A Few Minutes with Pope St. Pius X & Fr. Richard Kunst: A Sleeve from His Cassock
May 29, 1954: The Canonization of Pope Pius X
An interesting fact about this Pope is that he was known to use the sleeve of his cassocks as a place to dab his fountain pen to make the ink flow more freely. This sleeve clearly shows the spots where he did this.
The sleeve is a large piece of watered silk fabric. It is a second class relic of a saint, making it a very valuable addition to the Collection.
-
On 29 May 1954, less than three years after his beatification, Pius X was canonized, following recognition of two more miracles.
-
- Pope St. Pius X: Shoes With Rabbit Fur Lining
-
- Pope Benedict XIII: Two Page Document, Signed, Page 2
-
- Pope Benedict XIII: Two Page Document, Signed
-
- Small Slip of Paper Signed by Saint John Henry Newman
-
- Zucchetto From Saint John Paul II’s Elevation to the Cardinalate
1. The Canonization of Pius X & A Portion of the Sleeve of His Cassock
On 29 May 1954, less than three years after his beatification, Pius X was canonized, following recognition of two more miracles. The artifact is a portion of the sleeve of his cassock.
2. Two Page Document Signed by the Future Benedict XIII
Cardinal Pietro Orsini, the future Benedict XIII signed this two-page document. It is written on both sides of the paper and is undated.
The contents of the document concern a hospital run by a religious order.
3. May 29, 1827: The Anglican Ordination of (now) Saint John Henry Newman:
About the Artifact
This small slip of paper says, John Henry Newman, Oratory
Edgbaston, July 4, 1852.
John Henry Newman was canonized October 13, 2019 by Pope Francis.
4. Announcement of Karol Wojtyla to the Cardinalate:
On June 26th, 1967, Pope Paul VI (1963-1978) appointed Archbishop Karol Wojtyla of Krakow, Poland, to the Sacred College of Cardinals. He was forty-seven years of age.
Here is Father’s commentary about this zucchetto:
This is actually a very historically significant item. Although it is not absolutely certain, it is very likely that this is the zucchetto given to Cardinal Wojtyla by Pope Paul VI. The reason this is plausible is because on the inside there is a small tag that says, “K J Wojtyla, 1967, San Cesareo in Palatio.” That is the name of the church that he was given as his titular church upon his elevation. Because more than one man is elevated to the cardinalate at a time and because they are of different sizes, it is important to specify which zucchetto belongs to which cardinal. Therefore tags are put inside to assure each receives the correct hat.
This is a very rare item owned by the most recently canonized pope, and it is very likely the one given to him by Pope Paul VI.
It’s so fascinating to think that Karol Wojtyla wore this on the day that he was made a cardinal. And the way we know this to be true is because of that tag on the inside of the hat.
Also, since each cardinal is always given a titular church that, in and of itself, is proof that this is his original zucchetto.
I’ve also done a little research with the person I actually got the zucchetto from. And other people who have been secretaries to cardinals when they were elected have said it is a common thing when someone is made cardinal to put this little tag inside the hat. This is because every cardinal wants a different size zucchetto that feels comfortable to wear.
