if 
my trust is in Him, I shall not be aban-
doned. Hope unites me to my God and 
Him to me. Although I know I am not 
sufficient for the burden, my strength is 
in Him. For the salvation of others I must 

8 



bear weariness, face dangers, suffer 
offences, confront storms, fight against 
evil. Christ is my Hope." 

The state of the diocese was not good. 
Bishop Sarto at once began to remedy 
conditions. The seminary was his first 
concern. He taught theology, Canon Law, 
and Church music, and gave special 
attention to the spiritual training of the 
seminarians. He effected a spiritual trans-
formation of the diocese by means of the 
spoken word, apostolic letters, and per-
sonal zeal. He revived catechetical in-
struction, not only for children but for 
adults, and ordered the establishment of 
the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine in 
every parish, as well as the founding of 
permanent catechetical schools. He re-
quired his priests to explain to the people 
a section of the catechism each Sunday. 
He would say, "By the catechism the soil 
is prepared for the seed of God." 

In order that the episcopal visitation 
might not prove a burden for the country 
priests, he ordered that no preparations 
whatever were to be made for his recep-
tion. Instead, he begged that the people 
might gather in the churches for Holy 
Mass and Communion. "That is the 
greatest honor they can show me," he 
said: "that will be my greatest reward. 
I desire no useless pomp, but the salva-
tion of souls." 

Beppo Receives the Red Hat 
After nine years as Bishop of Mantua, 

Joseph Sarto was made a Cardinal by 
Pope Leo XIII on June 12, 1893, and was, 

9 



three days later, named Patriarch of 
Venice, with the warning that a refusal 
to accept would greatly grieve the Holy 
Father. The news was received with an 
outburst of joy throughout the Province 
of Venetia and the d iocese of Mantua. 
After Bishop Sarto, at Rome, had become 
a member of the Sacred College of Car-
dinals, the Pope said to him : "We con-
gratu late you, Our beloved son, who has 
so worthily guided the Church of Mantua 
as the good shepherd of the people." The 
wisdom and modesty of the new Cardi-
nal, added to his singular charm of man-
ner, won him many friends during his 
sta y in Rome. 

The Cardinal's first visit after his return 
from Rome, was to his mother's home at 
Riese. This time he rode in a fine carriage 
from Castelfranco to his hometown - a 
stretch of road over which, years before, 
he had trudged to school with a crust of 
bread in his pocket and his shoes slung 
over his shoulder. After Mass in the vil-
lage church, Cardinal Sarto, wearing his 
scarlet cape, went to his mother's house 
and entering her room he stood beside 
her bed clad as he was in all the glory 
of the "sacred purple." His old mother 
wept with joy. But she shed tears of sor-
row before night, when the time came 
for him to say farewell, and he clasped 
her frail figure in his strong arms. She 
was eighty years old. A few months 
later the sorrowful news of her death 
reached the Cardinal, now back at Man-
tua and busy with his episcopal duties. 

At his first pontifical function in St. 

10 



Mark's Cathedral in Venice, the Cardinal 
turned to the people and said, "I should -
be ashamed to be the object of such 
honor, did I not know that it is offered, 
not to my poor person, but to Jesus Christ, 
whose representative I am, and in whose 
name I come among you. It is your wish 
to show me that you see in me your 
Bishop, your Father, -and your Patriarch. 
and I am bound to love you in return. 
When Jesus Christ gave to St. Peter the 
charge of His sheep and lambs. He re-
quired of him three times the assurance 
of His love. thus giving him to understand 
that love is the greatest necessity for a 
pastor of souls. From this moment I 
gather you all into my heart; I love you 
with a strong and supernatural love. 
desiring only the good of your souls. For 
you are all my family - priests. citizens 
great and small. rich and poor. My heart 
and my love are yours. and from you I 
ask nothing but the same love in return. 
My only desire is that you should say 
of me. "Our Patriarch is a man of up-
right intention. one who holds high the 
banner of our Lord Jesus Christ. who 
seeks nothing but to defend the truth and 
to do good. And since God has raised 
me. a son of the people. to this high dig-
nity. He will certainly give me the 
strength and the grace necessary for so 
great a mission . .. . I am ready to make 
any sacrifice for the salvation of souls." 

These honors did not change Don 
Sarto's ways. He was still ready to give 
to the needy anything he possessed. even 
the stone from his bishop's ring. He per-

11 



sonally answered the door-bell, and 
shined his own shoes. 

The Eucharistic Congress, held in 
Venice in August. 1898, was planned for, 
organized and conducted at the Patri-
arch's behest, and he spared no pains nor 
expense to guarantee its complete suc-
cess. He addressed the people in these 
words: "We, His true subjects, offer our 
homage to Christ the King; the intensity 
of our love shall be greater than the cold-
ness of the world. We meet around the 
tabernacle where Jesus remains in our 
midst until the end of time; there faith 
springs up anew in our hearts, while the 
fire of His charity - the very fire that He 
came to cast upon the earth - diffuses 
itself within us. The object of this Eucha-
ristic Congress is to make reparation to 
our Lord Jesus Christ for the insults 
offered to Him in the Blessed Sacrament; 
to pray that His thoughts may be in our 
minds, His charity in our institutions, His 
justice in our laws, His worship in our 
religion, His life in our lives." 

Although unflinchingly firm in every-
thing that concerned the faith and the 
rights of the Church, the frank courtesy 
of the Patriarch and his conciliating spirit 
kept him always on good terms with the 
Government. He would constantly repeat, 
"The restoration of society in Christ is the 
only cure for all the world's evils. No 
undertaking is good which is not rooted 
and founded in Christ." 

Prince of the Church as he was, he was 
always ready to fulfill the duties of a 
simple parish priest. He would carry 

12 



Holy Communion to the sick. hear con-
fessions. preach missions in the churshes 
of the diocese. and visit the prisons. the 
hospitals. and the reformatories. address-
ing their inmates and comforting them in 
all their sorrows. Both saints and sinner 
found in him a kindly firmness and 
simple goodness which set them at their 
ease at once. All shyness and reserve 
gave way before his genial manner. The 
very sight of his face was a joyful 
experience. He studiously avoided any 
affection of holiness or austerity. which 
might repel or frighten the less perfect. 
During the ten years he spent among the 
Venetian people. he was loved by them 
as a father. friend and revered for his 
kindness and wisdom of speech. 

The Papal Election 

The news of the death of Leo XIII. on 
July 20th. 1903. came as a crushing blow 
to the whole Catholic world. "Pray that 
God may send to His Church a Shepherd 
after His own heart." said Cardinal Sarto 
when he announced to his people at 
Venice the sad news of the Pope's death. 
How far he was. in his humility. from 
realizing how - that prayer was to be 
answered. Not long before his death Leo 
XIII had said to an intimate friend. "If the 
Conclave chooses a Cardinal. not resid-
ing in Rome, it is Cardinal Sarto who will 
be elected." 

