Our Patron, Pope Saint Pius V
(1504-1572)
Biographies of saints are often boring. They begin by reciting dates from centuries in the distant past, mapping out lands and places we’ll never travel to, and present litanies of names of unknown persons long since gone to their eternal rest. These biographies manage to squash the vigor that the saints embodied. They make all the excitement of life with Christ bland and tasteless. Such portraits turn the most fascinating men and women of our Christian history into irrelevant museum pieces.
Such is frequently the case with our own great patron. Scholars mention Pope St. Pius V briefly in their lists of Reformation history, and we often pray for his intercession by mentioning his name in the Eucharistic Prayer at Mass. Hardly, though, do we stop to ask ourselves: what of the life of this man? How does the life of St. Pius teach me to live?
First, St. Pius was a man of prayer. Not just any prayer, though. He was a man who loved the liturgy. He loved above all the common prayer of the Christian community. This love led him to institute the reforms of the Council of Trent, to re-shape and “tighten up” the way Mass was celebrated. Further, he wanted to encourage the prayer of priests, so he issued a new breviary. He also spread devotion to the Rosary, encouraging all the faithful to join their hearts in this special prayer. On his feast day, we remember this love of the liturgy by praying that “more fitting worship be offered to you.” In our community then, we should have a special love of the liturgy, thanks to the influence and intercession of our patron.
Second, St. Pius was a man of personal simplicity of life. People accepted more willingly his reforms because they saw him live them. Born a poor shepherd, he lived austerely his entire life. He was known for walking through the papal apartments barefoot, and instead of hosting the customary feasts after his election to the papacy, he cancelled them and gave the money instead to the poor. He often wore his Dominican habit, rather than the elaborate vestments of the pope. The first public act of Pope Francis was to visit the tomb of St. Pius V, signaling this commitment to transparent living and love of the poor. In a special way, our community imitates his solicitude for those in need and by our way of life witnesses to the Gospel.
Finally, St. Pius V was a man who loved Christian doctrine. He served as a professor of theology, prior of several Dominican communities, and as an inquisitor. He loved the law of the Church and knew that fidelity to the teaching of Christ would bring light and joy to the Christian people. To that end, he published the Roman Catechism (which remained essentially unchanged until John Paul II!), encouraged the study of the works of St. Thomas Aquinas, and revised the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible. Our parish too, is a place where study is undertaken, the truth of Christ proclaimed, and knowledge of God loved.
May we be inspired by the life of our patron, Pope St. Pius V, to offer an ever-clearer witness to the Gospel of Christ!
From our Parish Centennial Book - written by Fr. Patrick Mary Briscoe, O.P., former parochial vicar
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to download a free St. Pius V coloring page and bio that is great for kids!