We are Saint Pius X Catholic Church, a parish renewing all things in Christ through worship, discipleship, service, and community. Parishioners’ lives are affected by the experience that is Saint Pius. Find their stories below.

Worship through the celebration of Eucharist is the cornerstone of the Catholic faith. The church is where family histories are recorded through sacraments like baptisms, first Communions, confirmations, ordinations, and marriages. Parishioner stories of worship can be found below.
 

By Gwen O’Brien
 
The Hess family has 19 years of memories at Saint Pius X parish. All four of Marty and Carolyn’s children celebrated their first reconciliations, first Communions, and confirmations at the church. One particular Sunday included two sacraments. Their son Nathan’s baptism took place right after daughter Gwen’s first Communion Mass. “I don’t know how we convinced the then-associate pastor, Father John Doughtery,  to agree to that,” Marty recalls with humor.
 
Other cherished, even moving, memories include dinner dances, parish picnics, the procession down Cleveland Road from Saint Joseph Farm to Saint Pius in 2005 to mark the beginning of the parish’s 50^th anniversary year, the funeral for Father Bill’s father (2008), Gwen’s wedding in 2011, and special, quiet times praying in the chapel or in front of the statues of Mother Mary or Saint Joseph.
 
The children, now mostly grown, attended CCD at the parish. But faith formation was not limited to the kids’ experiences. Marty says he and his wife have grown in their faith life thanks to the many ministries and opportunities the church offers.
 
“The Saint Pius library is a great asset. Carolyn and I have checked out many books and CDs to learn more about our faith and the lives of the saints,” Marty notes. “Carolyn visits the chapel during the week to pray the rosary and on Fridays for Eucharistic adoration. We’ve also enjoyed the various speakers, classes and groups to grow in faith, along with attending the Lenten and Advent series.”
 
It’s the parish’s welcoming atmosphere that encouraged the couple to delve deeper into their faith, confides Marty. “I would have to say this is why we are where we are with our faith. Not only have we always felt welcome, we have always had a sense that we belong.”
 
Patrick Hess, the couple’s oldest son, says he has always felt valued at Saint Pius. The 2013 graduate of the University of Notre Dame’s architecture school has the respect and friendship of Father Bill.
 
“I’ve talked a great deal about architecture with him and visions for the future growth of Saint Pius,” says Patrick, now an intern architect at Panzica Building Corporation. “During my last semester of school, Father Bill asked if I would like to get involved with the rectory project and I gladly accepted.”
 
The new rectory, which will be located off the soccer field parking lot, is the first project to be built that Patrick personally designed.
 
“The major difference in the new rectory is the open floor plan and the inclusion of a priest’s suite on the first floor. The open floor plan will allow for more interaction and economic use of space in the living, dining, and kitchen areas. The first floor priest’s suite is intended for use in case the parish has a priest in residence or visiting that does not have the ability to walk to bedrooms upstairs,” he explains.
 
Patrick likes the Romanesque design for the new church because it matches the existing church’s style. While the new church and renovated existing worship space will look much different, Marty is confident Saint Pius will feel just as welcoming.
 
“We hope that there is continued growth and a renewal of faith of those that don’t attend Mass very often. We hope that people will find a fresh start and an increased understanding of a beautiful faith. We hope they find truth,” Marty says earnestly.
 
“We give thanks to the ministries that have helped us develop our faith, giving us a better understanding of the true meaning of the Mass and the Eucharist and all the sacraments.”

Family and Parish Have Shared History

They remember celebrating Mass in a simple second floor chapel at St. Joseph’s Farm with seven rows of pews on each side of an aisle and a small organ in the back. The Eucharistic gifts sat on a small table just inside the chapel door.
 
Holy Cross brothers would attend Mass in their work clothes before heading out to tend the fields that would feed students at the University of Notre Dame. St. Joseph’s Farm sat on Currant Road, adjacent to the Leininger’s farm on Douglas Road, minutes from the church’s current Fir Road location.
 
It was a slower paced lifestyle back then recalls Elnora, the family matriarch. “There were a lot of brothers at St. Joseph’s Farm,” the 91-year-old recalls. “They had an apple orchard, vineyard, cattle feeding operation, dairy cows, and a huge vegetable garden. It was a fun place to go.”
 
In the early 1900s Father George O’Connor, CSC, began offering Mass in the chapel for the farmers of Harris Township. In 1956 Saint Pius was officially as a parish, with 145 founding families, and a new church was erected on Fir Road. By 1989 the parish had blossomed to 1,200 families and was growing by the week. A new, larger church was dedicated in 1992. Presently the parish serves 3,130 families and a new church is planned.
 
