Set: St. Pius X / Bl. Pius IX

SAINT PIUS X

Saint Pius X is the first pope in modern history to be canonized since Saint Pius V in 1712. The Church canonized him because of the heroic virtues he practiced in his private life and also in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties: Assistant Priest, Pastor, Canon, Episcopal Chancellor, seminary spiritual director, Bishop, Cardinal Patriarch of Venice, and Pope from 1903 to 1914.

Yves Chiron's fresh biography breaks new ground by establishing an exact, fair portrait of Saint Pius X, who is often portrayed as a pious pope of great Faith, but "retrograde, simplistic and close minded to modern aspirations and new ideas." The work accomplished by Saint Pius X was monumental. He was not a pietistic simpleton, but a powerful and brilliant defender of the True Faith in the face of the Modernism that was invading the Church even in those days which was simply the beginnings of the Liberalism that resurfaced at Vatican II.

Mr. Chiron demonstrates that he was a tireless defender of the rights of the Church against secularism. He was a great reforming pope; restoring Gregorian chant as the sacred music of the Church; reforming the Curia; initiating the codification of Canon Law, and devoting himself especially to reforming the seminaries in order to form pious, zealous young priests, on guard against the creeping infection of Modernism.

In researching this book, Yves Chiron draws from many sources, especially from Italy, where this great man, so beloved by his countrymen, rose from being a poor country farm boy to being the Vicar of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The author was also able to research the Secret Vatican Archives.

There is no better "rags-to-riches" story, for he came from a poor but hardworking family and rose to the heights of spiritual riches. This book not only relates the historical events of the Pope's life but offers many personal stories that are like windows into his soul and clearly show his saintly personality.

352 pp. Softcover. 24 pp of illustrations.

BLESSED PIUS IX

Is the 19th century a blank century to you? Let Yves Chiron connect the dots from the viewpoint of the longest pontificate in the history of the Church - Blessed Pius IX.

Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti is one of the most interesting and complex individuals to ever become Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. He was born in 1792, during the French Revolution, lived through the Napoleonic conquests of Europe, and witnessed the unification of both Italy and the Prussian Empire.

His pontificate included the proclamation of the dogmas of the Immaculate Conception and papal infallibility, the convocation of the First Vatican Council, the publication of the Syllabus of Errors, the beginnings of Catholic Action, and the development of the foreign missions.

If you want an insight into the many interesting facets of the relationship between the Church and the world at the end of the 19th century, this book is for you. If you are interested in the fight of the Church against the great movements of Modernity: liberalism, Freemasonry, the Enlightenment, laicism, capitalism and communism, this book is worth reading. If the mention of Pius IX brings nothing to mind, you need to read this book. Chapters include:

The First Years
A Difficult Path to the Priesthood
From Tata Giovanni to Chile
Bishop of Spoleto
Bishop and Cardinal of Imola
Sovereign Pontiff
From Reform to Revolution
The Pope in Exile
Resistance and Renewal
The Pope of the Immaculate Conception
Pius IX and Italy
The Pope of the Syllabus
The Roman Question
The Vatican Council
The Prisoner of the Vatican
Towards the Canonization

The author, Yves Chiron, is a professor of history and a member of the Society of the Ecclesiastical History of France. He has authored many works in his native French, including biographies of Padre Pio and Paul VI.

327 pp. Softcover.

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