You never know just who you might be related to....and you will never know if you don't research. Patricia Szalwinski, third cousin of Pope St. Pius X, shows off a drawing done of the late Pope in 1955, a second-class relic. (Staff photos by Holly Mutz) Amy Seiford 01.JUN.05 With the recent passing of Pope John Paul II, the papacy has been a topic on the lips of not only Catholics, but people of all denominations around the world. More than a billion Catholics worldwide look to the Pope as a leader in faith. So imagine how it must feel to find out you're related to a past Pope. A number of area residents know that feeling, because they are related to Giuseppe Sarto, who became Pope Pius X. Pope Pius X was elected Pope in 1903 and served until 1914. Among the late Pope's local relatives are Patricia Szalwinski and her daughter, Pamela Ramos. They learned they are related to Pope Pius X through the exhaustive research of Szalwinski's aunt, the late Gladys Collins. Szalwinski knew about the religious relationship when she was in high school, but didn't realize the significance of it. "Now, I can't believe it," Szalwinski said. "This is a wonderment." Ramos also learned of the relationship to the Pope in her childhood. "It's interesting because some people are related to the president, and to me, the Pope is above that," Ramos said. The relationship goes back hundreds of years. Three Sarto brothers were born in Italy in the early 1700s: Giuseppe (who later changed his name to Joseph Krawiec), Marco, and Angelo. Krawiec's great-great-great-granddaughter is Szalwinski. Angelo Sarto's great-grandson was Giuseppe Sarto, who would become Pope Pius X. Therefore, the two are distant cousins, according to Szalwinski. Pope Pius X is known most for encouraging the revision of the Catholic church's music, including incorporating the Gregorian chant into Masses. He also urged frequent communion and lowered the age for children to receive communion. He was canonized on May 29, 1954, making him the first Pope to be named a saint in 342 years. Collins attended the event in Rome. "She received a sliver of bone at the canonization," Szalwinski said. "She kept it locked away in her home." The sliver of bone is a first-class relic of the deceased Pope. In the Catholic religion, relics are treated with the utmost respect and honor. Szalwinski said her sister, the late Virginia Zaiontz, helped Collins with much of her research. "She helped organize the information," Szalwinski said. "She wrote a lot down and made a calendar charting our relation to Pope Pius X." After Collins passed away, Zaiontz received many of the relics and religious memorabilia that Collins had collected. Although Zaiontz has passed away as well, Szalwinski works hard to keep the legacy alive. Szalwinski's family, who are all Catholic, have embraced their religion more so because of the bloodline. Ramos said the relationship, although not the basis for her spirituality, serves as a driving force behind her Catholic ties. "It's made us stronger as far as religion," Ramos said. "My kids and I pray before I drop them off at school to help with guidance and things like that." Recently, Szalwinski and her brother-in-law, Fabian Zaiontz (husband of the late Virginia Zaiontz), unlocked a safe holding a Pope St. Pius X first-class relic from the Vatican. But because both Szalwinski's aunt and sister have passed away, she isn't sure what the relic is: the sliver of bone or the fabric from one of the former Pope's garments. It may be a question both she and Zaiontz may never have answered. "There's so much we don't know, because there is no one to ask," Szalwinski said. "But these are things that are very dear to me. It just shows how much you should talk to people when they are alive." hmutz@wcn-online.com

Thank you for sharing this. I found it very interesting. I am related to a Msgr. that was in the Holy See during WWII. Msgr. Hugh O'Flaherty. He was my grandmother's cousin. Anyway I recently "rediscovered" that I have a relic that he must have given to my mother or grandmother. Do you happen to know how one goes about finding out more about the Saint. I have papers that are with the relic, however they are in Latin. TIA Mary in NC ----- Original Message ----- From: "Elizabeth V Cardinal" <evc1369@comcast.net> To: <NYQUEENS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, June 01, 2005 2:28 PM Subject: [QUEENS] Interesting family history > You never know just who you might be related to....and you will never know > if you don't research. > > Patricia Szalwinski, third cousin of Pope St. Pius X, shows off a drawing > done of the late Pope in 1955, a second-class relic. (Staff photos by > Holly > Mutz) > Amy Seiford 01.JUN.05 > With the recent passing of Pope John Paul II, the papacy has been a topic > on > the lips of not only Catholics, but people of all denominations around the > world. > > More than a billion Catholics worldwide look to the Pope as a leader in > faith. So imagine how it must feel to find out you're related to a past > Pope. > > A number of area residents know that feeling, because they are related to > Giuseppe Sarto, who became Pope Pius X. Pope Pius X was elected Pope in > 1903 > and served until 1914. > > Among the late Pope's local relatives are Patricia Szalwinski and her > daughter, Pamela Ramos. > > They learned they are related to Pope Pius X through the exhaustive > research > of Szalwinski's aunt, the late Gladys Collins. > > Szalwinski knew about the religious relationship when she was in high > school, but didn't realize the significance of it. > > "Now, I can't believe it," Szalwinski said. "This is a wonderment." > > Ramos also learned of the relationship to the Pope in her childhood. > > "It's interesting because some people are related to the president, and to > me, the Pope is above that," Ramos said. > > The relationship goes back hundreds of years. Three Sarto brothers were > born > in Italy in the early 1700s: Giuseppe (who later changed his name to > Joseph > Krawiec), Marco, and Angelo. Krawiec's great-great-great-granddaughter is > Szalwinski. Angelo Sarto's great-grandson was Giuseppe Sarto, who would > become Pope Pius X. Therefore, the two are distant cousins, according to > Szalwinski. > > Pope Pius X is known most for encouraging the revision of the Catholic > church's music, including incorporating the Gregorian chant into Masses. > He > also urged frequent communion and lowered the age for children to receive > communion. > > He was canonized on May 29, 1954, making him the first Pope to be named a > saint in 342 years. Collins attended the event in Rome. > > "She received a sliver of bone at the canonization," Szalwinski said. "She > kept it locked away in her home." > > The sliver of bone is a first-class relic of the deceased Pope. In the > Catholic religion, relics are treated with the utmost respect and honor. > > Szalwinski said her sister, the late Virginia Zaiontz, helped Collins with > much of her research. > > "She helped organize the information," Szalwinski said. "She wrote a lot > down and made a calendar charting our relation to Pope Pius X." > > After Collins passed away, Zaiontz received many of the relics and > religious > memorabilia that Collins had collected. Although Zaiontz has passed away > as > well, Szalwinski works hard to keep the legacy alive. > > Szalwinski's family, who are all Catholic, have embraced their religion > more > so because of the bloodline. > > Ramos said the relationship, although not the basis for her spirituality, > serves as a driving force behind her Catholic ties. > > "It's made us stronger as far as religion," Ramos said. "My kids and I > pray > before I drop them off at school to help with guidance and things like > that." > > Recently, Szalwinski and her brother-in-law, Fabian Zaiontz (husband of > the > late Virginia Zaiontz), unlocked a safe holding a Pope St. Pius X > first-class relic from the Vatican. > > But because both Szalwinski's aunt and sister have passed away, she isn't > sure what the relic is: the sliver of bone or the fabric from one of the > former Pope's garments. It may be a question both she and Zaiontz may > never > have answered. > > "There's so much we don't know, because there is no one to ask," > Szalwinski > said. "But these are things that are very dear to me. It just shows how > much > you should talk to people when they are alive." > > hmutz@wcn-online.com > > > > ============================== > Search the US Census Collection. Over 140 million records added in the > last 12 months. Largest online collection in the world. Learn more: > http://www.ancestry.com/s13965/rd.ashx > >