While the Saint Pius congregation moved to a new location, the connection to the Brothers of Holy Cross remained strong. Jeff Leininger, 42, remembers the brothers inviting parishioners to their weekly ritual of breakfast after Sunday Mass. The brothers tended the fields of St. Joseph’s Farm until the mid-1990s, when most of them moved into retirement housing. The chapel was still used until about 15 years ago.
 
To the family one of the best memories of the farm’s chapel is their last one: the baptism of Jeff and Jennifer's daughter, Jasmine, in 1999. “It was wonderful,” says Jennifer, 40. “Jasmine was the last one baptized in that chapel at the final Mass. Brother Donald Dunleavy was there. He was family to us. It was very meaningful,” Jennifer recalls. Dunleavy was the last Holy Cross brother to live at the farm. He passed away in 2005.
 
There are also fond memories at the Fir Road churches. “I remember my brother and I being altar servers. We would go to the 7 a.m. Mass and there would not be enough altar boys and my dad would kick us out of the pew. We would go to the back of church and run down in the basement, robe up and appear on the empty side of the altar,” Jeff recalls.

Now the third Saint Pius on Fir Road is planned.
 
“It’s very fitting with all the growth we've had in Harris Township the last 15 to 20 years,” Jeff says, noting that as large as the parish has become, it still feels like a community. “It takes a special priest to stay in touch with all the members and still maintain that small church feel. Monsignor Bill does a great job of recognizing people and knowing their names even though it's now a very large church.”
 
Saint Pius X has embraced the Leininger family through celebrations of births to mourning the losses of loved ones.
 
Jeff’s brother Joe, 39, notes, “as a family we've gone through growth stages at the church, from the transition of baptism through confirmation and marriage. It’s just exciting to see the transition from when I was a young boy to now, bringing my young son, Lukas, to the same church where I was baptized.”
 
“We all need faith, it’s what gets us through the ups and downs of life,” says Jennifer. “Our church family keeps us connected to God's love and grace by witnessing and serving at Saint Pius X.”

By Kate Peterson, Parishioner

Visitors to Martha Rupchock’s modest two-bedroom home on Fir Road quickly discover that hers is a life that is, and always has been, firmly rooted in faith and family. Sitting in her favorite chair near a sunny window, 98-year-old Martha has within reach one of several rosaries, and a treasured picture of her with all 10 of her children—testaments to her devotion to family and prayer.

Martha grew up in the early 1900s in a large, close-knit family that moved from Mishawaka to Belgium and back again. “My family came from Belgium in 1908 with my brother Joe and my sister Mary and my sister Clara,” says Martha, who was born in Mishawaka in 1915. “My mother was so homesick though. So they packed up and went to Belgian in 1922.”

In Belgium, Martha spoke Flemish, the native Belgian language. “The nuns also taught me French. They were good nuns,” she says.

Martha’s family, which then included eight children, returned to Mishawaka in 1927 where Martha says they faced difficult times. “We were poor all the time. My father never had a job. He was a farmer and grew fruit and vegetables,” she says.

Martha and her siblings went to school at St. Bavo’s, where she finished eighth grade. She later met her husband, Stephen, through a mutual friend. The two married when Martha was almost 20, and they lived with Stephen’s mother for the next six years. “She was the best mother-in-law anyone could ever meet,” she says.

In July 1941, Stephen and Martha bought an acre of land and a little house on Fir Road. They moved in with their three children; their fourth was born two months later. Five years later they built a larger house on the same property, where they raised all their children, and Martha still lives today.

“People thought we were crazy to have all these children. But I’m so blessed to have all my children. The best thing you can raise is children,” Martha says.

When they first moved to Granger, the Rupchocks joined about a dozen neighboring families who went to Mass at St. Joseph’s Farm, run by the Brothers of Holy Cross. After some time, Martha says, one of those neighbors donated land to establish Saint Pius, and others, including her husband, worked on Sundays to raise funds to build a church.

From organizing card parties to entertaining the senior group with her harmonica skills (she still plays), Martha has been involved in various ways with Saint Pius X. For years, she helped with Mass at Fountainview Nursing Home, playing harmonica, and bringing flowers from her huge garden to the residents there. She spends a lot of time praying for other parishioners now, since many people share their prayer requests with her. “I pray for them every day, all the families, and so many people with ailments,” she says.

Martha is grateful that even though she is unable to go to Mass every week, a Saint Pius X volunteer brings Holy Communion to her at home, and Father Bill and Father Terry visit regularly as well. Occasionally, she still makes it to Saint Pius X for big events, such as Trivia Night and the Annual Parish Picnic. “It’s the best Mass of the year – it’s so loud with trumpets and bells and violins. They always put me up front near the altar. I love it,” she says of the Saint Pius X Feast Day celebration.

