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 and in the submenu to the right.
Family and Parish Have Shared History
By Jim Meenan, ParishionerDiscipleship 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.
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 and in the submenu to the right.
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.
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 and in the submenu to the right.
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.