St. Pius X Catholic Church sits on North Elm Street in Greensboro, North Carolina, a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Charlotte that has grown around the rhythm of the Eucharist since the community was established in 1960. The parish takes its name from Giuseppe Sarto, the Italian-born priest who became Pope Pius X in 1903 with the motto "To Restore All Things in Christ," and the church shares its grounds with St. Pius X Catholic School, a PreK-8 academy whose main building faces the parish on the same tree-lined stretch of Elm Street. Together the church and school anchor one of the larger Catholic communities in Greensboro, with a daily Mass schedule, a nursery at Sunday liturgies, a Respect Life ministry, a young adult community, and a deep bench of partnerships with charities across Guilford County.
Mass on North Elm Street
The parish describes its mission in three movements - Know the Lord, Love the Lord, and Serve the Lord - and the center of that life is the Mass. The Saturday Vigil is celebrated at 5:00 pm, and three Sunday Masses are offered at 7:30 am, 9:00 am, and 11:30 am. Daily Mass is offered twice a day across the week: at 5:15 pm on Mondays and Thursdays, and at 8:30 am on Tuesdays and Fridays. A First Saturday Mass is celebrated at 8:30 am. Holy Days of Obligation are added to the calendar as they fall, with details posted in the weekly bulletin.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is heard every Saturday afternoon from 4:00 to 4:45 pm. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is held on the First Friday of each month from 9:00 am to noon, and parishioners are invited to take a regular monthly hour to deepen their prayer life. The parish nursery is open during the 5:00 pm Saturday Vigil, the 9:00 am Sunday Mass, and the 11:30 am Sunday Mass, recommended for children from nine months through age four; ushers will direct families to the nursery when they arrive. Mass is livestreamed on the parish YouTube channel, and a link to daily and weekly readings is published alongside the Mass schedule.
Becoming Catholic and the Order of Christian Initiation
Adults and older children who want to be received into the Catholic Church enter the parish through the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA). Inquiry sessions are held over the summer, and the formal class year runs from early September through April, meeting on Wednesday evenings in the parish center. There is no remote option for preparation, and a $50 materials fee covers the year. Sacraments for those in OCIA are typically celebrated at the Easter Vigil. The same office also coordinates the children's catechumenate for those over the age of seven seeking Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. Wendy Barber, the Administrative Assistant for Faith Formation, handles inquiries for the program.
Faith Formation and Sacramental Preparation
The parish runs a Faith Formation program for children from PreK through grade 5, which serves as the foundation for the two key sacraments of initiation. First Reconciliation is typically celebrated in the winter of a child's second-grade year, and First Holy Communion follows in the spring, preceded by a First Reconciliation Service. The 2026-2027 First Communion program includes parent and child meetings in October and February, mini-retreats in November and April, a First Reconciliation Service on December 12, 2026, and a First Communion Mass on May 15, 2027. Two years of prior religious education or faith formation are required before entering sacramental preparation.
Confirmation at St. Pius X is normally celebrated at the end of eighth grade, after a two-year preparation cycle. The Year I curriculum covers Foundations of Faith (the Person of Jesus Christ, Revelation, the Trinity, the Church, the Sacraments of Initiation, the Sacraments of Healing, the Four Last Things, and Old Testament Salvation History), and Year II focuses on Discipleship and Life in the Spirit. The 2027 Confirmation Mass is scheduled for May 22 at the 10:00 am liturgy. Candidates must submit a baptismal certificate, choose a sponsor who is a practicing Catholic in good standing, and complete a presentation and interview during the spring of eighth grade. Confirmation classes meet once a month on Monday evenings from September through May.
Youth, Young Adults, and Early Years
St. Pius X Youth Ministry welcomes students ages 11 through 18, with a program designed around listening, caring, and sharing. Drop-in sessions are held most Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 pm, and the year begins on August 26. In addition to catechesis, the ministry hosts social events, pilgrimages, and discussion sessions, and updates are posted on the @spxnc_youth Instagram account. Kat Manzella, the parish's Youth and Young Adult Minister, coordinates the program and welcomes volunteers.
The Young Adult Ministry (YAM) gathers adults ages 21 to 39 on Tuesday evenings at 7:00 pm for faith-filled friendship, study of Sacred Scripture, and service, with periodic weekend social events. The group keeps in touch through GroupMe, the parish bulletin, weekly emails, and the @spxnc_yam Instagram page. Early Years Ministry (EYM) is the corresponding community for new and expecting parents, hosting morning get-togethers and monthly family excursions to local venues, with a Christ-centered parenting focus. EYM communicates through its own GroupMe chat and the @earlyyearsministryspx Instagram account.
