Pope St. Pius V (1504–1572) was a Dominican friar, the son of poor parents in northern Italy, who as pope from 1566 to 1572 put the reforms of the Council of Trent into practice: he published the Roman Catechism, the Roman Breviary and the Roman Missal of 1570, reformed the clergy and the papal court, and lived as an austere friar in the Vatican. When the Ottoman fleet threatened Christian Europe, he formed the Holy League and asked the faithful to pray the Rosary; the victory at Lepanto on October 7, 1571, gave the Church the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. His feast day is April 30. Below are his story, the prayer of his feast, and prayers to St. Pius V.
A short prayer to St. Pius V, written for this page:
St. Pius V, you trusted in the Rosary when Christendom was in danger.
Pray for the Church in our time of trial, renew it in holiness,
and teach us to turn to Mary in every struggle. Amen.
Who was St. Pius V?
Michele Ghislieri was born on January 17, 1504, at Bosco, near Alessandria, in Piedmont, to a poor family, and as a boy he tended sheep. At fourteen he entered the Dominican Order. He taught theology, served as prior of several houses, and became known for his strict life and his zeal for the purity of the faith, which led to his appointment as an inquisitor. He became a bishop and cardinal, and on January 7, 1566, he was elected pope and took the name Pius.
As pope he carried out the decrees of the Council of Trent, which had ended in 1563. He published the Roman Catechism (1566), the reformed Roman Breviary (1568) and the Roman Missal (1570), whose Mass remained the Mass of the Latin Church for four hundred years. He insisted that bishops live in their dioceses, reformed the religious orders, cut the expenses of the papal court, cared for the poor and the sick of Rome, and visited hospitals himself. He continued to wear his white Dominican habit, and popes have dressed in white ever since. In 1570 he excommunicated Queen Elizabeth I of England.
The Ottoman Turks, who had taken Cyprus, threatened Italy itself. Pius V united Spain, Venice and other Christian states in the Holy League and asked all the faithful to pray the Rosary. On October 7, 1571, the League’s fleet won a decisive victory at Lepanto, off the coast of Greece; tradition says the pope, at that very hour, saw the victory in prayer. He attributed it to Our Lady and instituted a feast of Our Lady of Victory, which became the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. He died on May 1, 1572, and was canonized in 1712. See Our Lady of the Rosary.
The prayer of his feast from the 1916 daily missal:
O God, who to overcome the enemies of the Church, and to restore divine worship, didst vouchsafe to choose the blessed Pius for chief Bishop; grant that we may be kept safe under his patronage and so cling to thy service as to escape the snares of the enemy and enjoy everlasting peace. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God world without end. Amen.
His legacy
- The Roman Missal of 1570, the Mass of the Latin Church for four centuries
- The Roman Catechism and the reformed Roman Breviary
- The feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, October 7
- The white cassock worn by the popes, according to tradition
Prayers to St. Pius V
Written for this page.
For the Church
St. Pius V, you renewed the Church after a time of division and scandal.
Pray that the Church today may be purified, united and faithful to Christ. Amen.
Before praying the Rosary
St. Pius V, you called the whole Church to the Rosary.
Help me to pray it with faith and love, for peace and for the needs of the world. Amen.
Feast day
The optional memorial of St. Pius V, pope, is April 30. Before 1969 it was kept on May 5.
Frequently asked questions
Why do popes wear white?
According to tradition, because St. Pius V kept wearing his white Dominican habit after his election, and his successors kept the color.
What is the connection between St. Pius V and the Rosary?
He asked the faithful to pray the Rosary for the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 and established the feast that became Our Lady of the Rosary.
When is St. Pius V’s feast day?
April 30.
More saints
- Our Lady of the Rosary
- Rosary prayers
- St. Dominic prayer
- St. Charles Borromeo
- Pope St. Pius X
- Saint of the day
Texts and sources
- The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916), St. Pius V (May 5), Collect, public domain (archive.org).