When Cardinal Sarto set out for Rome, 
he got into his gondola to go to the sta-
tion, and found the Grand Canal jammed 
with crowned gondolas. "Come back, 

13 



come back to us," the Venetians shouted 
all the way to the station. Cardinal Sar-
to's eyes were full of tears. He assured 
the people: " I promise to return, dead or 
alive." 

"Take a return ticket, it will be 
cheaper," he said to his secretary. But 
the return ticket was destined not to be 
used. The train began to move, and from 
its window Cardinal Sarto looked on his 
beloved Venice for the last time. A Vene-
tian lady who lived at Rome, having 
come to see him, expressed a polite wish 
that he would be the future Pope. Cardi-
nal Sarto laughed. It is sufficient honor," 
he replied, "that God should make use 
of such as I to elect the Pope." 

When, very soon after the opening of 
the conclave, Cardinal Sarto noticed the 
great number of votes in his favor, he 
begged the cardinals not to elect him. 
Many cardinals tried to persuade him to 
change his mind, but he said: "I am not 
worthy of the honor! I am incapable! 
Forget me! Besides, I promised to return 
to my people at Venice, dead or alive." 

"It was that very adjuration, his grief. 
his profound humility and wisdom," said 
Cardinal Gibbons, "that made us think of 
him all the more; we learned to know him 
from his words as we could never know 
him by hearsay." The voting continued. 
In the evening of the second day Car-
dinal Sarto passed several hours in 
prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, 
exposed in the Pauline Chapel. On re-
turning to his room he found several of 
his colleagues who had come to beg him 

14 



not to refuse the burden if God should 
require him to bear it. On the third day 
the votes for Cardinal Sarto went on 
increasing, until on the morning of the 
fourth day fifty out of the sixty-two were 
in his favor, eight more than the forty-
two required for a valid election. 

They asked him if he would accept. 
but he had already accepted in his heart. 
The sacrifice had been made at prayer 
in the silent hours of the night. "I 
accept." he said, with tears, "for I see in 
the manifestation of your wills the Will 
of God." 

"What name will you take?" they 
asked him. 

"Pius X," he replied. 
The Pope-elect was escorted to the sac-

risty of the Sistine chapel. There he was 
invested with the white cassock and a 
scarlet cape, edged with fur. On his 
finger was placed the Fisherman's ring. 
The cardinals came forward in formal 
ranks and offered their homage to the 
new successor of St. Peter. 

During the Pope's investiture, the final 
ballots had been burned in the little 
stove. This time no wet straw burned 
with them, and the puff of pure white 
smoke announced to the waiting throng 
in St. Peter's square that a new Pope had 
been elected. A tremendous, steady 
cheering resounded through the columns 
of St. Peter's. 

When the ceremonies of the investiture 
were ended, pale and trembling, the new 
Pope returned to his room where he re-
mained for a long time in prayer before 

15 



the Crucifix. At last he arose and, turning 
to his secretary with something of his old 
serenity said, "Come, it is the Will of God." 

Suddenly the large window above the 
portico of St. Peter's was opened. Cardi-
nal Macchia appeared in the opening, 
surrounded by officials of the conclave. 
In GI loud voice he cried out, "I announce 
the joyful tidings that we have a Pope. 
He is the Most Eminent and Most Rever-
end Giuseppe Sarto, who has chosen the · 
name of Pius the Tenth." 

Immediately after his election, when 
leaving the balcony from which he had 
given his first blessing, Pius X expressed 
his wish to go and visit the Cardinal of 
Valencia, an old man of eighty years, 
lying sick in his room who had received 
the last Sacraments and was at the point 
of death. Arrived at the bedside, the Pope 
blessed the dying Cardinal and was sur-
prised to see the latter sitting up on his 
bed, as if he had suddenly received a 
new lease of life. Three days later the 
man for whom the doctors had declared 
there was no hope was well enough to 
get up. He soon returned to Spain, cured, 
as he himself always declared, by the 
blessing of the Holy Father. 

The news of the election was received 
with joy throughout Italy. Outside of that 
country Pius X was little known. "What 
kind of a Pope will he be?" was the ques-
tion on many lips. The world had not 
long to wait for the answer. Two months 
had scarcely passed before the words of 
the New Pope's first Encyclical rang 
throughout the Catholic world. 

16 



"It behooves us not to tlill with what 
tears and with what earnest prayers we 
have sought to thrust from us this appal-
ling burden of the Pontifical office," he 
begins. "We could not be other than 
disturbed at being appointed the succes-
sor of one who, after having most wisely 
ruled the Church for well-nigh six-and-
twenty years, showed such power of 
genius and so shone with the splendor of 
all the virtues that even his adversaries 
were constrained to admire him." 

Going straight to the heart of the 
world's unrest. the new Pope, like a skill-
ful physician, diagnosed the cause of the 
disease - "the falling away from and 
forsaking God, than which there is noth-
ing more nearly allied to perdition." 

"As, borne up by God's might, we set 
our hand to the work of withstanding this 
great evil, we proclaim that in bearing 
the Pontifical office this is our one pur· 
pose, 'to restore all things in Christ, so 
that Christ may be all in all:" 

Beautiful words, which contain the 
teaching and the work of a lifetime spent 
in God's service. No empty ideal either, 
but the one that Giuseppe Sarto haS. set 
steadfastly before himself from the very 
day of his ordination to the priesthood, 
and to which he had devoted himself 
most strenuously ever since. 

He continues, "By the help of God we 
will be nothing but the minister of God 
whose authority we bear. The cause of 
God is our cause to which we have deter-
mined to devote all our strength and our 
life itself. Therefore, if any ask of us a 

17 



motto to show the purpose of our mind, 
we shall ever give this one alone - 'to 
restore all things in Christ.' To this, there-
fore, must we direct all our efforts, to 
bring the race of men under the dominion 
of Christ; when once this is done, it will 
have already returned to God Himself." 

First and foremost, Pius X was a Shep-
herd of souls. One of the first actions of 
the new Pope was to order the distribu-
tion of four thousand pounds among the 
poor of Rome and half that amount 
among the poor of Venice. He could no 
longer go to his beloved poor, but the 
order was given that they should corne 
to him. Sunday after .Sunday they were 
gathered, parish by parish, in the courts 
of the Vatican to hear from the lips of the 
Pope himself a simple sermon on the 
Gospel of the day. "Love God, and lead 
good Christian lives," such was the bur-
den of his teaching. But there was more 
teaching still in the warm welcome that 
awaited them and in the tender charity 
that shone forth in every word and move-
ment of the Holy Father. 

