St. Pius X (2026)

By Fr. Conor Donnelly

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In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. My Lord and my God, I firmly believe that you are here, that you see me, that you hear me. I adore you with profound reverence. I ask your pardon for my sins, and grace to make this time of prayer fruitful. My immaculate mother, Saint Joseph, my father and lord, my guardian angel, intercede for me.

Saint Pius the Tenth was born in 1835 in the small town of Riese in northern Italy. As a child, he experienced the privations of a large and poor family of ten children. His father was the mayor of the community. He excelled in continuous service to the Church, firstly as a parish priest, then as Archbishop of Venice, and finally as the Roman Pontiff.

He exercised holy intransigence in keeping the faith pure from doctrinal error. He reformed the sacred liturgy and promoted the custom of the frequent reception of Holy Communion. The motto of his pontificate was to restore all things in Christ. He died on August 20, 1914. We’re told in the entrance antiphon that the Lord sealed a covenant of peace with him and made him a prince, bestowing the priestly dignity upon him forever.

The years of the pontificate of Pius the Tenth were particularly difficult due to the internal upheavals and transformations in many nations and the consequent serious impact that they had on the Christian faithful. Fundamentally, the gale force winds that tore through the Church at this time were ideological and doctrinal in nature. One writer says attempts to reconcile the faith with a philosophy whose principles were diametrically opposed to it brought numerous widely diffused errors in its wake.

These ideologies attacked the very foundations of Catholic doctrine and led directly to its denial. Saint Pius the Tenth made the motto of his pontificate a reality: to restore all things in Christ through his deep concern to stem the tide of the many evils that threatened the faithful. He frequently insisted on the damage that ignorance of the faith produces. He used to say it is useless to expect a person without formation to fulfill his Christian duties. Time and again, he pointed out the need to teach the catechism.

From his uneasiness concerning the lack of Christian formation, there was produced the catechism of Saint Pius the Tenth, which has done an enormous good in the Church. His vehement desire to give doctrine in a world starving for the want of it is reflected throughout his entire magisterium. Even as pope, he didn’t want to abandon the teaching of the catechism, the traditional means of disseminating good doctrine.

Until 1911, he customarily taught it in the courtyard of Saint Damasus in the Vatican. On Sundays, he used to invite the faithful from a Roman parish to celebrate Mass with him. John Paul has written, many of the errors Saint Pius the Tenth fought against are uncritically accepted in our own day. In countries evangelized almost twenty centuries ago, great numbers of people are ignorant of the most elementary truths of the faith. Many are defenseless, and with the complicity of their own passions, allow themselves to be taken in by the erroneous opinions of a few.

The call of Saint Pius the Tenth to conserve and spread good doctrine is still a fully current and vital issue. In the encyclical, The Mission of the Redeemer, of John Paul the Second, he says, in whatever way possible, it is especially urgent to make known the teachings of the Church on the meaning of life, on the end of man and his eternal destiny, on marriage, on generosity in the number of children, and the right and duty of parents to choose the education their children receive, on the social doctrine of the Church, on love for the Pope and his teachings, and on the evil of abortion. We should do all we can to form catechists, the diffusion of good books, daily conversations concerning faith and morals.

Moreover, we never forget, as Pope John Paul the Second reminds us, that faith is strengthened by sharing it. Saint Pius the Tenth stands out for the great firmness in confronting an adverse environment. At the same time, he was profoundly humble and simple. In the first reading of today’s Mass, the words of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians are quoted. The Pontiff himself could have written them: “We had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the face of great opposition” (1 Thess. 2:2). Nevertheless, like Saint Paul, Saint Pius the Tenth remained serene, cheerful, and in good humor in the midst of difficulties, since his life was strongly rooted in prayer.

One writer says a soldier of the Swiss Guard recalled how one night it was his turn to be on guard duty on the patio outside the Pope’s bedroom. With lance on shoulder, he paced from one side of the esplanade to the other. His steps resounded on the stone pavement. At some time during the night, the window opened and the Pope appeared. “My son, what are you doing there?” The young man explained his job as best he could. Saint Pius the Tenth, benevolent, recommended, “Better yet, go and rest, then both of us can get some sleep.”