Discipleship occurs when you hear the call to follow Jesus, make the conscious decision to follow him and make it a way of life, and express that discipleship through various forms of stewardship. Parishioner stories of discipleship can be found below.
 

A Transformative Decision
By Bob Wieneke, Parishioner
 
On the morning three-plus years ago when Laura Buckey dropped off her son Jack for his first day of classes at Saint Pius X Catholic School, the decision she and her husband had made to switch schools for their son was quickly reaffirmed.
 
Before he even began school — before he even opened the door to the building for that matter — Laura knew the decision was the right one.
 
“Father Bill was out there in the circle when I dropped him off. He got out of the car and Jack stuck his hand out to shake his hand and Father Bill gave him a big hug,” Laura recalls. “I was like, ‘We’re in the right place.’ I just felt like, ‘This is just what we need.’”
 
Jack had known a couple of his new classmates through sports, but he admits starting at a new school brought with it some awkwardness. The gesture when he arrived helped ease him into his new environment.
 
“That,” he says three years later, “was really a warm welcome.”
 
The positives were just beginning.
 
During Jacks first year at Saint Pius, Director of Religious Education Dan Allen approached Laura about the possibility of her son going through the RCIC process. Laura, who was raised Methodist, decided against it.
 
The following year, Allen again brought it up. This time, she talked to Jack about it. “And he goes, ‘Yeah, I really want to do that,’” Laura says.
 
It wasn’t without challenges. Because he was playing ICCL football at the time, there was a scheduling hitch. After football, Jack would go to class, and Allen would stay 40 minutes after class to help with what needed to be done.
 
“It was a struggle a little,” Jack admitted. “Other than that, it was a pretty fun experience.”
 
Laura says that she and her husband, who also was raised Methodist, were not sticklers about their children going to church. That, though, has changed since Jack became Catholic.
 
“From then on, we did start making it a point that he needed to be at church on Sundays,” Laura says.
 
“We have to,” says Jack, who at times has ridden his bike to Mass. “It’s something all Catholics have to do.”
 
Jack is now a sophomore at Saint Joseph High School. Before he left Saint Pius, though, Laura was once again reminded that she had made the right choice. It came when her son attended a retreat in which Saint Pius eighth-graders talked to high school students.
 
“It was just so awesome. It was like, gosh, these kids are going into high school with all this support and this love and this faith,” Laura says. “I was like, ‘Wow, that was so cool.’ I left there feeling like we are so lucky we have this kid in so the right spot.”
 
Jack, too, knows the importance the two years at Saint Pius had on who he is.
 
“Those two years,” he says, “kind of changed my life.”

By Beth Grisoli, Parishioner                                
 
Different. When Sarah Henry was pregnant, she had a sense that something was different.
 
“I don’t know whether it was a voice or a premonition, and everyone brushed it off because all expectant women worry.” But when they handed her baby Katie, Sarah looked at her daughter and thought, “Oh…different.”
 
Katie, now 19 years old, has Downs Syndrome, and though no one at the hospital had told her or her husband Tom anything, Sarah knew she had been right all along.
 
Tom and Sarah calmly explain that “different” isn’t the same as “bad.” According to Tom, “She was just beautiful, and when the doctor told us, it was like the best and worst day of your life.”
 
When you find out your child has special needs, you have to let go of all the expectations you had. Tom continues, “It’s just so overwhelming, you ask yourself, ‘What does this mean? What will she be like? What are we up against?’” And as the pieces of broken dreams seemed to be scattered at their feet, they decided to put everything in God’s hands to handle.
 
They started praying with Katie before she could even talk. They taught her about Jesus and celebrated his birthday on Christmas, because Katie always loved birthday parties. She knew Jesus was in church and began to think of church as heaven, because that’s where Jesus was too.
 
When time came for religious education, Katie attended CCD classes until her first Communion. The classes became more challenging for her and soon it was too much to manage. A volunteer from Saint Pius offered to work with her one on one with the CCD lessons until things became just too academic. The Henrys felt like they had come to a dead end. “We just decided we’d have to sit out then. It was so hard,” Tom says, “We wondered if this was as far as we could go with it.”
 
But God has a way of sending angels when you need them most, and Saint Pius Parish is a reliable source of them. At the time Michele Chronister was beginning a religious education and faith formation program for children and adults with disabilities and special learning needs - the Children of St. Angela Merici.
 
