Pius X was known for his overall rigid demeanor and sense of personal poverty . He frequently gave homily sermons in the pulpit every week , a rare practice at the time . After the 1908 Messina earthquake he filled the Apostolic Palace with refugees , long before the Italian government acted . He rejected any kind of favours for his family , to which his close relatives chose to remain in poverty living near Rome . During his pontificate , many famed Marian images were granted a canonical coronation , namely the Our Lady of Aparecida , Our Lady of the Pillar , Our Lady of the Cape , Our Lady of Chiquinquira of Colombia , Our Lady of the Lake of Mexico , Our Lady of La Naval de Manila , Virgin of Help of Venezuela , Our Lady of Carmel of New York , and the Immaculate Conception within the '' Chapel of the Choir '' inside Saint Peter 's Basilica were granted its prestigious honors
1908 Messina earthquake
1908 Messina earthquake
Pope Pius X