Today, August 21, we celebrate the feast day that includes St. Pius X, as well as other saints and martyrs recognized by the Church. This tradition, which dates back centuries, connects the given name of many individuals with the feast of the saints of the day.
The assignment of names according to religious festivities has been a common practice, especially among Catholics and Orthodox Christians. The commemoration of name days is based on the celebration of figures who have been canonized or beatified for their dedication to acts of faith and morality. In this context, today we remember St. Pius X, a pope who promoted Christian life through the Eucharist and the dignity of liturgy.
In addition to St. Pius X, today also recognizes several other saints and martyrs, including: St. Basa and her three sons (4th century), St. Agatonicus and companions (3rd century), Blessed Bruno Zembol (20th century), St. Maximian of Antioch (4th century), St. Luxorius of Sardinia (4th century), St. Cyriacus of Rome (3rd century), St. Quadratus of Utica (4th century), St. Euprepius of Verona (4th century), St. Joseph Dang Dinh Vien (19th century), St. Privat the Gabalus (5th century), Blessed Raimundo Peiró Victorí (20th century), Blessed Salvador Estrugo Solves (20th century), St. Sidonius Apollinaris (5th century), and Blessed Victoria Rasoamanarivo (19th century).
The process of beatification and canonization involves several steps, beginning with being recognized as a servant of God, followed by being declared venerable, beatified, and finally canonized. Although the Church has not provided an exact number of saints, it is estimated that there are up to nine thousand recognized saints. This process has seen a notable increase with the canonizations carried out by the Church in recent decades, especially during the papacies of John Paul II and Francis, who have canonized a total of 388 and 898 saints, respectively.
With more than 1.360 billion Catholics in the world, Catholicism continues to be one of the most practiced religions. While America, and particularly South America, hosts the largest proportion of Catholics, the presence of the faith has significantly grown in Asia and Africa in recent years, although it has declined in Europe.
Source: www.infobae.com
