Mission & History
Our Mission
We, the members of St. Pius X Parish, are a Roman Catholic family of faith rooted in the Eucharist, nourished by God’s Word and faithful to the sacramental life of the Church.
We are committed to welcoming every person we encounter with the love and mercy of Christ. We strive to imitate Christ in all that we say and do. We are committed to teaching and sharing the Gospel, to supporting one another in prayer and action, and to reaching out to those in need, so that, as a community of disciples, we can embrace our parish patron’s call to “restore all things in Christ.”
We are committed to welcoming every person we encounter with the love and mercy of Christ. We strive to imitate Christ in all that we say and do. We are committed to teaching and sharing the Gospel, to supporting one another in prayer and action, and to reaching out to those in need, so that, as a community of disciples, we can embrace our parish patron’s call to “restore all things in Christ.”
Our History
In the Spring of 1955, Bishop Lawrence J. Shehan of Bridgeport, in search of a site for a new parish in Fairfield, purchased a 13-acre parcel of land on Brookside Drive from the late Walter O’Malley, who was then the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers. The parcel, known as the Lincoln Kennel property, included a barn and a white frame farmhouse that the O’Malley family used as a residence in the summers and on weekends.
In the Fall of 1955, on October 25, Bishop Shehan established the parish of St. Pius X. A few weeks later Father Francis X. McGuire, the first pastor, took up residence in the “new” rectory— the white frame farmhouse.
The first parish Masses were held in the Students’ Chapel in Loyola Hall at Fairfield University and weddings, baptisms and funerals were held at Holy Family Church until Saint Pius X Church was built in 1958. Our church was designed by J. Gerald Phelan and built by the E. & F. Construction Company of Bridgeport with seating capacity of 612 persons.
Over the years, St. Pius X Parish continued to grow and thrive. In 2007, the “Building Together in Faith…Past, Present, and Future” campaign was launched to build a new Faith Center to address the present and future needs of the growing St. Pius Family of Faith. At this time, the Parish was adding an average of five families per week, managing 50 different ministries, celebrating more than 3,000 baptisms, 1,500 weddings, and thousands of funerals.
The new Faith Center was designed to include a small chapel, community room, needed office space, and other meeting space facilities. It would allow the parish to better accommodate the life-giving and life-changing ministries, enrich spiritual experiences, and enhance the community life. The vision was built upon the vision of those who founded the parish, built the church and school, and sustained and nourished the faith over the years within their own families.
By 2009, the campaign had attained 83% of it’s original goal and was well on it’s way to being realized. By the Fall of 2011, Bishop William E. Lori presided over the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Faith Center. One year later in 2012, the parish hosted a Gala Dinner Dance at the Country Club of Fairfield to raise the last of the proceeds to finish up the construction of the Faith Center project. Two years later in 2014, Bishop Caggiano dedicated the Faith Center Chapel and the Community Room, Munro Ministry Rooms, Music Ministry Room, and Prayer Garden well all up and running and being used on a regular basis by parishioners. The last part of the project, the office wing, was completed in 2016. By 2017 the parish office team had moved from the original office space in the Rectory to the new office space in the Faith Center.
There were 464 families that made up the first parishioners of St. Pius X Parish. Today, St. Pius X has more than 2,000 families because of the hard work and sacrifices that the original families made. We are truly grateful to them and look forward to growing well into the future to continue to serve our Family of Faith.
In the Fall of 1955, on October 25, Bishop Shehan established the parish of St. Pius X. A few weeks later Father Francis X. McGuire, the first pastor, took up residence in the “new” rectory— the white frame farmhouse.
The first parish Masses were held in the Students’ Chapel in Loyola Hall at Fairfield University and weddings, baptisms and funerals were held at Holy Family Church until Saint Pius X Church was built in 1958. Our church was designed by J. Gerald Phelan and built by the E. & F. Construction Company of Bridgeport with seating capacity of 612 persons.
Over the years, St. Pius X Parish continued to grow and thrive. In 2007, the “Building Together in Faith…Past, Present, and Future” campaign was launched to build a new Faith Center to address the present and future needs of the growing St. Pius Family of Faith. At this time, the Parish was adding an average of five families per week, managing 50 different ministries, celebrating more than 3,000 baptisms, 1,500 weddings, and thousands of funerals.
The new Faith Center was designed to include a small chapel, community room, needed office space, and other meeting space facilities. It would allow the parish to better accommodate the life-giving and life-changing ministries, enrich spiritual experiences, and enhance the community life. The vision was built upon the vision of those who founded the parish, built the church and school, and sustained and nourished the faith over the years within their own families.
By 2009, the campaign had attained 83% of it’s original goal and was well on it’s way to being realized. By the Fall of 2011, Bishop William E. Lori presided over the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Faith Center. One year later in 2012, the parish hosted a Gala Dinner Dance at the Country Club of Fairfield to raise the last of the proceeds to finish up the construction of the Faith Center project. Two years later in 2014, Bishop Caggiano dedicated the Faith Center Chapel and the Community Room, Munro Ministry Rooms, Music Ministry Room, and Prayer Garden well all up and running and being used on a regular basis by parishioners. The last part of the project, the office wing, was completed in 2016. By 2017 the parish office team had moved from the original office space in the Rectory to the new office space in the Faith Center.
There were 464 families that made up the first parishioners of St. Pius X Parish. Today, St. Pius X has more than 2,000 families because of the hard work and sacrifices that the original families made. We are truly grateful to them and look forward to growing well into the future to continue to serve our Family of Faith.
