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Pope Pius IX (3, 6, and 20 lire stamps) was born on May 13, 1792 of noble parents in Senigallia and baptized Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti. As a young lad he knelt before the highly venerated picture of Our Lady in the Cathedral of Senigallia and consecrated his life to the glory of God and to dedicate his virginity to her. At the age of ten years, young Giovanni made his first Holy Communion on Feb. 2, 1803, the feast of the Purification, in the Cathedral where he was baptized. A year later he entered the College of the Scolopi, at Volterra, to begin his studies. While attending this school the first sign of epilepsy appeared and threatened to render his ordination as a priest of God impossible. In 1809, he entered the Roman College to study theology, philosophy, and the classics. In 1815, on the feast of the Annunciation, he enrolled in the Senior Marian Sodality of the Roman College. On April 10, 1819, young Giovanni was ordained a priest, thus beginning a new life that was to end in the Chair of Peter. His life as a priest saw the future Pope Pius IX spend his first four years with youth. He was then sent by the Holy Father to South America to serve as Auditor to the Apostolic Delegate, Monsignor Muzzi. In 1825, he was appointed by Pope Leo XII as Arch-bishop of Spoleto. Seven years later the successor to Leo XII, Pope Gregory XVI transferred him to the larger dioceses of Imola. In 1839, Archbishop Mastai-Ferretti was bestowed with the red hat of Cardinal. Pope Gregory XVI died on June 1, 1846, and Cardinal Mastai departed from his See to attend the Conclave in Rome. At Fossombrone a white dove alighted on the carriage and stayed there until it arrived at the gates of Rome, as if a sign to the people that the Cardinal was to be the next Vicar of Christ. Fifteen days later he became Pope Pius IX. Upon assuming the Throne of Peter, Pius IX set up a commission of Cardinals and theologians to study the belief generally accepted of the Immaculate Conception. On Feb. 2, 1849, he took a step further and invited the bishops of the entire Catholic Church to freely express their views on proclaiming the Immaculate Conception an infallible Dogma through his Encyclical, Ubi Prium. Of the 593 expressions given, only four were against the proclamation. As a result of this poll, Pope Pius IX convened a secret consistory on December 1, 1854. He then asked the assembled Cardinals, "Is it then your pleasure that we utter the dogmatic decree on the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary?" The Cardinals unanimously agreed and the reigning Pontiff set Dec. 8, 1854 as the day of the promulgation of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception. On the morning of Dec. 8, 1854, the Solemn Pontifical Mass in St. Peter's Basilica began. After the singing of the Gospel the Holy Father stood on the steps of his throne surrounded by a vast retinue of Cardinals and bishops and solemnly sanctioned, "that the doctrine, which holds that the Most Blessed Virgin Mary at the first moment of her conception was, by singular grace and privilege of the Omnipotent God, in virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the Human race, preserved from all stains of original sin, is revealed by God, and therefore, to be firmly and resolutely by all the faithful." After the solemn definition of the Immaculate Conception had been decreed the crowds cheered wildly and shouted "Viva Mary Immaculate." The cannon of Castel St. Angelo saluted as the bells of the churches of Rome tolled to announce the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception. When the Mass was over Pope Pius IX blessed a golden crown studded with jewels. He then was borne on his portable throne to the Chapel of Sixtus IV where he placed the crown on a statue of Mary. Like his predecessor, Pope Pius XII (4, 12, and 35 lire stamps) is also. dedicated to the Mother of God. At baptism he received the name of Mary as his first middle name. When he was ordained a priest he said his first Mass in one of the chapels of St. Mary Major, the most prominent basilica in Rome dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. On Oct. 30, 1950, the Holy Father was taking his afternoon walk in the Vatican Gardens. At 4 o'clock, as he turned his gaze from the gardens to the sun, he saw a vision of the Mother of God in the rays of the sun. The following afternoon Mary again appeared to the Pope at the same time. The next day, Nov. 1, 1950, Pope Pills XII gave to the Catholic Church the second important Dogma of Mary, the Dogma of the Assumption. As if to show her approval for the solemn definition of the assumption of Her body and soul into heaven, Mary appeared again to the Pontiff that afternoon at the same time as the previous days as he strolled in the gardens. On Sept. 8, 1953, the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, Pope Pius XII called upon the faithful to join in the observance of the Marian Year which he decreed through his Encyclical, Fulgens Corona Gloriae. The Marian Year, the first year dedicated to the Mother of God in the Annals of the Catholic Church, was decreed to extend from Dec. 8, 1953 to Dec. 8, 1954, to mark the centenary of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception. On Dec. 8, 1953, Pope Pius XII left the Vatican and drove through downtown Rome for the first time since the end of World War II. In the Piazza di Spagna, at the foot of the Spanish Steps, the czar came to a halt. The Pontiff placed a bouquet of flowers at the column commemorating the Immaculate Conception. Then he was driven to the Basilica of St. Mary Major to preside at the ceremonies inaugurating the Marian Year. The Holy Father entered the church under a canopy of velvet and damask as the choir sang the triumphant "T u es Petrus." With members of the Catholic Action group he recited the special Marian Year prayer he had written. This marked the beginning of the Marian Year. On May 26, 1954, a set of six stamps was issued to mark the Marian Year Two major designs were used for the motifs of the stamps. The first was an effigy of Pope Pius IX, who proclaimed the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception. The second design features the reigning Pontiff, Pope Pius XII who promulgated the Marian Year to mark the centenary of this important Dogma of the Mother of God. Technical Details: Scott Catalogue - 176 - 181 Date Issued - 26 May 1954 Face Value - 3 l, 4 l, 6 l, €1.25, 12 l, 20 l, 35 l Perforations - 13 Printer - The Italian State Printing Works |