The Aims of Pius X 

Pius X was by predilection a man of 
the people. Though of humble peasant 
stock, he had enjoyed the benefit of a 
good education. At the seminary he had 
been a keen student of Sacred Scripture, 
and of the Fathers of the Church, and had 
gained a good grasp of philosophy and 
theology. Moreover, through his intimate 
contacts with all classes of men over a 
long period of years, he had acquired at 

18 



first hand an accurate and sympathetic 
knowledge of the human soul, and of the 
most effective means of influencing and 
guiding it towards its eternal goal. 

It was then, with a firm and sure hand, 
that the new Pope traced out the program 
of his pontificate - the restoring of all 
things in Christ. He proceeded to point 
out not only the evils to be dealt with, but 
the means of dealing with them: - earn-
est prayer, the formation of a learned, 
zealous, and pious priesthood, religious 
instruction for the adult as well as for the 
child, wise efforts to better the condition 
of the poor and deal with the social ques-
tion, the practice of Christian charity 
towards both friends and enemies, and 
the faithful keeping of the command-
ments of God, together with the frequent 
use of the Sacraments. 

All his life Pope Pius X had been a 
strenuous worker. At sixty-eight he was 
still a vigorous man. He was in the habit 
of rising very early, so as to be able to 
spend an hour at his meditation and 
breviary, before Holy Mass, which he 
usually celebrated at 6 o'clock. After the 
time given to prayer came the day's 
work, carefully planned out so that not 
even a minute might be lost. He was 
practical, exact in all his undertakings, 
and required that others should be the 
same. A born organizer, the Pope soon 
acquainted himself thoroughly with all 
that concerned the administration of the 
government of the Church and set on foot 
several necessary reforms in the work 
of the different congregations. The Holy 

19 



Father appointed a commission to revise 
the Breviary and assembled a group of 
canonists to recodify the Canon Law. 

In June, 1908, he issued an apostolic 
letter on the reorganization of the Curia 
and the revision of Canon Law. The com-
mission appointed began a complete 
redistribution of the duties of the Congre-
gations. Some new Congregations were 
formed to deal with current problems. 

On November 22, 1903, the Pope issued 
a Motu Proprio or decree on sacred 
music. Its highlights were that church 
music must be holy, truly artistic, and 
universal. For the first time, a code of 
rules was written authoritatively for 
sacred music. The qualities that he 
insisted upon in church music were found 
in Gregorian chant. Modern music was 
not banned. Only theatrical modern 
music was forbidden. Instruction in 
sacred music was to be given in all semi-
naries as well as in city and country 
parishes. The aim of Pius X was that 
church music must be made subordinate 
to prayer and be an aid to worship. 

In everything connected with the 
Liturgy - music, decorations, art and 
architecture - in every material thing, 
used in expressing the love of the human 
heart for God - the Pope wanted true 
beauty, purity and simplicity. 

On April IS, 1905, the Pope issued the 
Encyclical Acerbe nimis, on the teaching 
of Christian Doctrine. His own experience 
of fifty years in catechetical teaching, 
and his eagerness to bring the message 
of Christ to those who did not know it, 

20 



went into the writing of this letter to man-
kind. From his earliest days in the priest-
hood the catechism had been to him of 
supreme importance. Once a very 
wealthy lady had asked him what she 
could do for the Church. His reply was 
immediate: "Teach the catechism." 

In this Encyclical Pius X spoke of the 
religious indifference that prevailed. not 
only among the ignorant. but among the 
educated classes. The remedy was cate-
chetical instruction for all. He insisted 
that the pastor of souls had the prime 
responsibility for instructing the faithful 
in the things of God. To aid priests in 
their catechetical ministry Pius X decreed 
that the Confraternity of Christian Doc-
trine should be established in all par-
ishes. The purpose of the Confraternity 
was to train qualified teachers of religion. 
who would assist their priests in spread-
ing the knowledge of divine truths. 

On June 11. 1905. Pope Pius issued his 
. pronouncement on Catholic Action. name-

ly. the participation of the laity in the 
apostolic mission of the Church. He de-
fined clearly the lines of Catholic social 
action. "Such." he says. "is the power 
of the truth and morality taught by Jesus 
Christ. that even the material well-being 
of individuals. of the family. and of hu-
man society receives from . them support 
and protection." The Church has been 
throughout the ages the guardian and 
protector of Christian civilization. He 
points out the areas and means by which 
this Christian ideal is to be achieved : 
"To reinstate Jesus Christ in the family. 

21 



the school and society; to re-establish the 
principle that human authority represents 
that of God; to take intimately to heart 
the interests of the people, especially 
those of the working classes; to endeavor 
to make public laws conformable to jus-
tice, to amend and suppress those that 
are not so; to defend and support the 
rights of God in everything, and the no 
less sacred rights of the Church." Pius X 
called upon the laity to aid him in putting 
all things in order under the leadership 
of Christ: "For it is not priests alone, but 
all the faithful without exception, who 
must concern themselves with the inter-
ests of God and souls, not of course 
according to their own views, but always 
under the direction and commands of the 
Bishops." 

The Pope wanted each Catholic to work 
for his neighbor's welfare according to 
his ability. That meant uniting to fight 
anti-Catholic influence. It was the duty of 
Catholics to spread the doctrine that all 
authority comes from God and that every 
legitimate ruler represents God. All 
Catholics must join in the social aposto-
late and take an active interest in the 
working people, especially the factory 
and agricultural workers, by helping 
them better their economic condition 
through just laws. The rights of God, of 
the Church and her people must be 
determined and upheld always by the 
Catholic social apostle. Pius X called 
upon the laity to "prepare themselves 
prudently and seriously for political life, 
in case they should be called to it." He 

22 



believed the time had come for Catholic 
citizens to bring Christian principles to 
bear upon political life. 

Moreover, Pius X pointed out how this 
beautiful and noble program of restoring 
all things in Christ can be realized: "To 
carry out this work in the right way we 
must have divine grace, and the apostle 
receives none unless he is united with 
Christ. Only when we have formed Jesus 
Christ within ourselves shall we more 
easily be able to give Him back to the 
family and to society." 

Gallicanism and Modernism 

On December 9, 1905, the French Gov-
ernment passed the laws of separation 
of Church and State. It was the climax of 
a whole series of hostile acts on the part 
of the anti-clerical. atheistic French Gov-
ernment, directed against the Catholic 
Church. On February I L 1906, Pius X 
denounced the Law of Separation in an 
Encyclical. which had a good effect on 
France. Loyal Catholics got behind their 
poverty-stricken and often homeless 
clergy and gave them both material and 
spiritual support. The clergy, with few 
exceptions, stood by the Holy Father. 

