Born in Italy in 1504 his Baptismal name was Antonio Ghislieri. 

When he was fourteen he joined the Dominicans, taking the name Michele. 

His leadership skills were immediately evident and he was elected Master of Novices, several times. 

In 1556 he became Bishop of Sutri and then Mondovi. 

After the death of Pope Pius IV and with the help of St.Charles Borromeo, he was elected to The Papacy in 1566, inheriting a broken and wounded Holy Mother Church. 

He implemented the Council of Trent, countering the Protestant Reformation, and put into place its many needed reforms. 

He also published a new Missile and a new Catechism. He faced bitter opposition inside The Church, and out. 

Queen Elizabeth, Maximillian II, disputes with France and the Netherlands, all got in the way of his efforts to reform The Church. 

But he did so successfully, forming The Holy League, which won a decisive naval battle in the Gulf of Lepanto in 1571. 

He also made St. Thomas Aquinas a Doctor of The Church. He died on May 1st, 1572. 

St. Pope Pius V, please pray for us.