Saint Pius X / Today, 21 August we celebrate the Companion of Venice
Saint Pius X is celebrated on August 21, the day following that of his death, the feast in memory of St. Pius X was announced, from which numerous parishes throughout Italy from north to south take their name. On this occasion, holy commemorative masses, processions and celebrations are celebrated with the statue of St. Pius X in memory of his long and holy journey inside the Catholic church. At one of these commemorative masses, held inside St. Peter’s Basilica where his body is also kept, Pope Francis also privately attended, sitting on the benches to pray like any other faithful.
Saint Pius X is patron of the priestly fraternity and also a companion of the city of Venice, in memory of the years in which he was its patriarch. Formed in the eighth century BC, Venice is an Italian town of great artistic heritage and due to its particularity it is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Its territory is divided into an isolated part and a mainland and is appreciated for the poetic and almost surreal settings generated by the buildings built on the water, and for the boats that plow the canals in the middle of the city. The coat of arms is characterized by a golden lion on a blue background holding an open book between its paws on which the inscription: PAX TIBI MARCE is engraved. There are many historical and religious monuments that the city hosts and among these there are the Doge’s Palace, the Basilica of San Marco and the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute.
Saint Pius X, the life of the Blessed
In Latin Pius PP. X, Saint Pius X was the 257th bishop of Rome as well as holy Pope of the Catholic Church starting from the year 1903 and until the date of his death. He is the first pope of the contemporary age to have humble and peasant origins. His first name was Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, he was born in 1835 in the province of Treviso to Giovanni Battista and Margherita Sanson and from an early age he proved to be very tenacious, courageous and endowed with great willpower. His was a very poor peasant family, but Giuseppe humbly accepted all the sacrifices imposed by his condition, so much so that he often moved barefoot to get to the school where he carried out his first studies. He became a priest in 1858 by order of the same Bishop of Treviso, then chaplain of the parish of Tombolo for the duration of 9 years. He was later promoted to defend the practice of the sacraments, always courageously singing the Catholic liturgy.
In 1884 he continued his journey inside the church, becoming Bishop of Mantua, only to be later elected Patriarch of Venice. Finally, on the death of Pope Leo XIII he was chosen to replace his office by taking the pontifical name of Pius X and one of the first decisions he made after obtaining the office was the abolition of the lay veto. Throughout his life, Pius X took charge of him with the utmost fidelity and competence and fudicated as a cultured, humble and very compassionate man towards the poor to whom he often gave everything he owned. He died on August 20, 1914, extinguishing in serenity and ending his very high office after eleven years.
The other Saints celebrated today
On August 21, in addition to St. Pius X, the following saints are also venerated: Santi Agatonico, Zotico and companions, Santi Bassa, Theognio, Agapio and Pisto, Santi Bernardo (Hamed), Maria (Zaida) and Grazia (Zoraide) of Alzira, Blessed Brunone Giovanni (Brunon Jan) Zembol, Saint Ciriaca of Rome, Saint Euprepio of Verona, Saint Joseph Dang Dình, Private Saint of Mende, Saint Square of Utica, Blessed Raimondo Peiro Victori, Blessed Salvatore Estrugo Resolve.
The video of the life of Saint Pius X
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