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The Formation of a New
Parish
The story of St. Pius X Roman Catholic
Church began in the the early 1950s. By 1951 school enrollment at the Church of the
Resurrection on Creedmore
Avenue had reached 1,171, and the parish had added another 1,000 families since
the dedication of their new church in 1939. By September, 1953 the school
enrollment showed 1,346 and the parish census files listed 2,842
families.
It was at this point that Bishop Dearden
set about to establish another parish. The formal decree of erection of this,
the third offspring parish from Resurrection, as issued on June 9, 1954, and was
dedicated as St. Pius X. Several families from Resurrection were to be merged with
an equal number each from St. Bernard's and from St. Catherine's to form the new
congregation.
The parish name was in honor of the
cannonization of Pius X on May 29, 1954, and the parish location was secured
with the acquisition of the Lydia Fleming property at 3020 Pioneer Avenue.
On the three and a half acre plot there was to be erected a combination church
and school.
The Early Days
Father Patrick Cullen, the parish's first
pastor, took possession at 2:30pm on June 10, 1954. The Sisters of Charity from
nearby DePaul Institute already had planted a medal of the new parish's patron
saint somewhere on the newly acquired grounds.
Several Sisters of Charity worked late
preparing the temporary church at DePaul for the parish's first Mass, which was
held on June 13, 1954, in Our Lady of Victory Hall. Everything except the Priest
and the Missal was borrowed. The plywood altar came from SS. Peter and Paul,
Beaver; the tabernacle and sanctuary light from Toner Institute; linens from
Resurrection; ciboria from St. Bernard; candles, candlesticks, Missal stand,
lectern, cruets and Communion wine from DePaul. The Communion rail was made
by Mr. Jamison, head of the DePaul woodworking department. There were no pews
or cushioned kneelers, just folding chairs and a hard, bare gymnasium
floor.
The first baptisms in the parish occurred
on Sunday, June 20, 1954. Richard B. Martin, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard C.
Martin, and Patricia Louise, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Louis Rago Jr., were
christened.
The former Fleming estate was transformed
into a parish house and chapel, with the first daily Mass held in on August 20,
1954. In December of that year, men of the parish constructed an outdoor crib
and placed it on the grounds facing Pioneer Avenue. During that first year, the
parish witnessed 16 weddings, the first being the marriage of George Leo Harbin
and Helen Catherine Noceti.
Church and School Construction
Begins
In January of 1955, plans began for
a Building Fund drive, with a $100,000 goal set for the end of the year. Following
weather delays, ground was broken on February 13, 1955, for the new church
and school. Also, a second general meeting was held in March to make plans
for a fund-raising Summer Festival.
On Easter Sunday, 1955, it was announced
that the school would be accepting registrations for the 1956 school year, grades
one through four. In June, Reverend Jerome F. Logue was ordained, becoming the
first member of St. Pius X Parish to enter the priesthood.
The Summer Festival, the first
annual St. Pius Expo, was
held despite threatening weather, and was the most successful venture the parish
had held to date. The school building was nearing
completion and the
congregation's spirits soared.
Shortly after the Festival, the big news
spread - the Benedictine Sisters were to staff the new school. Later in July,
parishioners were told that grades one to four would open in September. A fifth
grade would be added the next year, the sixth the year after, and so on, until
eight grades were completed. The initial staff of Benedictine Sisters were
Sister Edith Collins, Principal, Sister Mary Damian, Sister Mary Anthony and
Sister Virginia. To house the Sisters, the parish house was converted into a
convent.
On August 21, 1955, the cornerstone of
the Church and School were laid with the appropriate dedications and ceremony.
On August 31, the new rectory was completed at 3059 Pioneer Avenue.
On September 7, 1955, the school opened
for the first time to the first through fourth graders, and on December 3,
Bishop Dearden dedicated the new Church. The congregation was growing by leaps
and bounds, and now numbered some 430 families.
Forty Years to Grow Strong
Roots
Father Cullen oversaw the parish until
an illness forced him to retire in March of 1968. During his 14 years as
spiritual leader of St. Pius X, the congregation continued to see steady growth.
Once again overcrowding became an issue for the diocese. The parish of Our
Lady of Loreto opened in 1961, made up of families from St. Pius and
Resurrection. And finally, on March 25, 1965, a new convent was dedicated at
2681 Waddington Avenue to house the growing number of Benedictine Sisters
teaching at the school.
Father Cullen celebrated his last Mass
on March 17, 1968. Father Thomas McCarthy was named the new church pastor, but
served for only three months before leaving.
