A Singular Grace and Privilege Granted by Almighty God

December 8 is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, when we celebrate the beginning of Mary's original-sin-free life. Though Church Fathers and theologians spoke of and debated Immaculate Conception for centuries, Pope Pius IX formally enshrined the idea in Catholic dogma on December 8th, 1854 in his bull Ineffabilis Deus:

"Wherefore, in humility and fasting, we unceasingly offered our private prayers as well as the public prayers of the Church to God the Father through his Son, that he would deign to direct and strengthen our mind by the power of the Holy Spirit. In like manner did we implore the help of the entire heavenly host as we ardently invoked the Paraclete. Accordingly, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, for the honor of the Holy and undivided Trinity, for the glory and adornment of the Virgin Mother of God, for the exaltation of the Catholic Faith, and for the furtherance of the Catholic religion, by the authority of Jesus Christ our Lord, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own: "We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful.""

Mary holds a special place in the hearts of Catholics, and our love for her comes through in art, music, literature, and prayer. We were especially impressed by the altar that was decorated at St. Michael's Cathedral for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in 1908:

Immaculate Conception Altar at St. Michael's Cathedral

December 8, 1908

PH102/0001/166P
ARCAT Photograph Collection

Immaculate Conception Altar at St. Michael's Cathedral, detail.

December 8, 1908

PH102/0001/166P

ARCAT Photograph Collection

Perhaps parishioners said the words of this 11th century prayer in front of this beautiful altar:

O Mary, you are inviolate, pure and without stain, you who became the glistening gate of heaven. O most dear and gracious Mother of Jesus, receive our modest songs of praise.
We beg you with heart and lips: make our bodies and our souls pure. By your sweet prayers, obtain eternal pardon for us. O Mother most kind! O Queen! O Mary! Who alone remained inviolate!

For more on the history of the Immaculate Conception dogma, check out articles from the International Marian Research Institute here and here.

August 21st - The Feast of Pope Saint Pius X

Pope Saint Pius X in full Papal dress
PH 59/04P

August 21st is the feast day of Pope Saint Pius X, who led the Church from August 4, 1903 until his death on August 20th, 1914. We have a number of items in the archives associated with Pius X, some of which we are highlighting today.

In an August 1903 letter to Archbishop O'Connor, the Apostolic Delegate to Canada wrote "The Sacred College, directed by the Holy Spirit, has chosen a worthy successor to Leo XIII. The new Pontiff had gained the esteem and love of the Catholics in the diocese which he so wisely ruled for many years. He will, by his great piety and prudence, by his administrative ability and his breadth of view, maintain high, as did his illustrious and venerated predecessor, the prestige of the Church, and gain for her new triumphs."

Pius X appointed both Fergus McEvay and Neil McNeil as Archbishop of Toronto during his time as Pontiff. This kind of announcement was made by papal bull, which is an official document accompanied by a metal seal. The two below are handwritten on parchment.

Papal bull appointing Fergus McEvay Archbishop of Toronto.
April 13, 1908
ME RC91.03

Papal Bull appointing Neil McNeil Archbishop of Toronto.
April 10, 1912
PB02

Pius X was originally buried under St. Peter's Basilica, but his tomb was moved inside to the altar of the Presentation Chapel following his 1951 beatification. He is dressed in Papal vestments with silver covering his hands and face. 

Body of Pius X on display after his beatification in 1951.
PH 59/06P

Devotion to St. Pope Pius X started  shortly after his death and has remained popular. There are a church and a school named after him in Toronto.

A first class relic of Pope Saint Pius X. The relic has a wax seal and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.
AF 268

Some fun facts about Pope Saint Pius X:

He was born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto in 1835 to a postman and a seamstress.    

    
He was Patriarch of Venice from 1893 - 1903.              

                              
He was elected Pope in the last conclave in which a Catholic monarch used his right to veto candidates. Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria vetoed Cardinal Rampolla, Pope Leo XIII's Secretary of State. Pius X later removed this right.         

                                       
His Papal motto was Instaurare Omnia in Christo, or To Restore All Things in Christ.

He was responsible for a revision and codification of canon law which was published in 1917.

He valued causes of the poor and the education of children.

He lowered the age of eligibility for first communion from 12 to 7.  

In 1910 he had priests sign an oath against modernism, which was required until 1967. He was supportive of social justice causes, but was against the relativistic intellectual movement which denied that early Church teachings still held true.

His poor health was exacerbated by the outbreak of the First World War, which lead to his death. 

Several miracles were attributed to him, and he was beatified in 1951 and canonized in 1954. 

On the seventh day of Christmas, ARCAT stored for me…

...seven papal bulls,

Papal Bulls, PB.03a&b, PB.04a&b, PB.05, PB.06, PB.08,

A papal bull is a particular type of decree uniquely issued by the Pope.  The document gets its name from the attached authenticating seal, or bulla.  (Bullire means "to boil" in Latin, referring to the process of softening the metal in order for it to take the impression of the mould.) The distinctive seals are made of lead and feature the images of saints Peter and Paul on one side, and the name of the issuing pontiff on the reverse.  

All papal bulls begin with the issuing Pope's name and the Papal title episcopus servus servorum Dei, meaning "bishop, servant of the servants of God." In the unrolled bull above, the name Pius X can be seen in the top left and on the seal. Papal bulls are usually written on parchment. They can be delightfully medieval looking, with gilding and meticulously formed calligraphy.

Most of the papal bulls we have in the archives are declarations of episcopal appointments.  Four of the seven are shown in their original mailing tubes with Vatican Post issued stamps. 

Detail of the bulla (seal).

The seals are cast over the cord that is threaded through the document to authenticate it. They are made from lead. Apostles Paul and Peter, Fathers of the Church, are depicted on the left and right of the cross, respectively. The Pope's name (e.g. Pius Papa X) is on the reverse. 

six pairs of buskins,

five golden rings,

four photographs,

three mitres,

two maniples,

and a pen used to vote at Conclave.