For older members of the parish, Toni Rieger leads Seniors Ministry, supported by a network of volunteers. The Sunshine Club, which meets on the second Friday of each month on campus, is a long-running ministry serving individuals with special needs; each month's activity is different, and food drop-offs and on-site help are organized through the parish's online sign-up page.
The Parish Nursery
The parish nursery is staffed by Sheila Shearin and a team of caregivers and is available to both parishioners and visitors during the 5:00 pm Saturday Vigil, the 9:00 am Sunday Mass, and the 11:30 am Sunday Mass. Recommended for children from age nine months through four years, the nursery frees parents with small children to participate in the liturgy while giving older children the chance to experience Mass with their families.
Catholic Schools on Elm Street
St. Pius X Catholic School stands at 2200 North Elm Street, immediately adjacent to the parish, serving students from PreK through grade 8 under principal Chris Kloesz. The school is the parish's primary feeder for Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School, located at 1725 NC Highway 66 South in Kernersville and led by principal Jared Rashford. The parish lists ten reasons it points families toward Catholic education, including Catholic tradition and academic excellence, a balanced curriculum that includes the arts, music, and athletics, an emphasis on moral and service leadership, a 99% graduation rate, prayer in sports, a disciplined learning environment, exceptional faculty, the use of appropriate classroom technology, responsible stewardship, and the formation of the whole child.
The two schools share an ecosystem of named endowments: the Isaac Kohl Scholarship Endowment recognizes a graduating St. Pius X Catholic School student who shows exceptional promise in the arts and is matriculating to Bishop McGuinness; the Katelyn Mitchell Scholarship Endowment recognizes an exceptional rising eighth-grade student athlete at the parish school.
Faith in Action and the Italian Festival
St. Pius X's signature fundraising initiative is Faith in Action, the parish's Annual Fund. Three signature events anchor the year: the 4th Annual Italian Festival on October 24, 2026, a Riverboat Riviera Casino Night on February 5, 2027, and the Faith in Action Annual Ball on May 7, 2027. The Italian Festival, held on a Saturday from noon to 8:00 pm, draws on the parish's connection to its patron, Pope St. Pius X, who was born Giuseppe Sarto in Venetia, Italy. The day's lineup includes vendor booths, local restaurants, contests, and sponsorships, organized by a parish committee and chaired by Denese Brito.
The Sarto Society and Planned Giving
The Sarto Society is the parish's legacy giving circle, named for the same Italian priest who inspired the parish's name. Planned gifts can take many forms at St. Pius X: a bequest in a will, a gift of real estate or other tangible assets, a gift from an IRA, a gift of life insurance naming the parish as beneficiary, a charitable remainder trust or annuity, a gift of cash or securities, or a named endowment established with a minimum five-figure gift. Albert Abram, the Pastoral Associate for Finance and Administration, walks prospective donors through the options.
Parish Endowments and St. Anthony's Bread
Four named endowments support specific parish ministries. The St. Anthony's Bread Endowment was established by the Marcaccio family in memory of Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, the parish's pastor from 2000 to 2024, to feed the hungry in the Greensboro and Asheboro Vicariates of the Diocese of Charlotte. The Chris Westmoreland Youth Ministry Endowment underwrites mission trips and service projects for members of the parish Youth Ministry. Together with the two school scholarships, these endowments represent long-term commitments to formation, service, and charity beyond the parish's annual operating budget.
Community Partners Across Guilford County
St. Pius X maintains an unusually deep bench of community partnerships, organized through the parish office and coordinated with Al Abram. Mobile Meals Delivery sends parish drivers to deliver meals to more than 300 homebound, disabled, and elderly individuals across Guilford County on the first Monday of each month, beginning around 8:45 am; each route takes about two to two-and-a-half hours, and new volunteers receive training and ride-alongs. Hot Dish & Hope serves a prepared dinner to more than 150 individuals every Tuesday and Thursday evening from 4:00 to 6:00 pm, an opportunity for families to serve together. Evening Meal Teams purchase, prepare, and serve dinner at the Weaver House shelter through Greensboro Urban Ministry's Potter's House Community Kitchen on the third and fifth Friday of every month, beginning at 5:00 pm.
Beyond these direct service projects, the parish supports a network of partner organizations: Room at the Inn, which operates housing and programming for homeless single pregnant women and single mothers with children; Triad Pregnancy Care, assisting women with unexpected pregnancies; Greensboro Urban Ministry, offering housing solutions, safe shelter, food, and support services; Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Charlotte, providing mental health counseling, food and clothing assistance, burial services, family and youth programs, immigration and citizenship services, and veterans' services; Backpack Beginnings, connecting children and their families with food and basic necessities; the Out of the Garden Project, addressing childhood hunger and food insecurity in the Piedmont Triad; Blue Salute, an annual fundraiser for the Greensboro Police Foundation; Community Housing Solutions, making Guilford County homes warmer, drier, and safer for income-qualified homeowners; and Caring Services, providing a holistic continuum of care for individuals recovering from substance use.