Thus Gallicanism, which aimed at subor-
dinating the Church to the State, was 
effectively defeated. 

On the last day of February, Pius X 
consecrated fourteen French priests as 
Bishops. They were to replace those who 
had obeyed the Government rather than 
the Church. As he sent these French 
Bishops back to their native land, his 

23 



parting words were, "I wish I could go 
with you and share your anxieties and 
sorrows, to be at your side and comfort 
you; but this cannot be. We shall meet 
each day at Mass before the Holy Taber-
nacle whence we get our strength and the 
sure means of victory." 

To one group of delegates from France 
he remarked, "I hear a great deal about 
the goods of the Church but scarcely any-
thing is said about the good of the 
Church." To another he said, "Once on 
a high mountain two adversaries found 
themselves face to face. One showed the 
other not bags of money but all the king-
doms of the world. He said, 'I will give 
you all of this if you will bow down be-
fore me." The other refused. He still 
refuses. That is all." In August the Pope 
issued an Encyclical dealing with the Law 
of Separation. It banned the lay associ-
ations intended to handle Church proper-
ty. There would be no compromise until 
the property rights of the Pope and the 
Bishops were guaranteed. There must be 
religiOUS freedom for all. The Govern-
ment answered with the second Law of 
Separation, whereby Church property 
became government property. Pius X had 
stood by the principle of the liberty of the 
Church. The material loss was very 
great. The spiritual gain was much 
greater. 

The burden of Pius X became hard and 
tiring as persecution flared up also in 
Mexico and Portugal. so-called Catholic 
countries. The Father was unable to help 
pis suffering children in a material way, 

24 



but he could and did protest strongly 
against the injustice of the terror prevail-
ing in PortugaL Spain. and Mexico. He 
prayed and called on all his children to 
pray for peace in the lands where the 
torch of persecution was flaming against 
the Altar and the Church. 

On September 8. 1907. Pius X issued 
his Encyclical Pascendi against Modern-
ism. This encyclical closed a contro-
versy that had disturbed the Church for 
many years. The cardinal teaching of 
Modernism was that sense perception 
only is the source of truth. It thus made 
religion nothing more than an interior 
experience. ruled by the emotions and 
the soul-needs of man. Therefore. dog-
mas would vary with the times. Finally 
it taught that the Church with her doc-
trines . and moral teachings was not 
established by Christ. but was a gradual 
evolution of Christianity. dependent on 
historical circumstances. The Encyclical 
made it plain that the entire modernistic 
movement was an error that no Catholic 
could accept and still remain a Catholic. 
Though. at the time. the Pope was bitterly 
attacked. modernist leaders admitted that 
the movement was crushed. Today it is 
a mere memory in the history of the 
Church of Christ in its battle with the 
forces of error and evil. 

Pius X and the Priesthood 
The first six years of his pontificate Pius 

X chiefly spent in work which concerned 
the priesthood and sacerdotal institutions. 
He had at heart the perfection and educa-

25 



tion of the priesthood. According to Pius 
X, a noble and worthy priesthood was to 
be one of the means toward that restoring 
of all things in Christ "which was to heal 
the wounds of the world." "The priest is 
the representative of Christ on earth" he 
once said; "he must think the thoughts 
of Christ and speak His words. He must 
be tender as Christ was tender, pure and 
holy like his Lord; he must shine like a 
star in the world ... In order that Christ 
may be formed in the faithfuL He must 
first be formed in the priest." The priest 
must be able to win souls by his kindness 
and charity. "Such an example will have 
greater power to move hearts and gain 
them than words or dissertations, how-
ever sublime." 

Pius X celebrated the golden jubilee of 
his priesthood in September, 1908. On 
that occasion he declared that the best 
gift his clergy could give him would be 
a renewal of charity and zeal in their 
priesthood. From the laity he asked 
prayers and Holy Communions, offered 
for his intention. Four hundred bishops 
and fifty thousand people attended the 
jubilee Mass which he celebrated, not as 
Pope, but as the priest he had become 
a half-century earlier. He walked slowly 
up St. Peter's great aisle without any 
papal ceremonial. 

To commemorate his jubilee Pius X 
sent a special letter to the clergy through-
out the world. He urged his fellow-priests 
to be true to their calling and to fulfill 
their ministry in deed as well as word. 
"Preach to the people true sermons and 

26 



not mere rhetoric, for the growth of dis-
belief in the world is largely due to ig-
norance of the teachings of Christ." 
Priests must develop and safeguard their 
own interior life, for piety and holiness 
are all-important. Prayer, meditation, 
and other spiritual exercises must occupy 
a prominent place in the priest's day. He 
states, "A holy priest makes holy people; 
a priest who is not holy is not only use-
less but harmful to the world." 

The Pope of the Eucharist 
At the beginning of the nineteenth cen-

tury the last remnants of Jansenism were 
still influencing Catholic teaching in 
many countries of Europe. The Jansenists 
laid down such strict regulations for fre-
quent Communion that almost no one 
was considered worthy to receive often. 
Under their influence piety grew cold, 
and in many places the average rate of 
reception fell quickly to the minimum of 
once a year and less. Even learned 
Catholic teachers and writers disputed 
among themselves concerning the condi-
tions under which the faithful might be 
permitted daily or weekly Communion. 

This quarrel was settled once and for 
all when Pius X issued the famous Decree 
on Frequent Communion December 20, 
1905. In this decree he repeated the offi-
cial teaching of the Church in the Council 
of Trent, which had declared: "At every 
Mass the faithful who are present should 
receive Communion, not only spiritually, 
by way of internal affection, but sacra-
mentally, by actual reception of the 

27 



Eucharist." The message of Pius X was 
clear and explicit: ( 1) "Frequent and 
daily Communion should be open to all 
the faithful of whatever rank and condi-
tion of life, so that no one who is in the 
state of grace and who approaches the 
Holy Table with a right and devout inten-
tion can be lawfully hindered therefrom. 

( 2 ) "A right intention is had by him 
who goes to Holy Communion, not out of 
routine or vain glory or human respect, 
but in order to please God or to be more 
closely united with Him by love, and to 
make use of this divine remedy for his 
weakness and faults. 

(3) "Although it is more suitable that 
those who receive Holy Communion fre-
quently or daily should be free from 
venial sins, especially from such as are 
fully wilful and from all attachment to 
them, nevertheless, it is suliicient that 
they be free from mortal sins, and re-
solved never more to commit mortal sin; 
and, if they have this sincere purpose, it 
is impossible that daily communicants 
should not gradually free themselves 
from even venial sins and from all attach-
ment to them." 

