Memorial of St. Pius X
Tulay Ng Kabataan Foundation, Navotas
Manila, Philippines
August 21, 2024
Well, good morning, everybody. Maybe it would be good if we did some introductions, because I’m not sure everybody outside knows who’s shown up this morning!
So, I would like to first of all mention that with us is the head of the Knights of Columbus, our Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly and his wife, Vanessa, and their daughters, Teresa, Caroline and Meg. And also the head of the Fourth Degree, Michael McCusker, is here with his wife Theresa. And concelebrating with me is Monsignor Quitorio who is one of the great chaplains in the Order of the Knights of Columbus and Monsignor Dariusz Zielonka who is a good priest friend of mine — and don’t tell anybody but it is his birthday today. He’ll never forgive me.
And I forgot to tell you who I am. I’m Archbishop William Lori. I am the Archbishop of Baltimore — in Maryland, USA, and I’m also the Supreme Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus. And it’s my privilege to accompany our Supreme Knight on our pilgrimage to the Philippines in these days.
So, in our reading from Ezekiel, we heard about shepherds who take advantage of the sheep. We heard about shepherds who are in it for themselves, and not for God’s own flock. And so, the Lord promises us that he himself would take care of his people. He himself would shepherd his people. And he promises also that he would send shepherds after his own mind and after his own heart.
And today, we celebrate the feast day of one of those shepherds after the mind and the heart of God — namely, Pope St. Pius X. He was our Holy Father in the early part of the 20th century. He came from a poor family, and throughout his time as Holy Father, he always lived very simply and he had a special place in his heart for those who are in need, and a very special place in his heart for the young, and he loved us all enough that he made sure that we understood and knew the Catholic faith in a very authentic way. He’s one of the shepherds that God promised he would send us, and we celebrate his feast day today with joy.
I don’t want to embarrass Father Matthieu, but I will say that you are one of those shepherds, and we are so glad to be with you today and to come to begin to see and to understand the work that you and your foundation and your colleagues are doing to serve those who are advanced in years, just like me; helping the elderly to find dignity and love in their advancing years; your love for the young; for those who are hungry; and those who have inadequate housing; and those who are in great human need. We don’t know the half of it, but we’re hoping that today, as we accompany you from place to place, our eyes will be opened — but more than that, we pray that our hearts will be opened.
One final thing: the Knights of Columbus — that was founded also by a great shepherd. His name was Father Michael McGivney — he’s now Blessed Michael McGivney. He started the Knights of Columbus at the end of the 19th century, because as a parish priest, he saw the men of his parish leaving the faith, and he saw the needs of their families. So he started Knights of Columbus. And I don’t think he ever dreamt that it would become as big as it is, what he started in 1882. By 1905, we were here in the Philippines, and today there are more than 500,000 Knights of Columbus here in the Philippines, and they are your good co-workers. They love you, very, very much.
So let’s thank God today for sending us such wonderful shepherds. And let us pray for all the shepherds of the Church, I can attest — we need your prayers.
And I ask God to bless each and every one of you and keep you always in his love.