Born on May 13, 1792, Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferrett, Blessed Pope Pius IX was elected to the Papacy on June 16, 1846, and served 32 years till his death on February 7, 1878. Even with the long papacy of Pope St. John Paul II, Blessed Pope Pius IX has the longest reign of any Pope in the history of the Catholic Church.

In his 32 years as the Holy Father, he accomplished many things. He convened the First Vatican Council in 1869. Although it was cut short, the one important Church teaching that came from the council was papal infallibility. He defined and proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on December 8, 1854, in the document, Ineffabilis Deus. He also granted the Byzantine image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help a Marian title and entrusted it to the Redemptorists. Pius IX was also the last Pope to rule over the Papal States. In 1870, the nationalist armies of Italy forced the Papal States to be part of the Kingdom of Italy. In the year 2000, Pope St. John Paul II beatified him. To learn more about his life, I would encourage you to go here.

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