(4) Pius X advised worthy prepara-
tion and thanksgiving. 

(5) And finally, if necessary, each one 
should ask his confessor's advice con-
cerning frequent and daily Communion. 

Pius X as Supreme Teacher in Christ's 
Church declared, in the fulness of his 
teaching authority, that the Holy Euchar-
ist was not given us by our lOVing Savior 
as a reward for virtue, but as a power to 

28 



enable men to resist temptation, as a 
medicine to enable men to cleanse them-
selves of their daily faults. He made it 
clear that Holy Communion is the short-
est and surest way to holiness of life and 
to heaven. "To approach the altar takes 
only a moment," he said, "and he who 
approaches tastes truly the delights of 
Paradise." Hence he declared that the 
true spirit of the Church is to emphasize 
daily Mass with Communion: "All the 
faithful. married or single, young or old, 
even children from their first Communion 
are invited to go to Holy Communion fre-
quently; yes, daily." 

In August 1910, Pius X issued the 
Decree on the Early Communion of Chil-
dren. Children should make their First 
Communion as soon as they reach the 
ago of reason, about the sixth year. He 
declared, "The age of discretion is 
reached when a child knows the differ-
ence between the Bread which is the 
Eucharist and ordinary material bread; 
not full reason of course, but incipient 
reason suffiees." 

An English lady, who had a private 
audience with the Pope, brought her four-
year-old son to receive his blessing. The 
child, perfectly at ease with the Holy 
Father, ran up to greet him smilingly. 
"How old is he?" asked the Pope. 

"Four years old, Your Holiness, and I 
hope he will make his First Communion 
in a few years," was the reply. 

The Pope looked earnestly into the 
child's clear eyes. "Whom do you receive 
in Holy Communion?" he asked. 

29 



"Jesus Christ," was the prompt answer. 
"And who is Jesus Christ?" 
"Jesus Christ is God," replied the little 

boy. 
"Bring him to me tomorrow," said the 

Pope, turning to the mother," and I will 
give him Holy Communion myself." 

Pius X was never anything but simple 
and direct in his ways. He loved poverty. 
Underneath his white cassock he wore 
patched clothes. He loved to make jokes 
about himself. His humble spirit hated 
display since he had the art of making 
himself all things to all men, everyone 
who knew him and loved him. Gay and 
merry with the young, he was particu-
larly at home with the throngs of chil-
dren who came to see him. The genial 
and merry spirit that had been his of 
old, though overshadowed at first by the 
burden he had to bear, was by no means 
dead. He was especially pleased with 
the title "Pope of the Children," which 
some Romans gave him. Children treated 
him like a kindly father. On one occa-
sion the Pope asked a question of a little 
boy. The child looked at the Holy Father 
with wide blue eyes. "Yes, Jesus!" he 
replied to the Pope's question. It was per-
haps the greatest compliment the Pope 
ever received. 

The Pope of the Suffering 
Pius X was most wonderfully tender 

and gentle with those in sorrow or suffer-
ing. During the cholera epidemic of 1873, 
as a young parish priest at Salzano, Don 
Giuseppe Sarto had been the comfort of 

30 



his people. Consoling the grief-stricken, 
nursing the sick, burying the dead, utterly 
disregarding his own safety, he had 
thought only of his suffering parishioners. 
This tender compassion for every kind of 
pain or sorrow was characteristic of him 
throughout his life. Not without reason 
was it said of him that he had "the great-
est heart of any man alive." The very 
sight of suffering moved him even to 
tears; there was no trouble of body or 
soul in the world that failed to awaken 
his sympathy. The sufferers were com-
forted with kind words, and as far as pos-
sible with material help. An irresistible 
impulse seemed to drive the suffering to 
seek his presence to ask his prayers, and 
they seldom failed to find the consola-
tion that they sought. 

Perhaps it was his ardent desire to 
comfort all sufferers, coupled with his 
personal holiness that made the touch of 
his hand - or even his blessing - so 
strangely efficacious for healing. It is for 
Holy Church to decide on the genuineness 
of miracles, but the wonderful graces ob-
tained through the prayers and the touch 
of "II Santo" (the Saint ) were the talk 
of Rome. Men and women who had seen 
the marvels with their own eyes bore wit-
ness to the facts. It was a usual thing at 
audiences for the people to ask for cures 
for themselves or others. One instance 
was that of a young girl suffering from 
a running sore that would not heal. She 
went on a pilgrimage to Rome, that the 
shadow of Peter's successor might fall 
upon her. She was one of an audience of 

31 



forty, and as the Pope passed by and 
spoke to her, she whispered to her 
mother, ''I'm cured." When they returned 
to their hotel and the bandages were 
removed, it was plainly evident that a 
complete cure had been wrought. 

Two nuns, ill with an incurable 
disease, came to Rome as pilgrims. Be-
cause of their condition they were 
granted a private audience. Pius X 
looked at them and said, "Why do you 
want to be cured?" 

"To work for the glory of God a little 
while longer," was the answer. 

The Pope placed his hand on their 
heads and said, "Have confidence, you 
will be well." Before leaving the Pope's 
presence, they were cured. The Holy 
Father asked them to say nothing about 
their cure. However, others were in the 
outer hall. They had seen two very sick 
nuns drag themselves into the audience-
chamber and two evidently well women 
come out after seeing the Holy Father. The 
cab-driver who had brought them to the 
Vatican could not believe his eyes when 
he saw his two critically sick passengers 
approaching his cab with no sign of ill-
ness about them. It was impossible to 
keep such an incident secret. 

At one public audience a father 
brought his little son who had been para-
lyzed from babyhood. The Holy Father 
took the child and held him in his arms 
while he talked to the other pilgrims. The 
child suddenly began to move in the Holy 
Father's arms, then jumped to the floor, 

32 



and began running around in the room. 
There was no doubting the cure. 

Some cures took place in the Pope's 
presence, and others took place as a 
result of his prayers. A worker on the 
railway had a little two year old boy who 
lay dangerously ill of meningitis. The 
doctor, who had given up all hope, asked 
the priest to break the sad news to the 
young parents. They at once cried out 
"We will write to the Pope! We used to 
go to confession to him at Mantua when 
we were children. Though a Bishop, he 
used to hear the confessions of the poor." 
A simple and touching letter was writ-
ten and posted to the Holy Father. He 
wrote several lines in reply, bidding the 
young couple to pray and hope. On the 
following day the child had completely 
recovered. 