Sarah says, “She was AMAZING. The most calm, loving, happy person. It’s just a beautiful thing she created. So welcoming and positive. Katie looked forward to it every week.”
 
The program uses a combination of learning strategies and touchable objects that make concepts of faith very real to the children and adults. Michele has since moved from the area, but the Children of St. Angela Merici program continues at Saint Pius.
 
“We say prayers every night, and one night Katie just started in on the Hail Mary and Glory Be and just about blew me away,” Tom laughs. “You knew it was a great program because I don’t think she even knew she was in a class to learn things. “ She learned the seasons of the church year and corresponding vestments by helping a Father Pius doll vest every class. By the time she was ready to be confirmed, Katie knew the rosary, all the parts of the Mass and the fruits of the Holy Spirit. She also decided she wanted to serve Saint Pius as an altar server.
 
Sarah smiles, “We all benefitted from it so much. It did so much for Katie to be able to participate and really understand what we’re doing at Mass. It gave her a real connection to church.”
 
Having a child with special needs can be very isolating. Families often feel left out of things many parents take for granted. When Katie finished the program, the Henrys had a very different feeling than they did years earlier when CCD didn’t seem possible anymore.
 
“We had so much peace when we completed the St. Angela program,” Tom says. “This ministry not only makes faith formation accessible to those with intellectual challenges, it reminds us that ‘different’ is definitely not the same as ‘bad.’ These children and adults are perfect in God’s eyes.”
 
[God] said to me, ‘My grace is enough for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ – 2 Corinthians 12:6

Service or stewardship is an expression of discipleship. As disciples of Jesus we try to do as Jesus would, helping to clothe and feed the poor or tend to the spiritual needs of others. Parishioner stories of service can be found below.
 

By Gwen O’Brien
 
During the Advent of 2012, Maria and Tom Panowicz were looking for ways to inspire their seven children. How could they show them the true meaning of Christmas? The answer to their quest was found in the weekly bulletin, which Tom reads thoroughly every Sunday, highlighter in hand.
 
“I remember Father Bill writing frequently about how the secular world treats Christmas (consumerism, how early it starts, etc.) and how we Catholics celebrate it with Advent and then the Christmas season,” Tom recalls.
 
Also in the bulletin was a reminder about the Giving Tree, a program where parishioners can purchase Christmas gifts for children in need in the South Bend-area. The act of stewardship begins with selecting a tag with a child’s name on it from a tree (or basket) in the back of the church.
 
“Maria and I thought the Giving Tree Program would be an excellent way to help our family avoid getting caught up with the secular treatment of Christmas and instead remind us to focus on why Jesus was born, our Catholic faith, and the stewardship of service,” says Tom. “We wanted to show our family that stewardship is a way of living and that includes service to others.”
 
That Advent Tom and the three oldest kids delivered gifts from the parish to area families.
 
“Emma, Jack, Alex and myself were not sure what to expect. In the photo you see that we were at church loading the truck with the gifts, food and blankets. The last deliveries were being sorted out in the gyms and we were assigned four families to deliver to and had to find a way to fit all the items safely in the truck,” he remembers.
 
“We found it to be a fulfilling Christmas experience. It was wonderful to see the joy on all the faces of those kids as they watched us bring the gifts and food into their homes, and the gratefulness of the parents.”
 
By 2013 all seven of the Panowicz kids were involved in the Giving Tree program. That includes Emma, 14, Jack, 12, Alex, 10, Cole, 8, Leah, 6, Max, 4, and Molly, 3
 
“Our smaller ones, Leah, Max and Molly, especially enjoyed transporting the gifts from the church to the two parish gyms where the presents are sorted. After the gifts were sorted and packaged according to families, Emma, Jack, Alex, and Cole, helped deliver them. They took turns reading the directions to each family’s home as well as making sure the gifts and food got to the correct families.”
 
Tom says Saint Pius X parish has enhanced the family’s faith life.
 
“It starts with Saint Pius promoting and supporting stewardship and offering so many opportunities to grow our family closer to Christ,” he says.
 
“Saint Pius is part of our weekly, if not daily, lives. Whether it’s confession, Eucharistic adoration, Mass during the week in the chapel, family holy hour, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a Rekindle the Fire meeting, Middle School Youth Group, or Date Night for Married Couples, Saint Pius provides a focal point for our faith development that we want and need.”
 
As homeschool parents, the Panowicz family has found support and fellowship at the parish. They’ve met many other homeschool families, many of whom have become close friends.
 
“We share and discuss similar concerns and ideas about homeschooling, particularly about living our Catholic faith, and we help each other with teaching class subjects.”
 
