Fr Paul Gooley reads from the Gospel of Matthew (20: 1-16) in which Jesus tells the parable of the workers in the vineyard. Afterwards, Fr Paul shares a little about the life of St Pius X whose memorial we celebrate today.

Fr Paul says Pius was born in the village of Riese, near Venice, and was one of ten children of a very poor family. He was ordained to the priesthood at the age of 23. He was successively bishop of Mantua and of Venice, and was elected Pope, against his wishes, in 1903.

In his time as Pope, he sought to “restore all things in Christ.” He campaigned for the freedom of the Church from state control. He revised the code of Canon Law, founded an institute for scriptural studies, and initiated the revision of the Latin translation of the Bible (the Vulgate) and the reform of the liturgy.

He lived in great poverty even when he was Pope, and preached sermons every Sunday in the courtyards of the Vatican, to any who would listen. In his simplicity and goodness of heart, he performed miracles even when he was alive, and the clamour for his canonization started immediately after his death, on 20 August 1914. He was broken-hearted at the outbreak of the First World War.

So on this day, Fr Paul invites us to ask ‘St Pius X…pray for us!’