The Pope was renowned for performing miracles. One day, his former parishioners went to the Vatican to pay him a visit. With their customary simplicity and confidence, devoid of tact, they asked him, “Father Beppo,” as they used to call him when he was still a parish priest, “is it true that you can work miracles?” And the Pope, with simplicity and good humor, responded, “Look here, in the Vatican you have to turn your hand to a bit of everything.”

A Brazilian bishop, hearing of the Pontiff’s great reputation for sanctity, went to Rome during the first month of 1914 to implore the cure of his mother, then very ill with leprosy. Confronted with his persistence, the Pontiff exhorted him to beseech Our Lady and some other saint, but the insistent bishop begged him, “At least respect the words of Our Lord to the leper: ‘I so desire, be cleansed’” (cf. Matt. 8:3). And the Pope, condescending with a smile, repeated: “Volo, mundare. I so desire, be cleansed.” And when the bishop returned to his country, he found his mother cured of the disease.

Amidst the great responsibilities and harsh events that bore down on Pope Pius the Tenth, Our Lord granted him the grace not to lose his simplicity and good humor. For us who have taken our faith in the middle of the world seriously, we can ask today Our Lord for these two human virtues through the intercession of the Holy Pontiff. They will help us to keep up our awareness of our divine filiation and to be serene and cheerful no matter what the difficulty.

Saint Pius the Tenth loved and served the Church with great fidelity. From the beginning of his pontificate, he effected a series of far-reaching reforms. In a particular way, he gave special attention to priests, from whom he expected everything. He often said in different ways that the sanctity of the Christian people depends in large measure on the holiness of their priests. On the fiftieth anniversary of his own ordination, he dedicated an exhortation to all clerics entitled On the Kind of Priest the Church Needs. Above all, he asked for saintly priests, entirely given to their work for souls.

Many of the problems, needs, and circumstances in evidence during the eleven years of his pontificate are still relevant. Today can therefore be a good occasion to examine the quality of our love for the Church shown with deeds. In the midst of temporal cares, says John Paul the Second, do we have a consciousness of being members of the Church? Of a personal, irreplaceable, and non-transferable task entrusted to us for the good of all?

In The Way, Saint Josemaría says we all have this need to give good doctrine, taking advantage of every occasion or creating occasions to help others find the way to reconciliation with God through sacramental confession. To pray each day and offer hours of work well finished for the sanctity of priests. To generously help to sustain the Church and all good works. To contribute to the diffusion of magisterial teachings, principally in matters that refer to social justice, public morality, education, and the family.

What joy to be able to say with all the fervor of my soul, I love my mother, the Holy Church. With a love hopefully translated each day into specific actions. We can examine our love for the Pope, a love which is for all Christians a delightful passion, since in him we see Christ. We could consider with Our Lord whether we remember to pray every day for the person and intentions of the Roman Pontiff, so that the Lord may watch over, strengthen, and sanctify him here on earth.

At Mass, we pray: O powerful and eternal God, to defend the Catholic faith and to reestablish all things in Christ, you endowed Pope Saint Pius the Tenth with divine wisdom and apostolic fortitude. Grant that we may be docile to his teachings and example and may gain our eternal reward.

Saint Paul said to the Corinthians, “For we must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body” (2 Cor. 5:10). And “everyone to whom much is given, of him much will be required. And of him to whom men commit much, they will demand the more” (Luke 12:48). We have a lot of responsibility for the graces that we have received.

After Our Lord had warned his disciples of the need to be vigilant, Peter asked if this teaching applied to them, as his closest followers, or just to everyone. Our Lord proceeded to emphasize the unpredictability of the time when God will finally call us to give an account of our stewardship. Christ could come in the second watch or in the third, or at any hour. Our Lord answers Peter’s main question by making it clear that his teaching applies to all without exception. God will judge each one of us personally according to our circumstances and according to the graces we have received.

