> HONORING ST. PIUS V > > It is said that God raises up saints to aid the age into which they are > born. While there is no doubt that Pope St. Pius V (feastday: May 5) was > a strong leader in the Church at a time She needed it most (at the close > of the Council of Trent), Catholics today still benefit from his wise > guidance and purity of doctrine. Truly St. Pius V is a saint for our > times. > St. Pius V is first known for his deep interior life. At the age of > fifteen, he joined the Dominican Order, blending his zeal for souls with > a well-balanced ascetical life, a mixture that nearly always bears fruit > in those who dedicate themselves to the service of God as a religious. > In 1566, he was elevated to the Chair of St. Peter, and set about > bringing much needed spiritual reform among all those around him. The > worldliness of the papal court was overthrown, and, to better symbolize > his attachment to spiritual matters, he retained the use of his white > religious habit instead of the other garb worn by previous popes. In > this he established the tradition that popes wear white cassocks as a > reminder of the life of sacrifice they must lead. > St. Pius V stood strong against the errors of his time, no matter who > taught them. He held fast against Emperor Maximilian II who requested of > the pope that priests be allowed to marry to facilitate the conversion > of some modern sects. He excommunicated Queen Elizabeth of England, all > the while consoling Mary Stuart in her long imprisonment. The Bull of > Excom-munication brought persecution to Catholics who remained faithful > to Rome, but it also renewed in them a spirit of zeal for the things of > God. > This Holy Father stood strong against the invading Mohammedan forces, > encouraging Catholics to pray the Rosary for victory against the > Church's enemies. History records the victory of the Catholic armies at > the Battle of Lepanto, through the power of the Rosary, on the feast of > the Holy Rosary, October 7. > The duty of compiling a catechism based on the teachings of the > Council of Trent fell on Pope St. Pius V. So thorough was the Roman > Catechism that he produced, that it truly became the model and standard > of teaching for all catechisms to follow in the future. > It is in St. Pius V's restoration and canonization of the Sacred > Liturgy that we find great comfort in our times. Fully aware of his > God-given power of binding and loosing in all spiritual matters, St. > Pius V used it for the salvation and sanctification of souls. He > restored the Sacred Liturgy to the place of prominence it held in the > Church in less worldly times, encouraging processions and public acts of > devotion that always serve to fill the hearts of Catholics with love for > their Holy Faith. > Of great importance to us, this Pope established (or "canonized") the > Roman Missal through the Bull Quo Primum. Even in his time, the spirit > of "liturgical innovation" was quite strong. Abuses in the way Holy Mass > was being offered, abuses which stood to affect the validity of the Mass > itself, were prevalent everywhere. Pope St. Pius not only decried these > abuses, but he made firm (or "canonized") the rites of the Mass to be > observed by the majority of Roman Catholics throughout the world, > stating that this form of the Roman Missal was to be held "in > perpetuity," and that if anyone dared to change this Missal, he would > "incur the wrath of Almighty God, and blessed Peter and Paul, His > Apostles." Until 1962, no one dared violate this sacred instruction. > On May 5, let us pray this prayer of the Mass with extra fervor: > "Make us to be defended by his watchful care and so adhere to Thy > service that, all the contrivances of our enemies being overcome, we may > rejoice in everlasting peace." >

-- aruj (faithfulto@mass of all times.com), May 06, 2003

Answers

Response to St. Pius v

Too bad ... a good think like a biography of a very holy man, St. Pius V, gets turned into a propaganda ploy of a schismatic wanderer.

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), May 06, 2003.

Response to St. Pius v

Too bad......John could be such a good guy, but instead I think he rather enjoys throwing calumnous statements around about people whom he does not even know the first thing.

-- Isabel (joejoe1REMOVE@msn.com), May 06, 2003.

Response to St. Pius v

Too bad, bitter minds just function that way... too bad

-- Ed Richards (loztra@yahoo.com), May 06, 2003.

Response to St. Pius v

Hi, Isabel and Ed R.
When my actions are judged harshly by schismatics (such as yourselves), I know that I must be doing something right. Thanks (ironically).
JFG

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), May 07, 2003.

St .Pius the 5'th is needed to-day to crush the masonic B'nai Brith Talmaudic blasphemies & their plan to herald in communisim &bring in the Zionist King who we call the Anti- christ Execelent prayer. iF You have any imprimatured longer prayer please send it to me on e-mail J.M.J. pray for us st pius pray for us. Allan

-- Allan Simoes (alsimoes2004@yahoo.com), December 07, 2003.