Feast of Pope St Pius X

To restore all things in Christ

The holy Pope was a Franciscan tertiary.

Francis, go and rebuild My Church

One day in January of 1206 A.D. St. Francis paid a visit to San Damiano, a decrepit church on the outskirts of Assisi. There he knelt in prayer before an ancient icon depicting Christ Crucified, with Our Lady and St. John standing beneath His right arm. 1 Suddenly a voice came forth from the icon and said, "Francis, go and rebuild My Church, which as you can see, is falling into ruin." Afterwards, St. Francis resolved to obey Our Lord and set quickly to work repairing that old church.

In the three years that followed St. Francis went on to repair two other churches: San Pietro della Spina, in the countryside south of Assisi, and Santa Maria degli Angeli, also known as the Portiuncula, in the plain below the town. During this time St. Francis lived the life of a hermit.

And from Pascendi

And let it be clearly understood above all things that the scholastic philosophy We prescribe is that which the Angelic Doctor (St Thomas Aquinas) has bequeathed to us, and We, therefore, declare that all the ordinances of Our Predecessor (Pope Leo XIII) on this subject continue fully in force, and, as far as may be necessary, We do decree anew, and confirm, and ordain that they be by all strictly observed. In seminaries where they may have been neglected let the Bishops impose them and require their observance, and let this apply also to the Superiors of religious institutions. Further let Professors remember that they cannot set St. Thomas aside, especially in metaphysical questions, without grave detriment.

From a biography of St Thomas. On December 6, 1273, Thomas was still hard at work on the Summa. But after that day’s morning Mass, despite repeated urgings, he never took up his pen again. Only to Reginald, his secretary and closet friend, did Thomas eventually reveal what had happened. The story came out thirty years later, on Reginald’s deathbed.

While celebrating that Mass, Thomas told Reginald, he had a vision of the crucified Christ, who spoke to him: “You have written well of me, Thomas. What would you ask! of me?” To which Thomas could only reply, “Nothing else but you, Lord.”

This book has the modest aim of explaining why Modernism is the most dangerous of all heresies and the steps taken by St Pius X to suppress it The author rarely refers to the contemporary Church and yet on page after page the reader will cry out But this is ...