Life of Pius X Cardinal Sartos elevation to the Papacy, Many a cherry of mine has found its way down his throat It was not long before Bepi had mastered the rudiments of reading and writing, which were all that the village school could offer. He became an efficient server at Mass, and such was his influence over his little school companions that at the age of ten he was appointed leader of the somewhat unruly band of acolytes who served in the village church. The young master of ceremonies, proved himself perfectly equal to the occasion. There was such a serene good temper and such a merry wit behind the somewhat drastic methods of Bepi that his authority was irresistible and unquestioned. To most boys who serve daily at the altar, the thought of the priestly life will sooner or later suggest itself to some it comes as an overwhelming call. Giuseppes vocation seems to have grown up with him to have been, from his earliest years, the very centre of his life.