April 30, 1998
Thursday, April 30:
Thursday in the Third Week of Easter and
Feast of Saint Pius V, Pope & Religious
First Reading: Acts 8: 26-40
Psalms: Psalm 66: 1, 8-9, 16-17, 20
Gospel Reading: John 6: 44-51
SAINT PIUS V, POPE & RELIGIOUS
A Dominican who followed in the tradition of St. Catherine of Siena nearly two centuries later was
Cardinal Michael Ghislieri who went on to become the great Pope Saint Pius V. Another of the great saints who God rose up in the "Century of Saints," Pius V was one of the most influential in Church history as he brought about renewal in the Church, carrying out many of the reforms that would reinstate the holiness
and status of Holy Mother Church. Amidst the ruin of the Protestant Reformation, the corruption within the
Church, and the threat of Turkish invasion, Pius carried out the teachings of the Council of Trent which
had begun in 1545. The fruits of Trent are still evident today for Pius ordered the founding of seminaries
for the training of priests, published a new Missal, Breviary, Catechism and initiated the Confraternity of
Christian Doctrine (CCD) for the youth to learn the faith. In addition, he established the Tridentine Mass
which he proclaimed would be said "in perpetuity." His devotion to the Rosary and spreading the power of
Our Lady's special weapon, proved victorious when he summoned all Catholics to throw themselves
upon the Mercy of God and pray the Holy Rosary in begging God to save the Church from the Turks. On
October 7, 1571 against unsurmountable odds, the Christian forces were miraculously victorious over the
Turks in the Gulf of Lepanto off of Greece. The tremendous power of the Rosary was made manifest and
that date became the official feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Pius died in 1572.
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So much has been said about this very special, holy, pure and quiet saint...and yet, so little is really
known about Saint Joseph. No one can pinpoint the exact year he died, but we do know he died a happy, peaceful death richly deserved because of his obedience to the Will of God in being the earthly guardian
of God's Own Son and the Immaculate Mother He chose to fulfill the Act of Redemption. Saint Joseph is
the saint most often invoked for the grace of a happy death and the assurance that Jesus is spiritually
present at that time with every dying soul. While Mary was the heart of the Holy Family, Joseph was the
head, yet always submitting to a higher Power in all things...from accepting Mary's virgin birth as truly from
God to rallying the family in the cold of the night to flee from Herod's wrath into a land he knew nothing
about, only that God would not abandon him nor those he was charged to watch over. Every virtue can be
attributed to this saint who bridged the Old Law, born into the royal family of David's lineage, and the New Law and guided to maturity Jesus Christ, our Savior. Because of his role in protecting the Holy Family he has been designated Protector of Holy Mother Church as well. He is the patron saint of workers for he
lifted the work ethics to a new level and taught these values to the Son of God.