The cure of a Redemptoristine nun, 
suffering from acute cancer, through the 
application of a piece of stuff that had 
been worn by Pius X, was testified to by 
Cardinal Vivesy Tuto. In the same way, 
at the prayer of his wife, Don Rafael 
Merry del Val, the father of the Cardinal 
Secretary of State, was suddenly cured, 
though everyone else had given up hope 
and his death had been expected momen-
tarily. 

A French lady, dying of heart disease, 
who had denied the very existence of 
God, was not only cured by the Pope's 
blessing, but reconciled to the Church 
and again a fervent Catholic. 

Senator del Giudice of Milan was 
seventy-one years old when he became 

33 



afflicted with a large gallstone which 
refused to dissolve in spite of all the 
remedies of famous doctors. He was 
about to undergo an operation, which, for 
one of his age, would have been extreme-
ly dangerous. The senator's wife wrote 
for a special blessing of Pius X for the 
senator. The blessing came in the form 
of a telegram. Senator del Giudice asked 
to confess his sins and receive Commun-
ion. Within three hours the gallstone had 
dissolved without difficulty, and the sena-
tor lived to the ripe old age of eighty-one. 

A Brazilian Bishop, on his official visit, 
told the Pope that his mother was a leper 
and asked him to heal her. 

"You ask me to heal her," the Pope 
said. "But I can do nothing - it is God 
who heals. Tell your mother to have 
faith and pray." 

"1 beg you, Holy Father, please repeat 
the words which Christ said to the leper 
in the Gospel: 'Volo, mundare! - I will, 
be thou made clean: " 

At the insistence of the Bishop the 
Pope spoke the words: "Volo, mundare!" 
Upon his return to Brazil the Bishop found 
his mother cured. 

One famous cure that became widely 
known in Rome was the case of M. Du-
bois, the Belgian Counsul to the Vatican, 
who was suffering from a terrible erup-
tion of boils that covered his entire body. 
The ambassador's wife, without asking 
for an audience, presented herself to the 
Holy Father. Before she had time to 
speak, the Pope gave her his blessing 

34 



and said, "Have faith, my daughter, your 
wish will be granted." 

Mme. Dubois came back to the em-
bassy and rushed to her husband. "You 
will be healed" she cried. 

M. Dubois looked at her with a grave 
smile. "I was completely cured while 
you were gone this morning." 

The Marquis Galeani of Turin in 1911 
was suffering from progressive gangrene 
of the leg. His sister begged the Pope 
to say Mass for her brother. Pius offered 
the Mass and the Count was cured at 
that very hour. 

Pius X made light of these happenings; 
and would dismiss them from conversa-
tion rapidly. If a cure was reported, the 
Pope would say, "I have nothing to do 
with it. It is the power of the Keys, not 
mine." 

"I hear that you are a 'Santo' ( a Saint) 
and work miracles," said a lady to Pius 
X one day, with more enthusiasm than 
tact. 

"You have made a mistake in a con-
sonant," replied the Pope, laughing; "it 
is a 'Sarto' that I am." 

The Pope of Peace 
In the spring of 1913, Pius X was 

stricken with influenza. This was followed 
by an attack of bronchitis which weak-
ened him very much. However, he made 
a complete recovery and resumed the 
holding of audiences, though his doctors 
kept urging him to rest. "You are only 
trying to make me waste time that be-
longs to the Church," he remarked. 

35 



"Think of our responsibility before the 
world," his physicians said. 

"Think of mine before God, if I fail to 
take care of His Church," the Pope replied. 

"I pity my successor," the Pope said 
to his Secretary of State, "for a great 
conflict is coming nearer and nearer. I 
shall not see it." It was the spring of 
1914. In the consistory, held in May, he 
told the Cardinals: "The tragedy which · 
is coming is one which I am powerless to 
prevent or even retard. I have the highest 
ministry of peace, and if I cannot protect 
the safety of so many young lives, who 
can and will?" 

In the May consistory, Pius X created 
thirteen new Cardinals, four of them 
Americans. As the Pope entered the sum-
mer of his eightieth year, he had some 
success in bringing about peace between 
Church and State in Mexico. 

Preparations were under way for a 
Eucharistic Congress to be held at 
Lourdes in July. The Pope's last pontifical 
brief dealt with the Congress. He wrote: 
"N ever had Mary ceased to show that 
motherly love which she manifested so 
wonderfully until her last breath. It might 
indeed be said that her sole work was 
to lead all human beings to the love of 
Jesus and to zeal in His service. May 
the divine Author and Preserver of the 
Church look upon those of His flock, who 
are afflicted today with so many calami-
ties. May He pour out the fire of His love 
and revive the half dead faith of those 
who now hardly retain the name of Chris-
tian." 

36 



Pius X began to show the strain he was 
under as the consequence of the evils 
afflicting' the children of God. To those, 
like his Secretary of State, who were 
close to him, the Pope appeared worried 
and depressed. He foretold the coming 
of the first World War. "All this is 
nothing to what will happen in a few 
years time when war breaks out; I fear 
that in two years it will be upon us." He 
used his influence everywhere, but the 
war drew closer in spite of all he could 
do and the long hours he spent in prayer 
before the tombs of Sts. Peter and Paul. 
When the war came in August, he de-
clared, "I would have given my life to 
prevent it." 

Ultimatums were issued; tremendous 
armies went into motion. The ambas-
sador of Emperor Francis Joseph of 
Austria and a group of military men 
came in full uniform to a formal audience 
with Pius X. 

"Holy Father," he said, "thousands of 
Catholics will march in the armies of 
Austria and Germany. His Majesty, the 
Emperor of Austria, has asked you to 
bless his armies in the struggle." 

Pius X grasped the arms of his throne; 
his knuckles shone white, and his cheeks 
turned red, as he exclaimed, "I bless 
peace, not war. But I shall bestow a 
blessing on all my sons alike in this 
forced march to suffering and death." 
And that was the way he dismissed them. 

The Holy Father sent a brief message 
to his children throughout the world: "At 
this very moment when nearly the whole 

37 



of Europe is being dragged into a most 
terrible war ... We, whose care is the 
life and welfare of so many citizens and 
peoples, cannot but be deeply moved, 
and Our heart wrung with the bitterest 
sorrow. 

"In the midst of this universal con-
fusion and peril, We feel and know that 
both fatherly love and Our apostolic 
ministry demand that We should, with 
all earnestness, turn the thoughts of 
Christendom to Him from whom comes 
all help, the Christ, the Prince of Peace, 
the all-powerful Mediator between God 
and man. We charge then the Catholics 
of the whole world to approach the 
throne of grace and mercy, each and all 
of them, so that the merciful God may, 
as it were, grow wearied with the prayers 
of His children. speedily remove the evil 
causes of war, and inspire the rulers of 
the nations with thoughts of peace and 
not of war." 