They also play and worship together.
 
“Father Bill has been supportive of and open to homeschooling,” Tom expresses with enthusiasm.
 
“The Homeschool Mass is on the first Friday of every month and is celebrated along with the Saint Pius School children. At this Mass, the homeschool children take the lead roles as altar servers, lectors, and cantors. Also, the religious education staff does a great job of incorporating and accommodating homeschoolers in the sacrament preparations. And recently, we’ve been able to use the auxiliary gym on a Friday once a month for a homeschool family fun night.”
 
Tom says he and Maria are reminded how special the parish is when relatives attend Mass with them. 
 
“We hope that all Saint Pius parishioners see this too and not take it for granted. Our hope is they find the best way to participate more and embrace stewardship as a way of life to ultimately grow closer to Christ.”

Saint Pius X parishioner Gwen O'Brien wrote this story. You’re most likely to see Gwen and her husband, Terry, and their daughters Paige, 17, Grace, 14, and Jade, 10 at the 5:30 p.m. Mass on Saturdays or Sundays. They’ve been parishioners since 2001. Gwen, a lector, serves with Grace, and Jade as hospitality ministers and Terry and Paige are Eucharistic ministers. Gwen works as director of media relations at Saint Mary’s College.
 

By Maggie Smith, Parishioner
 
My husband Mike and I joined Saint Pius in 1998 after being at St. Thomas in Elkhart while our son, Chris, attended school there. Mike and Chris started going to Saint Pius before I did because I was in the choir at St. Thomas and loved both the director and the “folk Mass” on Saturday. But Chris met some kids at Penn who were involved in St. Pius’ youth group in 1997 and 1998, and Mike really liked Father Peter Jarrett, CSC, who was the pastor. At some point, because we live less than a mile from Saint Pius, it seemed foolish for us as a family to belong to two parishes and not attend Mass together.
 
We are impressed with the many, many ministry options at Saint Pius X. Choir was a “no-brainer” for me from the get-go because of my St. Thomas experience. After being in Sunday Morning Choir for a duration, I was eventually inspired to join the Sunday Evening Choir, then under the leadership of Jacqueline Schmidt. Singing at that Mass has become very important to me. It was a natural progression for Mike to become a Minister of Hospitality since we couldn’t sit together at Mass anyway. It’s a good ministry for him because he’s typically not a “joiner” if it means a lot of meetings, etc.
 
Together, Mike and I have also opened our hearts to the St. Vincent de Paul Society (SVDP) and are true believers that the light of Christ’s face shines through its members and through its clients. We have developed wonderful friendships through this organization as well. The words of The Servant Song resonate whenever we are doing a food call, stocking the pantry or sorting clothes at the SVDP facility. “Will you let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you. Pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant, too.” And even more so: “We are pilgrims on a journey. We are travelers on the road. We are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.” Those words speak to us.

We feel it is a privilege to be Catholic because of the Eucharist. No other faith has the opportunity to receive the body and blood of Jesus every single day. Having been raised Catholic and been practicing Catholics for most of our adult lives, Saint Pius is one of the few parishes we have encountered that is putting stewardship words into action.
 
Saint Pius has encouraged us to become good stewards by offering the number of ministries we have here. If someone opens his or her heart, they are able to find a place where they feel they are truly in the presence of Jesus. We are blessed to have a collection of leaders and parishioners who are pilgrims on a journey and encourage each other to be involved.

Being a good steward means seeing our lives through eyes of faith. It means coming to realize that sometimes you have to respond to the call of God while still in the dark. Ultimately it means that we become teachers of that faith and that we are committed to living that mission in the spirit of gratitude that God is allowing us to be part of His plan and the plan he had through his Son.

Community, at Saint Pius, reaches beyond the pews. Parishioners say once they become involved in Saint Pius ministries, the large parish of more than 10,000 people becomes much more intimate. Friends become family. Parishioner stories of community can be found below.
 

Stewardship Builds Community
By Gwen O’Brien

A sense of community. That’s what Sister Marie Heppeler, a second grade teacher at Saint Pius grade school, hopes her students feel when they visit Waterford at Edison Lakes, a retirement home in Mishawaka. Father Bill or Father Terry say Mass, which the kids attend with the seniors. The students and the residents then read stories together. The visit is an act of stewardship for the elderly. It’s part of the parish’s Step-by-Step Stewardship program.
 
“I think what’s important for our kids is the fact that Jesus invites all of us to gather as one as community, in His name, and that the Church is people of all ages worshiping together as one,” she says. “Watching the senior citizens receive Communion is an inspiration to the children, knowing that, once they make their first Communion, it is a gift Jesus gives them for the rest of their life.”
 
