30 April 2013 St Pius V, pope A Dominican, his pontificate was among the most glorious in the 16th century. He enforced decrees of the Council of Trent, published the Roman Catechism; and revised the Missal and Breviary. (Fr James Socias, ‘et al’ [Eds], “Daily Roman Missal”, 1989, p1516) It was during his pontificate that the celebrated victory of Lepanto (1571) was won against the Turks and conferred the title, ‘Mary, Help of Christians’. (Fr Charles Belmonte, “Aba Ginoong Maria”, 1990, p175) As a result of this victory he ordered the feast of the Holy Rosary to be observed on the first Sunday of October. (Rev Hugo Hoever, SOCist, PhD, “Lives of the Saints”, p172) In 1573, Pope Gregory XIII ordered that the same event be solemnized under the title of “Our Lady of Victory”. (Rev Joseph A Viano, SSP, “Two Months with Mary”, 1984, p49) ‘The Pope of the Rosary’ Pius V was born Antonio Ghislieri, and he sat upon the Chair of St Peter from 1566 till 1572. He is especially known as ‘the Pope of the Rosary’ by reason of the impulse he gave through his example and teaching to the spread of this devotion, so dear to the heart of the Christian people ... Dearly beloved, the truest and most sincere wish I can offer you is only this: “Turn yourselves into saints, make yourselves holy soon”, and I repeat the words of St Paul to the Thessalonians: “May the God of peace make you perfect in holiness. May he preserve you whole and entire, spirit, soul, and body irreproachable at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thes 5:23) Let us be glad to live in these times of ours, and let us courageously commit ourselves to the design which Providence is mysteriously accomplishing ... John XXIII said that “the surpassing personage that was St Pius V is linked with great trials that the Church had to bear in times much more difficult than ours.” St Pius teaches us as well to have recourse to Mary Most Holy in our difficulties, for she is our heavenly Mother. She has overcome every error and every heresy. Let us pray to her always especially with the Holy Rosary so that our sole and supreme ideal may ever be the salvation of souls. Ref: Cf “Prayers and Devotions from Pope John Paul II”, 1984, p175 Christian humility This supernatural virtue is unique because it comes from above. It recognizes the difference between Greek ‘eros’ where the human tends upwardly toward the Divine and Christian ‘agape’ where the Divine stoops down toward us. Humility governs our relationship to God and neighbor. The Incarnation struck at the indigence and arrogant pride of our humanity in allowing the God-Man to suffer exile, persecution and death to relieve that poverty. Utterly sinless, Christ showed on Calvary how sinners should live humility. Not a creature as we are, but He submitted to the Will of the Father in everything and became our model of humility. Humility opens us to the grace of God to better resist temptations. The foundation of prayer and the spiritual life, humility facilitates discipleship and imitation of Christ. It is also a natural virtue which opposes pride, arrogance and vanity, the roots of all evil. Humility promotes an upright conscience; leads to prudence, astuteness and thoughtfulness. Ref: “Our Sunday Visitor’s Catholic Encyclopedia”, 1991, 490-91 Christian family customs The homes of the early Christians did not differ outwardly from any other. Parents passed on the Faith to their children who in turn did likewise. Thus, the family became the main ground for nurturing Christian faith and morality. Christian homes being steeped in love were havens of peace amidst errors from without. What parents taught their children came with the naturalness of life itself, and so the family thus fulfilled its mission of education. St John Chrysostom gave the following advice to Christian couples — “Show your wife you appreciate her company a lot and that you prefer to be at home because she is there. Show her a preference even above the children she has given you; love them because of her ... Pray all together ... Learn the fear of God; everything else will flow from this like water from a fountain and your house will be filled with bounty.” (Cf St John Chrysostom, “Twentieth homily, Letter to the Ephesians”) Sometimes responsibility for bringing Christianity into the family falls on a son or daughter: they attract other brothers and sisters to the Faith; then perhaps their parents, who in turn bring the uncles and aunts ... even the godparents end up being involved. Many Christian devotions can be practised in the home: reciting the ‘Rosary’ (indulgenced if prayed in a family group), praying the ‘Angelus’, having pictures and statues of Our Lady, making cribs at Christmas, blessing at meals, etc. They will help make the home always a friendly place, characteristic of a Christian family where people are taught from a very early age to speak to God and his Most Holy Mother with naturalness. Ref: Cf F Fernandez, “In Conversation with God”, 2:439-40 • Our Lady of Nantes, in Brittany. This church, dedicated to the apostles Peter and Paul by Felix Bishop of Nantes, was demolished by the Normans in the year 937; and rebuilt by Alain, Duke of Brittany. — Fortauatus, lib. iii.; Carm., c. 1, 2, 3, and 4. (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; www.bethlehemobserver.com) • “Notre-Dame de Nantes”. Bretagne, France. (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm) • Our Lady of Nantes (in Bretagne, France). (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html) • Our Lady of Africa. Algiers. 1876. Celebrated by the White Fathers. (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm) • Our Lady of Africa (celebrated by the White Fathers). (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html) • Our Lady of Africa, Algiers (1876). (www/divinewill.org/feastsofourlady.html); (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html) • Our Lady of Quito (Ecuador). (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html) [NB: See 28, 29 April.]