Born in Riese, in the province of Treviso, on 2 June 1835, Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto grew up in a Pope Pius X 1 humble family: his mother, illiterate, did small tailoring jobs, while his father was a messenger boy. In addition to Giuseppe, the couple gave birth to ten other children. Precisely because of the large family, the boy realizes that, although he loves studying and intellectual activities, he must commit himself to work to contribute to the family expenses. After completing his studies at the Castelfranco Veneto school, in 1850 Giuseppe managed to enter the Padua seminary thanks to the intervention of Cardinal Jacopo Monico, then patriarch of Venice, but originally from Riese. On 18 September 1858 the young man received the Sacrament of Holy Orders from the bishop of Treviso, Giovanni Antonio Farina. Still in the same year, in November, he was appointed chaplain in a small village near Treviso, called Tombolo. After another nine years here, he moved to Salzano by order of the Bishop. Here Giuseppe Sarto leads a parish community made up of about two thousand people, many of whom are skeptical due to his origin and proximity to the farmers. Soon, however, the future Pope won over all the parishioners, even the most educated ones: his generosity was unreservedly shown towards those in need. On November 28, 1875, he received the appointment of spiritual director from the Bishop, and was given the opportunity to enter the Treviso seminary to embark on the path of priesthood. In 1885 it was Pope Leo XIII who appointed him bishop of the diocese of Mantua. It is a rather difficult "mission" for Giuseppe Sarto, as the peasants, now reduced to poverty, feel abandoned even by the Church and no longer have any faith in the future. During this period he visited 153 parishes and convened a diocesan synod to take stock of the situation and find concrete solutions to people's problems. To support the seminary and therefore the formation of priests, Sarto asked the inhabitants of the Diocese for a little help: each of them responded with great diligence and generosity. Precisely because he was concerned about the fate of the seminary, he became rector for a while, while simultaneously holding the position of patriarch of Venice. In the meantime, nine years pass. Pope Leo XIII dies and the Conclave is convened to proceed with the election of the new Pontiff. On 4 August 1903 Giuseppe Sarto became Pope. The choice of the name "Pio" is not accidental, but refers to the Popes who preceded him in the 800th century and who "suffered". Apparently, the suffering of the new Pope Pius X consists in not feeling fit to hold such a prestigious office. Yet history remembers him as a Pope with a strong temperament, gifted with balance and enthusiasm, especially for young people, to whom he dedicates the "catechism". It also spreads the belief that it is useful for children to receive Communion during Mass. Pope Pius X died on August 20, 1914 in Rome, in the first days of the First World War. In 1954 he was beatified and made a saint.
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