Tonya O’Dell, executive director of the Waterford and a Saint Pius parishioner, says it warms her heart to see the kids with the residents. “The interaction between these two very different generations is amazing to witness. I'm not sure who gets more out of the interaction, the kids or the elderly but I know for sure I see the goodness of God with each interaction.” 
 
Such little life lessons start early at Saint Pius in the school and religious education programs with Step-by-Step Stewardship. Children learn about different types of need, based on their age and ability to understand each need. For example, preschool through fourth grade students focus on the needy, the environment, the elderly, and the hungry. As students grow in their understanding of these societal needs, the focus shifts to such areas as the military/veterans, homelessness, and respecting life. These deeper areas of focus afford the opportunity to guide students’ reflection on the values of dignity, commitment, and simplicity.
 
Here’s another snapshot of the program: A group of four-year-old children assemble on the carpet in their preschool classroom for a very special visit from Father Bill. The children can barely contain their excitement as they listen intently to a story about a family who couldn’t afford to buy a Christmas tree, yet went home with the tree farmer’s favorite tree, a gift from the farmer. After the story, the students gather for a group photo. Their smiles reveal the love they have for their cherished priest.
 
This visit, which took place in early December, was organized to celebrate the preschoolers’ participation in the Saint Vincent de Paul Christmas Basket Program. The children brought in enough food to make over 50 green bean casseroles. The students understood the food would feed other families during Christmas.
 
Participation in this program allows the school, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, and CCD students to transform their understanding of stewardship to an experience of true self-worth, enhanced self-esteem, and the joy of helping others. Thankfulness to God for the gift to help others is the culmination of this cycle.
 
“Each year in the program, they give of themselves to others — be they veterans, the homeless, at-risk infants and children, etc. — by developing and using their gifts for the common good,” explains Susan Carozza, the middle school religion teacher at Saint Pius X Catholic School.
 
“By their eighth grade year, the students have been introduced to many facets of Christian service as a way of life,” she says “A final project in their graduating year encourages them to develop and articulate a personal statement about stewardship as they delve into how the Beatitudes are lived and given witness to in parish and school ministries. Creatively and uniquely in this last project, the students express an understanding that to follow Christ is to love and serve the people they encounter in their lives.”
 
Laine Soper’s five children attended the school until the family recently moved to Milwaukee. She says the Step-by-Step Stewardship program opened her children’s eyes to what it means to be steward. “My children all have a very strong love of God and feel eager and honored to volunteer and serve. I credit the strong focus on stewardship at Saint Pius with helping foster this.”
 
Saint Pius X parishioner Gwen O'Brien wrote this story. You’re most likely to see Gwen and her husband, Terry, and their daughters Paige, 17, Grace, 14, and Jade, 10 at the 5:30 p.m. Mass on Saturdays or Sundays. They’ve been parishioners since 2001. Gwen, a lector, serves with Grace, and Jade as hospitality ministers and Terry and Paige are Eucharistic ministers. Gwen works as director of media relations at Saint Mary’s College.
 

By Jim Brandner, Parishioner
 
Our family moved to Granger from Fort Wayne in December 1986. As former members of St. Jude and St. Charles parishes in Fort Wayne, we were looking for a parish near our home. Our family officially joined Saint Pius X in 1987. Back then St. Pius was in the original small church on Fir Road and Mass was mostly held in the gym. Father Tom Jones, CSC, was the pastor at the time.
  
For a long time, I was a pew warmer, attending Mass every week, but never getting very active. I was asked a number of times to attend a Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP) retreat, but always declined using the excuses “that’s not for me” or that I was “too busy.” For some reason, I decided to attend the weekend retreat during Palm Sunday weekend of 2008. Let’s just say, my eyes were opened and that Holy Week was one of the best ever for me. I experienced a change of attitude toward my faith and my relationship with God. I also became a brother to more than 30 other men that weekend as a member of Team 7 (the seventh team to take part in CRHP at the parish). When I was asked to be co-spiritual director for Team 8, I was honored and nervous, but trusted the Holy Spirit to guide us. With Team 8, I found a new commitment to the CRHP process and I gained another 30 men that I could call brothers.  
 
For me the CRHP experience was the catalyst to become more engaged in my faith and the parish. I began to read scripture. I became involved with Rekindle the Fire, a men’s faith group at Saint Pius. I attended men’s faith conferences. I became an RCIA sponsor last year for one of my Team 6 brothers. I became co-spiritual director again, this time for Team 12. I am also involved with the Stephen Ministry, Arise Together in Christ, the Rolling Fellowship, the Friday Morning Men’s Spiritual Study Group, and Matthew 25 projects. By simply saying “yes” to the CRHP retreat, I now have a fuller and more rewarding Christian life.
 
