St. Pius X History Page

History
1970 to 1979

Priest/Deacon/Ordination History Picture Archive Founding Members

Reflections on our Parish Community

A great parish celebration occurred on the silver jubilee of Monsignor Weinzapfel. He celebrated 25 years as a priest on December 23, 1970 and was joined by his parents and all his family at a special Mass and reception.

This was that same year that Father Francis Gabryl joined our parish family. A survivor of Auschwitz and Dachau concentration camps during World War 11, he was a leader of the Dallas Polish-American community. He returned to Poland the last year of his life and died on November 27, 1985.

Growing steadily, St. Pius X totaled 1,750 families by 1971. Father Priest was replaced by Father Daniel Clayton, and two Dominicans, Father Jose Vigara and Brother Kevin Carroll, joined the parish staff. Brother Kevin became the first Extraordinary Eucharistic Minister in the parish. Since then hundreds have worked in this ministry to the sick and aged in their homes and in nursing homes, as well as serving during Masses as needed.

In the early 1970’s, parishioners Bill and Babe Barrett made a generous gift to the church to fund the creation of our beautiful Holy Family sculpture. Designer John Barthel worked with church architect George Dahl to create an appropriate design. The final drawings and a model were sent to Pietrasanta, Italy - famous for its many fine artisans - to be sculpted from marble. This is also the town from which the marble for our altar was acquired. Over the years, thousands of parishioners and visitors alike have commemorated special events at the church by taking a picture with the Holy Family as a backdrop.

In 1972, Father Drozd volunteered to serve as a Chaplain in the U.S. Army, and another Dominican, Father John Fabian, joined us. Sister M. Christina Mitchell was named to replace Sister Mary Rosanne as Superior of the convent. That same year, the first Parish Prayer Group was formed with the assistance of Dominican Father Dominic Tamburello from Bishop Lynch High School.

1973 was a blue ribbon year for the parish. The first of two St. Pius X parishioners were ordained to the priesthood on May 5th. Father Lawrence Pichard and Father Steven Thomas, shown with Monsignor Weinzapfel, celebrated their first masses at St. Pius X the following day.

Msgr. Tom, Fr. Thomas and Fr. Larry

Father Fabian left in 1973 and in December of that year, parishioner Deacon Steve Landregan became one of the first two permanent deacons ordained for the diocese.

In 1974, Father Vigara was succeeded by Father Vincent Dep, a priest from Sri Lanka. In June of that year, two more parishioners, Deacon Maurice Lautenslager and Deacon Felder Stuebing, were ordained to the permanent diaconate. A new principal for St. Pius X School, Sister Gabriel Hession, was appointed to succeed Sister Mary Attracta in August. Sister Gabriel served as principal until May, 1985.

Growth was so great that the Rockwall parish, which is now known as Our Lady of the Lake, began in 1974 as a mission of St. Pius X.

1975 was a Holy Year and St. Pius X Church was designated as pilgrimage church for the diocese. That was also the year of the tragic fall of South Vietnam. The parish opened its heart to many Vietnamese refugee families--finding them homes, food and jobs to help them settle in their new country. That was the beginning of a vital Vietnamese community that continued to grow and prosper under Father (Philip) Toa Huynh who retired in October of 1988. He was replaced by Father (Augustine) Tuong Nguyen. When Father Augustine became Pastor of the Garland Community, Father (Joseph) Lien Thien Tong became Pastor of the St. Pius X Vietnamese Community. A Sunday Mass was celebrated in Vietnamese with an average attendance of 400. There a Vietnamese choir and marriage preparation as well as religious instruction were offered in Vietnamese.

In ministries, Paul and Hilda Wayne began their long tenure as coordinators of the Extraordinary Eucharistic Minister. Father Clayton was reassigned in June and replaced by Father Robert Crisp, a newly ordained priest from neighboring St. Bernard Parish. In August Father Richard Weaver was assigned to St. Pius X.

In 1976, our continued growth in families reached the 2,000 mark. Father Henry Vincent Petter, another St. Pius X parishioner, was ordained May 1, 1976 and celebrated his first Mass here on May 2.

In July, 1976, Father Weaver was reassigned and was replaced by Father Fred Martinez. In June 1977, two more parishioners were ordained to the permanent diaconate: Deacon Alfonso Valdes and Deacon Juan Gonzales. In August, Sister M. Theresa Queally replaced Sister M. Christina as Superior of the convent.

1977 marked the establishment of the St. Pius X Day Care Center. The first director was Lydia Montgomery.

Another change in the parish staff occurred in June, 1978, when Father Fred Martinez was reassigned to St. Augustine, and Father Bruce Bradley was made assistant pastor at St. Pius X.

Four more parishioners were part of a group of 26 deacons ordained to the permanent diaconate on May 27, 1978 by Bishop Thomas Tschoepe. They were Deacon Anthony Roffino, Deacon Joe Perez, Deacon Donald Schnurr and Deacon George Zacek, all long time parishioners.

In 1979, Father Bruce Bradley was reassigned and Father Mark Leonard became our assistant pastor.

With the ordination of Deacon Paul Husting in 1979, St. Pius X gained the distinction of having had more parishioners ordained to the permanent diaconate than any other parish in the diocese. Among them is Deacon Allen Breaux who came to the parish from Houston in 1979 and was ordained in 1972. Deacon Felder Steubing died in 1975 following a short but fruitful ministry to the sick and aged, and Deacon Tony Roffino, whose ministry was preaching and adult education in the parish, died in 1987. Three more parishioners, Deacon Juan lbarra, Deacon David Leerssen and Deacon Michael Shaw were ordained in 1987. Deacon John Schell joined the community of Deacons in 1992. Most of St. Pius X parishioners who have been ordained to the diaconate are serving in other parishes. Monsignor Weinzapfel referred to them as his "missionary deacons."