Pius X had left his mark on the world 
perhaps more potently than any Pontiff 
of the last four centuries. That humble 
cry of sorrow, which broke from him 
when he deplored his impotence to check 
the madness of Europe, showed that he 
knew that those who reject the arbitration 
of Christ's Vicar and disregard the ele-
mentary principles of Christian justice 
will surely reap the bitter fruits of diso-
bedience. He had done more than any 
predecessor of his since the days of that 
great schism, to reconcile by love those 
who disregarded authority. The secret 
of his power for good consisted in exactly 

38 



that which he would have been the last 
to recognize: the personal holiness and 
devotion of his own character. 

The Death of a Saint 

On the Feast of the Assumption, the 
Pope said Mass and held audiences. The 
last group that enjoyed the privilege of 
visiting him, even as that which he had 
received on the occasion of the first audi-
ence, was composed of his "dear Ameri-
cans." On the morning of the 19th he 
became seriously ill, and it was an-
nounced that he was dying. He quietly 
remarked, "May God's will be done; I 
think it is the end. Perhaps in His good-
ness He wishes to spare me the horrors 
Europe will undergo." Pneumonia now 
set in. Surrounded by a few Cardinals 
and members of his family, Pius X re-
ceived the Last Sacraments. The by-
standers heard him say, "I am in the 
hands of God. I resign myself com-
pletely." He answered the prayers for 
the dying, his voice growing weaker. 

The hours of the afternoon wore on into 
the night. The Pope could not speak, but 
he recognized those who approached 
him, received the clasp of their hands 
with an answering pressure, raised his 
own to bless them, and from time to time 
made slowly on his brow and breast a 
long sign of the Cross. The great bell of 
St. Peter's boomed, notifying Rome that 
the Holy Father was dying. The churches 
of Rome began to fill with people raising 
their voices in prayer for the great White 

39 



Shepherd who was leaving the flock he 
lov~d so dearly. 

At I : 15 on the morning of August 20th, 
in the profoundest peace and calm, the 
Holy Father passed away. His last words 
were: "Together in one - all things in 
Christ." Grief over a world tragedy that 
he was helpless to avert brought death 
to the sorrowing heart of Pius X. The Pon-
tiff's will was read. It began: "I was born 
poor, I lived poor, I die poor." It made 
a few simple bequests. 

On August 22 the body of Pius X was 
buried in the crypt of St. Peter's as he 
had wished. At the request of the family 
the ceremonies were simple. A few 
candles gave a dim light to the great 
church. The procession started at the 
Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament and 
was met by Cardinal Merry del Val. As 
it made its way through the basilica, the 
Sistine choir sang Palestrina's Miserere. 
When it reached the tomb, the coffin was 
enclosed within a casket of lead. This 
was enclosed within an oaken coffin to 
which Cardinal Merry del Val affixed the 
seal of state. He then kissed the coffin 
and chanted the Amen to the Miserere . 
Silently everyone withdrew, mourning 
the passing of a saint. 

Pius X lies, with so many other saintly 
Popes, near the tomb of St. Peter, the first 
great Bishop of Rome, who, like himself, 
was a man of humble birth and of great 
heart. Each devoted soul who comes to 
his tomb to pray reads its inscription: 

40 



POPE PIUS X 

Po.or and humble of heart 
undaunted champion of the Catholic Faith 

zealous to restore all things in Christ 
crowned a holy life with a holy death 

20th of August, A.D. 1914 

There the rich and powerful, as well 
as the poor and friendless, come to ask. 
through the intercession of "n Santo," 
the Saint, for graces great and small, and 
they never ask in vain! 

Saint Pius X 

In May, 1944, the triple coffin of Pius X 
was opened in the presence of the prelates 
composing the tribunal of the Apostolic 
Process of Beatification. The Pope, at his 
own express command, had not been 
embalmed; yet his body was found per-
fectly preserved. 

Always there were heaped at the base 
of the tomb little wreaths and bouquets, 
fresh every morning. Calloused hands 
laid them there. There was nothing of 
glory about the crypt, but the faces of the 
pilgrims praying there had a sort of radi-
ance while their eyes were turned on the 
stones of the vault that housed the body 
of Pius X. 

Higher than the bouquets of flowers 
piled about the simple tomb were the 
growing sheaves of unsolicited testimony 
of Giuseppe Sarto's healing powers. The 
lame and the blind came forward to tell 
their stories. A workman with paralyzed 
arms, a young Irish girl. her neck and 
head covered with sores, a distinguished 

41 



German who had lost his sight, a blind 
infant in the arms of its mother - all 
these and many others had been cured 
insta ntly at the moment when the hand 
of Pius traced the cross of blessing above 
them during public audiences. 

The cases of healing performed at a 
distance were more numerous and equal-
ly extraordinary. Sometimes the cures 
were brought about by the application of 
an article of clothing that had been worn 
by the Pope; in other cases, by the words 
or actions of the Pope. 

From every corner of the world, short-
ly after the death of Pius X, a spontane-
ous flow of letters began to pour in upon 
his successors. They told the touching 
story of innumerable spiritual and tem-
poral favors obtained through the inter-
cession of Giuseppe Sarto, and they 
asked, with respect and love, for his can-
onization. The Pope's childlike simplicity 
and depth of understanding endeared 
him to people in all walks of life. 

During his lifetime Pope Pius X was 
often spoken of as a saint. Immediately 
after his death the cause of his beatifica-
tion was agitated. The progress of the 
cause toward canonization, which often 
takes centuries, in his case took only 
years. He was declared Venerable in 
1950. 

On the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, 
February 11, 1951, Pope Pius XII ordered 
the reading and promulgation of the 
decrees approving the miracles, wrought 
through the intercession of Pope Pius X. 
Among the many miracles offered for 

42 



consideration, the two accepted by the 
Sacred Congregation of Rites are the 
cures of two nuns. 

Sister Mary Francesca Deperras, a 
French nun, afflicted at 69 years of age 
with a bong cancer in the left thigh, was 
treated from September to November, 
1928. Two doctors, convinced of the hope-
lessness of the case, gave up treatment. 
Then a relic of Pope Pius X was applied 
to the patient. Prayers were offered by 
her community. On December 7th of that 
year Sister Francesca was completely 
healthy, and all signs of the disease had 
disappeared. Eight years later two medi-
cal specialists, following an examination, 
attested to the permanence of the cure. 

