Happy Feast Day PPX

[JReducation]

It seems he may have been a secular Franciscan:

Article: 12 Pope St. Pius X 1835-1914 feast day: August 21

Joseph Sarto joined the Secular Franciscans while he was a pastor. He devoted himself to the poor and helped promote the Catholic press. He was elected Pope in 1903. He lowered the age of First Communion, encouraged daily Communion, and established the Pontifical Biblical Institute. He died August 20, 1914 and was canonized in 1954.
sfo-fraternities.org/56130/Saints.html

Under the law at the time of Pius X any religious who became a bishop was automatically secularized. He was dispensed from his vows and no longer belonged to his community or allowed to wear the garb of his community. That is why Pius X is not a Franciscan saint.

By the time that John XXIII came around, Pius XII had changed the law. Any religious who became a bishop remained a religious until death. That’s why John XXIII is a Franciscan Blessed.

In 1983 the Code was made even more strict. Any religious who wants to be a priest, must get permission from his Major Superior. He may not request it until after he has made perpetual solemn vows. The Superior or a vote of the community may deny the permission to become a priest. The only exception is a religious community that was founded for priests, such as Jesuits. Franciscans were not founded for priests. Therefore ordination is the decision of the Provincial Superior and the house where the friar resides. He must get approval from both.

Also in the Code of 1983, any religious who accepts to be consecrated a bishop, remains a member of his religious community until death. He is bound by the rule of his community. But he is not allowed to vote or be elected to any office in his community. He wears the habit of his community, even as bishop. When he retires, he returns to his community, unless the Superior of the community and the religious bishop agree that other arrangements are more appropriate. Sometimes having a Brother who is a bishop can cause complications for the community, because the person is used to positions of authority. Once he returns to the community, he is another Brother.

We probably won’t be seeing too many Franciscan bishops as the Friars Minor are keeping very strict controls over the men they allow to become priests and permanent deacons are not allowed in the Order. They have to do this to keep the number of priests low in conformity to the mind and spirit of Francis.

Other communities are doing the same.

I don’t expect to see too many religious popes in the future, either conventual religious or secular religious. Though in the USA we have an increase of religious being consecrated as bishops. This was lost in the USA due to the large numbers of secular priests available to be bishops.

The newest numbers show that more men are joining religius communities, especially newer communities than diocesan seminaries.

Let’s wait and see what happens with the future saints.

JR

 

[AJV]

It’s a solemnity. This year it falls on a the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time, so it trumps the 24th Sunday. It’s on Sept 14. This was at the request of the Superiors General of the three branches of the Friars Minor.

I was actually speaking of the US calendar which has it as a feast, not solemnity…though for that matter, my Franciscan Proper calendar (admittedly a bit dated) does not seem to indicate any change in rank for the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Is that a recent change?

The Exultation of the Holy Cross was renamed to the Triumph of the Holy Cross and moved to September so that it would not fall within the Franciscan’s Little Lent which takes place in September from the feast of St. Michael to the Solemnity of St. Francis.

But the Exaltation has always been celebrated on September 14, has it not? The title of “Triumph” is only an ICEL translation of the Latin which remains the same as before (“Exaltatione sanctae Crucis”) . In the UK Divine Office, it is still listed as the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.