St. Pius X

St. Pius X, pope, was born in 1835 to a poor family in what is now part of Italy. He studied at a seminary in Padua and was ordained in 1858. He served as a chaplain, archpriest, canon of a cathedral, rector and spiritual director of a seminary, bishop and cardinal-priest, among other roles in the church. He was elected the 257th pope on Aug. 4, 1903, and he was installed Aug. 9. He issued decrees about frequent Communion. The saint also reformed the liturgy, revised the breviary and reorganized the Roman curia. Pope Pius X advised the faithful to read the Bible, and he fought Modernism. He died in 1914 and was canonized in 1954 by Pope Pius XII. Pius X is patron saint of first communicants.