Intentions of the Holy Father for April

Ecology and Justice. That governments may foster the protection of creation and the just distribution of natural resources.
Hope for the Sick. That the Risen Lord may fill with hope the hearts of those who are being tested by pain and sickness.

To Restore All Things in Christ

Pope St. Pius X (24 August)

The son of a postman and a housewife, Giovanni Sarto was a man well ahead of his time and who knew the needs not only of his time, but of ours as well. As a young priest, he dutifully attended to his pastor as well as most of his pastor's responsibilities, as the senior cleric was very elderly and ailing. As a young bishop of a diocese in decay, Bishop Giovanni worked zealously to repair the seminary, to reform his clergy with a gentle and strong heart, and to be a model of priestly zeal himself. Even as bishop, he made a point of sitting long hours in the confessional, travelling around his diocese tirelessly to teach the Gospel, and to ensure that students of public schools were able to receive Catholic formation. He became known as a lucid, vocal, and persistent pamphleteer. When he was created a Cardinal and named the Patriarch of Venice, he continued these initiatives. He also used his new influence to support Pope Leo XIII's promotion of the use of St. Thomas Aquinas' clear-eyed philosophy in seminaries. He eagerly promoted proper liturgical reform: priests speaking audibly at Mass, the use of Missals to aid the people in following the liturgy, the training of parishioners in simple Gregorian Chants so that they could sing along with the choir were all ideas dear to his heart.

His most notable reform initiatives came after being elected Pope Pius X. He promoted an earlier reception of Holy Communion - as soon after the age of reason (7 years of age) as possible. He continued his work to ensure that not only the philosophy and theology taught in seminaries be sound, but also that the men graduating for ordination had received adequate pastoral formation to start ministry as parish priests. A series of encyclicals and motu proprios enumerated errors under the category of Modernism, and noting their increasing presence among clergy, insisted that all clergy take an oath forswearing them. He established the Pontifical Biblical Institute to encourage and oversee study of Sacred Scripture that would be both historically sound and theologically orthodox. He intitiated the reform of Canon Law into a succint single, coherent volume - a work completed after his death.

Charity was chief on his list of concerns, and when natural disasters struck, he would rally the support of the worldwide Church to send funds for victims' relief. Socially engaged in works such as rural not-for-profit banks to help farmers, Pius X was very careful to avoid commitment to any particular political party; he insisted that his clergy refrain from such involvement. He was also eager to see faithful lay Christians taking the reigns on social activities, prefering that clergy refrain from such activities so that they could focus on ministering to their flocks. At the same time, he did a great deal to prevent the government of France from harming the Church there, and to stabilize and improve relations with the government of Italy.

In all this, Pope St. Pius X was known throughout his life as an increasingly diligent, gentle, and prayerful man dedicated to the wellbeing of others and the worship of God.

Pope St. Pius X was a man of great foresight. Our times witness great need for clarity in Church-State relations; need for clarity in Clergy-Laity roles within the Church and the world; need for genuine liturgical renewal; need for improved formation of priests and the lay faithful and expanded outreach to the unevangelized world; immense need for useful social engagement by Christians; and a real need for wealthy Christians to support the needs of the worldwide Church. In all these needs, Pope St. Pius X was not only diligent, but a frontrunner.

Pope St. Pius X, help us, like you, to restore all things in Christ.

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