August 17, 2025

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In the first year of his pontificate, our parish patron, Pope St. Pius X wrote to the bishops of the world. The relatively short encyclical – called E Supremi – outlined his priorities as pope, foremost among these “to restore all things in Christ.” This phrase became his motto (you can see the Latin version – Instaurare omnia in Christo – in the vestibule floor along with Pius X’s coat of arms). One portion of the encyclical stands out to me in particular, and I quote it at length here.

“Now the way to reach Christ is not hard to find: it is the Church. Rightly does Chrysostom inculcate: “The Church is thy hope, the Church is thy salvation, the Church is thy refuge.” It was for this that Christ founded it, gaining it at the price of His blood, and made it the depositary of His doctrine and His laws, bestowing upon it at the same time an inexhaustible treasury of graces for the sanctification and salvation of men. You see, then, Venerable Brethren, the duty that has been imposed alike upon Us and upon you of bringing back to the discipline of the Church human society, now estranged from the wisdom of Christ; the Church will then subject it to Christ, and Christ to God. If We, through the goodness of God Himself, bring this task to a happy issue, We shall be rejoiced to see evil giving place to good, and hear, for our gladness, ” a loud voice from heaven saying: Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ.” But if our desire to obtain this is to be fulfilled, we must use every means and exert all our energy to bring about the utter disappearance of the enormous and detestable wickedness, so characteristic of our time – the substitution of man for God; this done, it remains to restore to their ancient place of honor the most holy laws and counsels of the gospel; to proclaim aloud the truths taught by the Church, and her teachings on the sanctity of marriage, on the education and discipline of youth, on the possession and use of property, the duties that men owe to those who rule the State; and lastly to restore equilibrium between the different classes of society according to Christian precept and custom. This is what We, in submitting Ourselves to the manifestations of the Divine will, purpose to aim at during Our Pontificate, and We will use all our industry to attain it. It is for you, Venerable Brethren, to second Our efforts by your holiness, knowledge and experience and above all by your zeal for the glory of God, with no other aim than that Christ may be formed in all.”

On August 21, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of St. Pius X. I cannot help but see in these words a reflection of our own time. Around the world, reports are being made that record numbers of people have been received into the Church and are converting to Catholicism. There is a deep spiritual hunger in the world, both abroad and right here in our own community. The challenges that face us are not much different than those that St. Pius faced when he wrote those words in 1903. We see all around us the substitution of man for God, the challenge of teaching, honoring, and maintaining the sanctity of marriage, the need to educate young people, the cry for just economic conditions, and for human rights. St. Pius X does not propose a political fix, nor does he suggest a solution by sheer force of will or power. Rather, he called for Christ to be placed in the center and committed himself to restoring all things in Christ. This can only be accomplished with that personal commitment which he embodied, and by responding to our own personal call to holiness of life. Saints are the ones who transform the world. Through the intercession of our patron, St. Pius X, may we become the saints who bring change to the world, and restore all things in Christ.

Peace,

Fr. Sam