Sister Benedetta, an Italian nun, was 
afflicted with a malignant abdominal 
tumor in September, 1936. She refused 
the aid of surgery. On February 24, 1938, 
the Sisters applied a relic of Pope Pius X 
to the sufferer accompanied by fervent 
prayers. During the nights of February 
26th and 27th Sister Benedetta rested 
comfortably. The following morning she 
went to chapel and remained on her 
knees in prayer for forty-five minutes. 
After that she resumed her regular duties 
as portress. In November, 1945, and 
again in 1950 a medical examination by 
skilled doctors confirmed the complete-
ness of the cure. 

In June, 1951. just thirty-seven years 
after the death of Pius X, pilgrims of the 
world journeyed to Rome. The process 
of inquiry was over. Every small act of 
the Pope's life had been sifted and 

43 



weighed. Volumes of testimony had 
been slowly assembled, after the formal 
process of beatification was begun in 
1923. Giuseppe Sarto was beatified on 
June 8, 1951. A great cry of triumph 
echoed throughout St. Peter's when the 
Archpriest of St. Peter's unveiled the 
silver and crystal urn in which the un-
corrupted body of Pius X had been 
placed. The lowly son of Riese, who had 
asked nothing for himself and given all, 
had walked into the immortality of those 
who are raised to the altars of the 
Church. The last Pope to be beatified was 
Pius V, in 1672. Forty years later he was 
canonized as Saint Pius V. 

On May 29, 1954, amid the jubilation of 
the whole Catholic world, Pius X was 
canonized by Pope Pius XII. Now he is 
to be invoked as a saint not for all the 
things he accomplished, but because he 
lived Christ's teaching to a heroic degree 
and because his virtues are to be imi-
tated. Numberless miracles and favors 
granted through his prayers aU est to the 
world the sanctity of his life and the 
power of his intercession at the throne of 
God. 

44 



PART II 

V ARlO US PRAYERS 

For One's Family 
Saint Pius, loving Shepherd of the flock 

of Christ and zealous defender of the 
Christian family, to your fatherly protec-
tion I commend our family, our house-
hold and all that belongs to us. We en-
trust all to your love and keeping. 
Through your prayers, fill our home with 
the blessings that filled the holy home 
of Nazareth. 

It was the aim of your pontificate to 
restore all things in Christ. Pray that 
Jesus and Mary may reign over us. Help 
each one of us to obey God's holy Laws 
and to love God and our neighbor sin-
cerely, as you did. Preserve us and our 
home from all misfortunes, especially 
from sin. Grant that we may ever be 
resigned to God's holy will in any cross 
or sorrow which He may permit to come 
to us. 

Saint Pius, our loving Father, through 
your prayers obtain for us the grace to 
live in perfect charity and peace. May 
everyone of us deserve by a holy life 
the comfort of God's holy Sacraments at 
the hour of death so that we may be re-
united as a family in heaven. Amen. 

o Lord, we pray you to visit this home 
and drive far from it all snares of the 
enemy. Let Your holy Angels dwell in it 
to preserve us in peace; and let Your 
blessing be always upon us. Through 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 5 years. (62)* 

45 



For an Increase of Frequent 
Communion 

(According to the ideal of Saint Pius X) 

Sweetest Jesus, You came into the 
world to give all souls the life of Your 
grace and to preserve and nourish it in 
them. You wanted to be at the same time 
the daily cure of their daily infirmities 
and their daily nourishment. We humbly 
beg of You, by Your Heart all on fire with 
love for us, to pour forth upon them all 
Your Divine Spirit so that those who are 
unhappily in mortal sin may turn to You 
and regain the life of grace which they 
have lost, and those who, through Your 
grace are already living this divine life, 
may approach Your holy table daily, if 
they can, and there receive the remedy 
for their daily venial sins by means of 
daily Communion, and each day foster 
within themselves the life of grace. Being 
thus ever more and more purified, may 
they at last reach that eternal life which 
is happiness with You. Amen. 

soo days. (163) 

Litany in honor of Saint Pius X 
(For private use) 

Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, hear us. 
Christ, graciously hear us. 
God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us. 
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, 
God the Holy Ghost, 
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us. 
Saint Pius, pray for us. 
Eager for holiness of life, 

46 



Childlike in humility and simplicity, 
Heroic in self-sacrifice, 
Fervently devoted to the Mass, 
Model of the interior life, 
Loyal disciple of the Divine Master, 
Loving child of Our Lady, 
Master of Theology and the Scriptures, 
Gifted with sacred eloquence, 
Patron of priests and seminarians, 
Christ-like lover of souls, 
Ideal of the priestly life, 
Lover of children, 
Support of family life, 
Beloved of the people, 
Tireless in works of charity, 
Gentle friend of the poor, 
Compassionate toward those in need, 
Tender toward those in suffering, 
Healer of the sick, 
Zealous to restore all things in Christ, 
Apostle of Frequent Communion, 
Pope of the Eucharist. 
Devoted to the spiritual and social 

welfare of mankind, 
Pope of Catholic Action, 
Martyr of peace, 
Apostolic promoter of religiOUS instruction, 
Illustrious Head of the Church of Christ, 
Fearless defender of God's truth, 
Servant of the servants of God, 
Wise Shepherd of the flock of Christ, 
That we may learn to know and love 

Christ our Savior, 
That we may be protected from sin and 

the spirit of the world, 
That we may ever follow the teaching 

and example of your life, 
That we may love Holy Mass as the 

center of our holy religion, 
47 



That we may receive Holy Communion 
frequently for the sanctification of 
of our souls, 

That we may be devoted children of 
the Church, 

That we may be zealous in spreading the 
Catholic Truth, -

That we may be preserved from the 
horrors of war, 

That nations may be restored to true 
brotherhood with justice and 
freedom for all, 

That the Church may enjoy true peace 
and security for the glory of God 
and the salvation of souls. 

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins 
of the world, spare us, a Lord. 

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins 
of the world, graciously hear us, 
a Lord. 

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins 
of the world, have mercy on us. 

V. Pray for us, Saint Pius. 
"ij. That we may be made worthy of 

the promises of Christ. 

Let Us Pray 
a God, Who raised up blessed Pius X 

to be the Chief Shepherd of Thy flock and 
specially endowed him with devotion to 
the Holy Eucharist, zeal for Thy divine 
truths, and love of Thy liturgy, grant, we 
beseech Thee, that we who venerate his 
memory o~ earth, may enjoy his power-
ful intercession in heaven. Through 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Imprimi Potest. Robert C. Hunter, S.V.D., Prov., Girard, Pa. 

Nihil Obstat. A. H. Wiersbinski, LL.D., Censor librorum 

Imprimatur 
John M. Gannon, D.O., D.C.L., LL.D., Archbishop-B ishop of Erie 





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