On June 10, 1968, Father Thomas M. Marpes
was installed as pastor, and began a 34-year tenure as spiritual leader of
St. Pius X congregation.
During Father Marpes' first year with
the parish, work was begun on renovating the church to become a permanent
church, and work also began on renovating and repairing the school building.
On December 10, 1971, Cullen Hall was dedicated in honor on the first pastor.
In January of 1973, the former convent opened anew as St. Pius X Home, which is
now owned by the Mercy Health System. Finally, on August 18, 1974, the new
Church Bell Tower was dedicated.
February of 1977 saw the opening of
a school chapel for Daily Eucharist, and in May of that same year the
congregation met a major milestone in the life of the parish. On May 8,
Bishop Vincent Leonard and Father Marpes had the honor of burning the
original mortgage with the appropriate ceremonies. Also in May, the Shrine
to the Mother of God was dedicated. To end the decade of the 1970s, the parish
celebrated its 25th anniversary on June 10, 1979.
The 1980s saw more changes to the
church and the parish grounds. In the church, the new altar mosaic background
featuring faceted color glass and the hanging crucifix were installed on April
17, 1983. Outside on the school grounds, ground was broken for the construction
of a new activities building on June 24, 1983. The blessing and dedication
of the new addition occurred on March 11, 1984. The building is now named "Marpes
Pavilion" in honor of Father Thomas M. Marpes.
In May of 1986, a new tabernacle with
the Last Supper relief was dedicated, along with the intertwining rings. The
following year the monument with the name of the church, school and pavilion
on Pioneer Avenue was dedicated. Finally, on August 7, 1988, the relief of
the Holy Spirit and the relief of St. Pius X were added to the church
facade.
In November of 1990, the crucifix
from Toner Institute was dedicated as an outdoor shrine facing Pioneer
Avenue, next to the rectory. It has become a frequent devotional stop for
many in the neighborhood.
On a low note, between late February
28 and March 1, 1995, vandals did an estimated $20,000 in damage to church
and school property. Damage included graffiti scrawled inside and outside
the church, pew upholstery ripped and destruction of an oriental carpet at
the altar. The damage was repaired and prayers were said.
St. Pius X Church and Brookline
Regional Catholic Elementary School
The year 1996 was a big year for St.
Pius School. The diocese was facing increasing financial hardships supporting
three school buildings in the same neighborhood. In a move to ease this
burden, Resurrection school was closed permanently, Loreto was converted into
a school for grades K-3 only and grades 4-8 moved to St. Pius. The new school
was renamed Brookline Regional Catholic. In 2004, Loreto school closed
permanently and now all Brookline Regional Catholic classes, grades K-8, are
held at the St. Pius location.
<See Some Photos of Brookline Regional
Catholic Athletic Teams>
On June 11, 2000, Father Marpes, now
in his 32nd year with the parish, celebrated the 50th anniversary of his
ordination. Father Marpes was one of the longest serving pastors ever in
the Brookline area and he had become like a father to several generations
of Brookliners. His 50th anniversary was a time for the entire community to
celebrate.
The last changes to occur during the
tenure of Father Marpes were the donation of the Book of Gospels and the
addition of the ambry where the holy oils are kept, on April 8, 2001, and
finally the dedication of the Family Statue on February 14, 2002.
The Lord is My
Sheppard ...
On August 15, 2002, Father Thomas M. Marpes,
34-year pastor of St. Pius and a man revered among the congregation, the
Community of Brookline and the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, passed away after
a long battle with cancer. A humble servant joined his Father in heaven, and
generations of his friends and neighbors here on earth mourned the passing
of this great man.
We Remember, We Celebrate,
We Believe
On September 21, 2002, Father Robert
J. Miller was installed as only the fourth pastor in the 48-year history of the
parish. Then, in November, Fran Markey, the long-time church secretary retired.
Fran had served as secretary for all four of the church's pastors.
The year 2004 marked a major milestone
for the parish and school. On January 3, 2004, Bishop Donald Wuerl celebrated
Mass on the Feast of the Ephiphany, opening a year-long celebration of the 50th
anniversary of St. Pius X Parish.
In those 50 years, the church and school
have served the spiritual and scholastic needs of the congregation with an
excellence unsurpassed in Brookline's long history. May the next 50 years see
the light of our Lord shine on the parish with the same brilliance as in the past
half century.
The Roll Call of
Pastors
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Father Robert J.
Miller
(2002-Present) |
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