Today we celebrate the feast day
of another Dominican Saint and Pope, St. Pius V (1504-1572). He led the
Catholic Reformation. He also organized a Rosary Crusade throughout Catholic
Europe which is believed to be the reason why the Catholic naval forces were
able to decisively defeat the Ottoman Turks in the Battle of Lepanto, effectively
thwarting their plan to take over the rest of Europe .
The Supplement to the Liturgy of the Hours for the Order of Preachers offers
us this glimpse of Pius V:
“Pius used to say
that the special duty of the Roman Pontiff was to strive with all his power to
preserve divine worship, ecclesiastical discipline, and the upright morals of
all who lived in Rome
Since Pius clearly
saw that nothing was more odious to God or to the human race than the depravity
of heresy, he believed that no effort should be spared in completely uprooting
this contagion from the earth. In the first place this was to be done in every
aspect of his own life and pontificate, by prudent counsel, pious exhortations
and kindly warnings, sparing no labor or expense.”
.jpg)