Walking with Moms in Need
The parish Respect Life ministry, framed as "Conception to Natural Death," focuses in particular on walking with mothers in need. The published 2024 Resource Guide lists Catholic Charities pregnancy and post-partum care in Greensboro and Winston-Salem, Room at the Inn, Rachel's Vineyard Ministries for post-abortion healing through weekend retreats, The Pregnancy Network with its free ultrasounds, STD testing and treatment, birth control information, adoption information, and mentorship program, Birthright, Greensboro Urban Ministry's food pantry and Potter's House Community Kitchen, Sandhills Center for mental health, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and substance use disorder services in eleven central North Carolina counties, and Caring Services' MotherCare program for pregnant women and mothers in early recovery.
Music and Liturgy
Francine Britto directs the parish's Liturgy and Music ministry, with Brian Otter assisting. The liturgical calendar is anchored by the Sunday and weekday Mass schedule, First Friday Adoration, and the annual celebrations of the sacraments. The parish is committed to traditional Catholic worship centered on the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, and the Faith in Action program ties the parish's sacramental and devotional life to its broader mission of formation and service.
Sacraments and Pastoral Care
For infant Baptism, parents are expected to be active, participating Catholics registered and attending Mass at St. Pius X for a minimum of six months, to complete a Baptismal Preparation program, and to choose godparents who meet the criteria of the Catholic Church. Marriages at St. Pius X require the same six-month residency, contact with Liz Pendergrass in the parish office, completion of the Wedding Worksheet, and the diocesan Pre-Cana program, which includes a group gathering, an online assessment with a trained facilitator, and an introduction to Natural Family Planning. The Anointing of the Sick is available to anyone facing a serious illness or surgery - not only the dying - and is arranged through Francine Britto in the parish office; Viaticum, the reception of Holy Communion by someone near death, is offered as the final food for the journey.
The Diocesan Support Appeal and Realm
Each year the parish participates in the Diocese of Charlotte's Diocesan Support Appeal. The 2026 campaign is themed "Tending the Vineyard," and St. Pius X's parish goal was set at $218,000. Day-to-day parish life is supported by REALM, the parish's online community platform, where parishioners can browse ministries, register for programs like FIAT and OCIA, update contact information, and review their giving history. Online giving is handled through Vanco Services via REALM, with options for one-time and recurring gifts to the regular offertory and to special funds and endowments. The bi-weekly Pius Pulse email newsletter and the quarterly Echoes newsletter keep parishioners informed, with weekly bulletins posted for download as well.
The Parish Team
The parish is pastored by Very Rev. Fr. W. Christian Cook, VF, who is assisted by Parochial Vicar Rev. Fr. Maximilian Frei, Deacon Rev. Mr. Jack Yarbrough, and Retired Deacon Rev. Mr. Robert Morris. The pastoral team is rounded out by Albert Abram (Pastoral Associate for Finance and Administration), Francine Britto (Director of Liturgy and Music), Lindsay Sartorio (Director of Formation and Evangelization), Alice Yorks (Director of Parish Life), Kat Manzella (Youth and Young Adult Ministry), Toni Rieger (Seniors Ministry and Staff Support), Denese Brito (Philanthropic Strategy), Wendy Barber (Faith Formation), Liz Pendergrass (Administrative Assistant to the Pastor), Brian Otter (Assistant to Liturgy and Music), Kelley Mahoney (Receptionist and Bulletin Editor), and Sheila Shearin (Nursery Coordinator). The parish remembers in gratitude the ministry of Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, who served as pastor from 2000 until his death on July 19, 2024.
Reflections and Pilgrimage
The parish maintains a blog where Lindsay Sartorio and other contributors post reflections on Catholic teaching, family life, sacraments, and parish life. Pilgrimage is another regular feature, with a recent group walking the Camino de Santiago and a 2026 pilgrimage to Greece and Turkey; 2027 trips and pilgrimages are planned. The St. Joseph's Intercessory Prayer Group meets on Monday evenings to pray for intentions submitted through the prayer request page, and a healthcare ministry of parish nurses offers listening and resources to those facing chronic illness and caregiving challenges. Together these rhythms - Mass, formation, fellowship, service, and pilgrimage - shape a Catholic community whose daily life on North Elm Street aims, as the parish mission statement puts it, to know, love, and serve the Lord.