Each of us has a mission to fulfill on this earth. We have to be faithful to this vocation to the end of our lives. We will be judged according to the fruits our efforts have borne. Saint Paul explained this idea to the early Christians in a very simple way. “We must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil according to what he has done in the body” (2 Cor. 5:10). Our Lord concludes his teaching with that phrase: “Everyone to whom much is given, of him much will be required. And of him to whom men commit much, they will demand the more” (Luke 12:48).

In our prayer today, we could think of how much Our Lord has entrusted to us. An obvious spirit that was present in the life and heart and soul of Saint Pius the Tenth. We can ask how many graces he has conferred on others as a result of our lives. How many people are depending on my own correspondence with grace.

Today’s gospel passage is a clarion call reminding us of our responsibility with regard to our vocation. Each man and woman must serve as soldiers commissioned by God to guard a part of his fortress of the universe. Some soldiers are stationed on the walls, others in the interior of the castle. Everyone needs to be faithful to his duty and assignment. No one can abandon their post. If this were to happen, then the fortress would be exposed to the assaults of hell. A responsible Christian cannot allow his dedication to be diminished through a false sense of humility.

While the believer is generally reassured by the knowledge of God’s almighty power, he could become unduly discouraged at the evidence of the weakness of human nature. Yet God will repeatedly grant the grace to make even defeat turn into victory. God will never give up on us. In The Way, we’re told: among those around you, apostolic soul, you are the stone fallen into the lake. With your word and your example, produce a first ripple, and it will produce another, then another, and another each time wider. Now do you understand the greatness of your mission?

Our ability to respond to God is a sign of our human dignity. St. Thomas Aquinas says only a free agent can choose to be responsible and choose to do what conforms to the will of God and to his own perfection. For the Christian living in the middle of the world, he or she must choose to act responsibly in daily work. Work should be ordered to the glory of God, to the service of society, to the fulfillment of family obligations. It also provides a vital area for personal apostolate.

Pope John Paul the First once spoke of the obligations of teachers. He said Italian teachers have behind them classic examples of exemplary attachment and dedication to the school. A particular professor was a professor at Bologna University. He went to Florence to attend certain celebrations. One evening he was taking leave of the Minister of Education. “No,” the Minister said, “stay tomorrow too, I command your Excellency.” He says, “Tomorrow I have a lecture at the university and the students are waiting for me.” “I dispense you,” said the minister. “You may dispense me,” he said, “but I don’t.”

Professor Carducci had really a high sense both of the school and of his pupils. He was of the race of those who say to teach John Latin, it’s not enough to know Latin. One must also know and love John. And again, the value of the lesson depends on the preparation. This was a man, he says, deeply in love with his work. How many times we ought to say to ourselves, I don’t dispense myself. Even when the circumstances may offer us a way out.

A Christian with this sense of responsibility will endeavor to study as well as he possibly can and then perform to high standards in his place of work. These are the sort of ideals and virtues that drove Saint Pius the Tenth to be the saint that he was. This approach to work will yield as a bonus the valuable asset of professional prestige. The goal holds true for all kinds of professions. For the mother of a family, for the university professor, for the office worker, for the businessman.

Whenever your will weakens in your ordinary work, we could recall the thoughts mentioned in The Furrow, where Saint Josemaría says, study, work, is an essential part of my way. If I were discredited professionally as a consequence of my laziness, it would make my work as a Christian useless or impossible. To attract and help others, I need the influence of my professional reputation, and that is what God wants. Never doubt that if you abandon your task, you are going away from God’s plans and leading others away from him.

“Everyone to whom much is given, of him much will be required” (Luke 12:48). We can ask Saint Pius the Tenth for a great sense of responsibility in the apostolate of doctrine. We could think of the countless graces we’ve received during our life, all our education, all our formation. Many of these graces we’re familiar with, but many, many others are unknown to us. Each of us has our hands full of graces, happiness, friendships, small but continual acts of service done for our benefit. We could talk to Our Lord today on the question of whether our life is a generous response to all the good things that God has granted us.