Through the Saint Pius X parish community, I have realized God’s love for us, and want to try to follow Jesus’ call to serve others. In serving others, we are honoring God’s command to “love one another.”

Growing up at Saint Pius, Two Find Their Callings

By Bob Montgomery, Parishioner

In August 2001, John Derbiszewski was just 17, about to begin his senior year in high school, when he drowned in dangerous surf at Warren Dunes in Lake Michigan trying to rescue a friend. With unimaginable grief, his then-10-year-old sister Joann came home one day and found God in the form of a basket. This basket of love was filled with all sorts of items of support from Saint Pius X. She and her then-5-year-old sister, Iwonka, still have two little stuffed animals from that basket.

“It just really impacted me because I knew it came from the church, and I had no idea who these people were looking out for my family and praying for us,” Joann says. “And I remember Father Bill, who had just recently come into the parish, and Father Dan (Scheidt) both came to our home and prayed with us.”

Joann is a recent Marian University graduate who can’t remember a time when her family was not involved in Saint Pius life. Her vivid memories are too many to list but begin with her First Communion in second grade.

“I just remember being in line with my best friend Allison, and we walked down the main aisle and sat together as a group. I still remember the lyrics to a song we sang as a class,” Joann recalls. “Let us eat the bread of Christ, all around the table of the Lord...Let us drink the blood of Christ, all around the table of the Lord…”

Joann grew up attending a public high school and went through all the necessary religious education classes at Saint Pius and then some. This is when spirituality really sparked in her, she says.

“The reason I was so active was because of the people leading us. That’s part of the reason I became a theology major in college. The youth ministers were so inviting and encouraging. It didn’t matter what I had going on, I knew I could trust them,” explains Joann.

While working full time for the family’s photography business, Derby Photography, Joann works part time at Saint Pius as the high school youth minister and teaches seventh grade CCD. “Sometimes I’m tired, but those little God moments that they have…make it all worthwhile.”

While Saint Pius helped shape Joann’s life and stewardship both in and out of the church, another young person growing up at Saint Pius decided to go all-in. Father Jacob Meyer was ordained in 2012.

“Saint Pius has really formed me into what I’m going to be for the rest of my priesthood. Father Bill as a mentor, Father Dan and certainly Father Terry, all of these priests, tirelessly giving of themselves for the church and for the parish,” says Father Jacob. “This community comes together and prays well, we have fun together and are a great example of the church. I think this is definitely going to stay with me for the rest of my life. It is a model for me.”

The future of the Church, Saint Pius X specifically, continues to grow and change. For every Joann and Jacob here today, there will be others lining up behind them. There are nearly twice as many parishioners at Saint Pius than when Joann and Father Jacob were growing up here. A new, larger church plus the Parish Education Center dedicated in 2008 will help accommodate the faith formation of generations to come.

By Clare Roach, Parishioner
 
Before moving to Granger and joining the Saint Pius X community, my husband and I had always belonged to small parishes. I grew up in a small, multi-ethnic parish in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. in which it seemed my family knew the majority of other families at any given Mass regardless of whether the Mass was said in English, Spanish or Tagalog. And since getting married, Brandon and I always managed to end up in parishes affiliated with universities, sometimes because we were students and sometimes because we just lived close by.
 
As one might imagine, our first experience at Saint Pius was a bit daunting. We sat, nestled into one of the back rows, with our young children wiggling in our laps. The liturgy, with its stirring music, was beautiful. The humorous, silver-haired pastor was engaging and warm. But, as I looked around at the congregation, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by its enormity. Except for a neighbor several rows ahead, I saw a vast sea of strangers. I was thoroughly intimidated.
 
The sheer size of the parish was enough to lead me to become a “pew warmer” for the first year or two after joining. But, I don't consider myself a pew warmer anymore. It wasn't a single experience that began the transformation. Rather, it was a slow process of reaching out and beginning to answer the parish’s call to embrace stewardship and build community.
 
The first step took the form of answering an Elizabeth Ministry advertisement in the bulletin. Getting to know other moms who, like me, struggled with postpartum depression after the birth of a child was a godsend. All of the sudden, the parish started to feel a little smaller. Then, as my toddlers grew into preschoolers, I discovered Saint Pius’ Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Program and the inviting and faith-filled women who help it to thrive. Saint Pius was starting to feel like my parish home - a place where I felt known and where my family was nourished. And, because Saint Pius started to feel like home, I was all the more willing to help it flourish. Now on any given Sunday you’ll still find me in a pew with a child wiggling in my lap, but you might also find me lectoring or teaching CCD. This year I am the lead catechist of an 8^th grade class.
 
