Pastor's Desk Notes

January 5, 2025

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

When Bishop Caggiano told me I was to be pastor at St. Pius X, he set January 5, 2015, as my start date. It is hard to believe that ten years have gone by already! This parish has been and remains a tremendous blessing in my life. More than any lesson, this decade has taught me that the life breath of this parish cannot be in any activity, ministry, or person, save that of the Person of Jesus Christ.

Instaurare omnia in Christo – To restore all things in Christ. This motto of Pope St. Pius X is writ large in my heart, and I try to make it my own and a guiding principle in what I do here. This is why it was important early in my time here to place the Tabernacle at the center of the sanctuary. Jesus Christ must be at the center of everything we do. Our parish patron is known as the Pope of the Eucharist, and so I am firmly convinced that Jesus in the Eucharist must be at the center and heart of our parish, most especially in the place where we worship. In fact, as I see it, everything we are as a parish starts at the church’s altar, flows from it, and returns eventually to that place of worship. The Second Vatican Council says that the Eucharist is the source and summit of our Catholic faith, a truth that Pope St. Pius X had already articulated, and which I hope the parish that bears his name will always embody. This is why I am so immensely proud of the renovation of the church building undertaken in 2019. I firmly believe that the place where we worship has to be the priority, and, in my opinion, the beating heart of our parish is found in our beautiful church. The Chapel was already a refuge of prayer in our Faith Center even before we began the practice of perpetual Eucharistic Adoration. The fact that our parishioners come night and day to pray in the presence of Jesus is a great consolation.

The doxology of the Mass reminds us that all honor and glory is given to God the Father through Jesus, with Jesus, and in Jesus. In Jesus Christ, we find the unifying force of our parish. When people walk through the doors of the church for the first time, even if they are not fully aware of it, it is Jesus they are seeking. So many people have come to this parish because a friend, neighbor, or relative has invited them. One glance at the 9 AM Mass, for example, is enough to see the life and vitality that our parish families bring to this community. From the Mass, we are able to proceed to so many important things: our communal life is alive in the weekly coffee hour, in our small groups, in our elementary faith formation, in our middle and high school youth ministry, in our monthly senior ministry, in our sandwich making for the Thomas Merton Center and nOURish Bridgeport, and in our meal preparation for Operation Hope. All this flows from and returns to our worship of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

I am a very grateful pastor today, ten years since my arrival. I am also very much aware of my own imperfections and that I am not always the pastor you need me to be. This tenth anniversary coincides, happily, with the Church’s Jubilee year. In a Jubilee, we seek and share God’s mercy, and renew our commitment to the Lord. And so I hope you will share my gratitude for the gift that this parish is. I ask your forgiveness for my shortcomings. And I invite you to join me in refocusing our efforts and our lives on the One Person who makes our parish family what it is, Jesus Christ. In this Jubilee year, let us truly restore all things in Christ!

Peace,

Fr. Sam