Leo XIII made the Church credible in the eyes of the world. He showed mastery in international diplomacy, and was respected-even admired-by liberal rulers around the world. But at the end of his long pontificate, it was felt by many that the Church needed a more spiritual focus... above all, led by the example and preaching of the pope himself. There was desire for an evangelical pope, a pope who would be a living saint and forceful preacher of the Gospel. Such was what the Holy Spirit gave to the Church when Giuseppe Sarto was elected to the Chair of Peter in 1903 as the 258th Vicar of Christ.

And so, who was this man? Unlike any popes in recent memory before him, Giuseppe was a peasant from a poor family. In fact, he was the first pope not to hail from nobility since Sergius IV in 1009, and even Sergius was from the middle class! No one ever would have suspected that this poor, peasant boy, Giuseppe, from a little village in Italy called Riese, would one day sit on the throne of Peter, commanding the universal Church from the Eternal City. As a boy, Giuseppe was influenced by the deep piety of his parents, as well as by the local parish priest, who trained him to be an altar boy. In his village, he was observed to be full of goodness, in a way not common among young boys. He was also the most studious of his classmates. As he matured, he naturally desired to become a priest, and his pastor did everything he could do to promote him thus. Although his family couldn't afford to pay for his education, Divine Providence arranged that he would be one of the few poor seminarians to be sponsored by the Patriarch of Venice, so that he would be able to go on and study for the priesthood.

Once ordained, we find Giuseppe a model priest and pastor. He is solicitous for every member of his flock, especially the poor, the sick, and the troubled. He constantly gives away everything he can to relieve the needy. He visits all his parishioners, often the sick. He makes himself available to all, day and night (whenever he is in the rectory), without scheduling appointments. He constantly brings all his flock before the throne of God in prayer. He spends hours hearing confessions. He puts great effort into preaching, and uniquely at that time, personally and zealously teaches catechism to adults and children every Sunday. (He will do this even as pope, I might add.) He adorns the liturgy with beauty and reverence, so as to draw his flock into the Inner Mysteries. In every way he can, he preaches conversion, promotes devotion, and encourages frequent reception of Holy Communion. He is a pastor after the heart of Jesus, and this is the secret to all his success.

Although he doesn't think highly of himself and has no ambitions, such work and solicitude doesn't go unnoticed. Each step of the way, those over him see that he has been faithful over a little, and they want to put him over something greater. Despite his protests, after being a curate, he is first made pastor of the church in Salzano, then canon and chancellor in Treviso. The pope then insists that he accept the office of bishop of Mantua. From there, he is made a Cardinal and the Patriarch of Venice. At each step, although he feels himself unworthy, he zealously devotes himself to each task, and the Holy Spirit blesses his work. Finally, in 1903, when Leo XIII dies, the Cardinals, much to his chagrin, see in him the man that the Holy Spirit wants to lead the Church. They insist that he accept the office of the papacy until he finally breaks down and gives up his resistance. He takes the name "Pius," since-he explains-it was the popes named Pius who suffered most for the Church in modern times.

As pope, the motto and all-encompassing aim of his pontificate will be "to restore all things in Christ." To this end, he promotes devout and frequent reception of the Eucharist and lowers the age for First Communion. He commissions the famous Gaspari to accomplish the momentous task of streamlining, overhauling, and organizing all universal Church Law into what will become the 1917 Code of Canon Law. He works on bringing reform to the clergy and to seminaries. He founds the Pontifical Biblical Institute. He introduces a reform of sacred music, especially promoting Gregorian Chant. He boldly defends the Church's rights against liberal governments.

Above all, he tenaciously goes on the offensive against what he will call "Modernism," as seen in his encyclical, Pascendi. He knows that ideas have consequences, and that bad ideas can be more dangerous for society and the Church than swords or guns. And so, like a faithful watchman, he spots dangers from afar... the dangers of rationalism, immanentism, relativism and many others. He sounds the warning signal. He exposes and uproots them wherever they are found in the Church. He thus guards the flock from danger, especially most vehemently when he sees that the very foundations of the Church's Faith are at stake. Like Christ Himself, Pius X always has the welfare of his flock as his primary concern.

Today, more than ever, the Church needs shepherds like St. Pius X. Let us pray that, inspired by his example, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we might become such men.