<p>In 1954 Pius XII instituted this memorial "so that all may clearly recognize and more zealously venerate the kind and maternal rule of the Mother of God" (<em>Ad Caeli Reginam</em>). It is celebrated on the octave of the Assumption.<br /></p>
<p>©2011 <em>Living with Christ, </em>Novalis - Bayard Press Canada Inc., <strong>http://www.livingwithchrist.ca/</strong&gt;. Reprinted with permission.</p>

<p>When Pius X was elected in 1903, it was the first time since the Middle Ages that a 'peasant' had been chosen as pope. Giuseppe Sarto was born in Riese, Italy, in 1835. His mother was a seamstress, his father a parish clerk who died when Giuseppe was 16, leaving the family in financial straits. His mother insisted that the boy continue his education and fulfill his desire to become a priest. He was ordained at 23 and involved in pastoral ministry for 17 years. He became a bishop in 1884, a cardinal in 1892 and was elected pope in 1903.

<p>Bernard was born in a castle near Dijon, France, in 1090. One of seven well-educated children, he was particularly gifted. His mother's death when he was 17 affected him deeply. Of a passionate nature, he suffered from migraines all his life. In his <em>Apologia</em>, he wrote that it was because of his unruly nature that he chose the newly founded Cistercians, thinking their austerity could tame him.</p>

<p>Stanislaus was born in Szczepanòw, Poland, about 1030. He was educated in Poland and Paris and in 1072 became Bishop of Cracow. He was well-known for his care of the poor. He differed with the king, Boleslav, who killed Stanislaus during the celebration of Mass. The king later fled to relatives in Hungary, where he spent his life as a penitent in a Benedictine abbey.

<p>John was born in Normandy in 1601. Determined to be a priest, he joined the Paris Oratory where he met Bérulle (later cardinal) and was ordained in 1625.</p>

<p>Martin was born in Todi, Italy. In his youth he served the church as a lector and later as a deacon. There were many contacts between the Roman Church and the Eastern Empire in the seventh century, and Martin was appointed as the papal legate in Constantinople. He succeeded Theodore I as pope in 649.</p>

<p>Vaik's father was the third duke to govern the Magyars. When Vaik was 10, he and his father were baptized, and Vaik was christened Stephen. He married Gisela, sister of Henry of Bavaria who later became Holy Roman Emperor. In 997, when he was 22, Stephen succeeded his father and was soon at war in his attempt to unite the Magyars. When he had consolidated his position, Stephen obtained Pope Sylvester II's political support and approval for the proper establishment of the Church in Hungary.

<p>The Assumption of the Virgin Mary celebrates her being 'assumed' (taken up body and soul) into heaven at the end of her earthly life. It began as a feast day in the Eastern Church after the Council of Ephesus (431) proclaimed Mary the Mother of God. By the 6th century, the feast celebrated Mary's <em>Dormition</em>, her 'falling asleep,' meaning her death; there are several ancient icons of the <em>Dormition</em>. The Western Church began to celebrate this feast around 650.<br /></p>

<p>Tekakwitha was born in 1656, on the southern bank of the Mohawk River at Osserneon (Auriesville, NY). Her mother was a Christian Algonquin from Trois-Rivières, Quebec, and her father was a non-Christian Mohawk Turtle chief. When she was four years old, a smallpox epidemic killed her parents and her brother, and left her with seriously impaired eyesight and a disfigured face.</p>

<p>Pontian succeeded Pope Urban I in 230. When Maximinus became emperor in 235, a period of persecution began during which Pontian was exiled to the unhealthy mines of Sardinia. He resigned his office and died a martyr.</p>