There were also other things our family did, sometimes unwittingly, to help make Saint Pius feel a bit more intimate. We started going regularly to the same Mass and sitting in the same section of the church. There are families we’ve come to know because we all sit near each other each week. And, we try to make it a point to say hello to someone around us before leaving Mass.
 
Looking back, every time I reached out to serve the parish, it helped me to feel stronger sense of community. It isn’t always easy being part of a large, bustling parish. But, there are a lot of benefits too. There’s a little something for all of us, if we’re open to it. Now I look at the vast sea of people on Sunday and I find it far more comforting than intimidating. We’re not strangers. We live our faith communally. We’re a family, albeit a big one, and what isn’t Catholic about that?

By Kim Mauch, parishioner

Faith and community can see us through the hardest of times. Theresa Pace Vasquez, the Spanish teacher for Saint Pius X Catholic School, was blessed to have both during the most trying time in her life.
 
In the fall of 2012, Theresa and her husband, Diego Vasquez, conceived a child. They were so grateful to God to entrust them with the gift of life. During a routine ultrasound, the sonographer confirmed the baby was a girl. As Theresa continued to watch, she was thrilled to see her little girl’s heart beating and her tiny arms waving around.
 
Everything seemed perfect.
 
Then, the doctor came in and told Theresa that the baby had a diaphragmatic hernia — a hole in the diaphragm that allows abdominal organs to move into the chest and restrict lung development. The baby’s life was in question, he told her. The doctor arranged for Theresa to see a specialist in the morning.
 
“That night I tried not to worry too much,” she said. The couple named the baby Lily.
 
A second ultrasound showed possible additional problems with the pregnancy. A doctor approached Theresa and said, “Don't worry. You have 'options'.“ She knew that he meant abortion.
 
“I just sat up and told him that that would not be one of my options. I was so offended that he even mentioned it. I just saw my daughter's heart beating minutes before and felt her little arms and legs moving around. I was disgusted to know that this could even be an 'option' for women so late in their pregnancy,” professed Theresa. There was never another "option", other than to carry Lily for as long as God allowed.
 
Several more trips to Indianapolis to see specialists followed. After meeting with neonatologists, pediatric surgeons and genetic counselors, Theresa learned about 'Fryns Syndrome'. Fryns is a genetic disorder with a 25% chance of recurrence with each pregnancy. They wouldn't know for sure if Lily had this until after her birth.
 
The gravity of the situation sank in with each medical visit that Theresa endured — Lily would not be coming home to join her husband and son, Romeo, age 15. Future pregnancies could bring more heartache.
 
Yet, Theresa continued to teach each day. She remained steadfast in her faith that God was in control. She felt it to be a privilege to carry a beautiful gift from God for almost nine months.
 
“My Saint Pius family was with me the entire journey. Knowing this gave me strength to continue each day and to cherish each kick from Lily even more,” she said.

Lilliam Maureen Vasquez entered the world at 4:30 a.m. on February 15, 2013. It’s unclear whether she passed away in the womb or after she was born. Theresa had asked the nurses to turn off the fetal monitor — an unnecessary distraction during labor. When the baby was handed to her mother, it looked as though Lily was peacefully sleeping.
 
“It's funny because as soon as you have a baby in your hands, you immediately start to rock or gently pat the baby. I knew Lily was not alive, but it was just an instinctive reaction when I held her, to rock her. I asked my mom and sister to give her a bath so the rest of the family could meet her,” Theresa recalls.
 
Lily was with Theresa almost the entire time during the hospital stay. She had baby pictures taken by an organization called Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, and she kept a locket of Lily’s hair.
 
A funeral service was held at Saint Pius X Catholic Church on Monday, April 8, 2013.
 
In the spring of 2013, the graduating 8^th grade class of Saint Pius X Catholic School dedicated their class gift to Theresa, Lily, and the Vasquez family — a ceramic wall hanging of Madonna and Child purchased in Italy by religion teacher Susan Carozza. The piece hangs in the 2nd floor lobby across from the library in the Parish Education Center, providing a permanent memory of the strength of a special teacher in the Saint Pius family and the impact she had on her students.
 
On January 18, 2014, the Vasquez family welcomed Luciana Marie Vasquez. “Lucy” entered the world at 5:58 a.m., weighing 7lb. 8oz. The family is doing well.

“Her first breath took ours away.”