In the parable we read in the gospel today, Our Lord speaks of an irresponsible servant. He excuses his bad behavior with the explanation that my master is delayed in coming. But the Lord for us has already arrived. He is in our midst every single day. We should look to him as a son in the presence of his father, as a friend who stands facing his gracious friend. And when sooner or later we are called to give an account of our stewardship in this life, we will see our friend’s smile. We’ll join that long line of those who are drawing near to him. We’ll understand that our actions were like a stone fallen into the lake. Our dedication to our daily duties, to prayer and apostolate, all have a wonderful and incalculable impact on our surroundings.

Our Lord says to his disciples, “Truly, truly I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do. And greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father” (John 14:12). Saint Augustine comments, “He who believes in me will not be greater than I am. Rather, I will do great things through him. I will do even more by means of those who believe in me than I am doing now by myself.” We could think of the marvels that Our Lord has worked through the medium of our lives when we have let him. His greatest works consist in giving divine life to men through the action of the Holy Spirit. Then they will realize their adoption as children of God.

Jesus said, “I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). But the departure of Jesus does not interrupt the salvation of the world. It actually serves to ensure the growth and expansion of the Church. It doesn’t lead to separation from his disciples, but to a different kind of presence among them. Their unity with Christ, glorified, enables the disciples to do the kind of great works that reunite all men with the Father. Jesus counts on us to help him complete his work. He works through us if we will only let him do so.

Similarly, when God was to come to earth for the first time, he sent to seek permission of Mary, a creature like us. Mary believed, says Chiara Lubich, she gave her complete assent to the plans of the Father. And what was the fruit of her faith? Through her ‘yes,’ the Word was made flesh in her womb. She therefore made possible the salvation of all mankind.

The Pope is the Vicar of Christ. He’s the good shepherd. He’s the sweet Christ on earth. Along with showing him love and respect, we also pray for the one who takes Christ’s place on earth. Saint Josemaría says love for the Roman Pontiff must be in us a beautiful passion, for in him we see Christ. So we won’t fall into the all-too-easy temptation of setting one Pope against another, having confidence only in those whose actions respond to our personal feelings. We’re not among those who nostalgically look back to a former Pope or look forward to one in the future, who will eventually dispense us from obeying the present one.

If you read the liturgical text for the coronation of Pontiffs, you’ll notice that nowhere is there a reference to a conferral of powers proportionate to the dignity of the person elected by the conclave. Christ gives these powers directly to Peter’s successor. Therefore, in speaking of the Roman Pontiff, exclude from our vocabulary any expressions derived from parliamentary assemblies or the polemics of newspapers. Let it not be said that people not of our faith should be the ones who explain the prestige of the head of Christendom in the world to us. And there would be no true love and respect for the Pope without faithful and internal and external obedience to his teaching and doctrine.

Good children listen with profound respect to even the simplest advice of their common father and try sincerely to put it into practice. In the Pope we should try to see somebody who is in Christ’s place in the world, the sweet Christ on earth, as Saint Catherine of Siena used to say, loving and listening to him because his voice is the truth. Joyfully I bless you, we’re told in The Way, for that faith in your mission as an apostle which inspired you to write, “There’s no doubt about it, the future is certain, perhaps in spite of us.” But it is essential that we should be one with the head, that all may be one, through prayer and sacrifice.

We can use today’s feast day to pray for the intentions of the Holy Father, trying to listen carefully to what he says to us, to read the documents that he produces and circulates for the good of the Church, so that we might be truly very holy and united children of the sweet Vicar of Christ on earth. Saint Pius the Tenth, pray for us.

I thank you, my God, for the good resolutions, affections, and inspirations that you have communicated to me during this meditation. I ask your help to put them into practice. My immaculate mother, Saint Joseph, my father and lord, my guardian angel, intercede for me. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

EW