November 9, 2025

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This weekend we are blessed to celebrate the 70^th anniversary of the founding of St. Pius X Parish, and to be joined for the occasion by Bishop Frank Caggiano. We also celebrate the feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. This beautiful church, best known as St. John Lateran, is the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome, and hence, is the Pope’s cathedral. The building itself holds significance for the whole Church spread throughout the world, as it is a symbol of a mystical reality. Wherever the Gospel has been proclaimed, the faithful have built churches. These manifestations of faith in brick and mortar provide a place where prayer is offered and the grace of God is celebrated, received, and given. This weekend we join the Bishop, who is himself the sign of Catholic communion for us, as we celebrate both our universal communion with Catholics the world over, and our seven decades of professing the Catholic faith in Fairfield.

This 70^th anniversary also allows us to reflect on the nature of a parish. A parish is a community of the faithful. While there is a physical location for the parish church, it is the people of God that truly constitute the parish. St. Pius X Parish is made up of many families, some of whom have been part of this community of the faithful for multiple generations, some even going back to our beginnings in 1955. Other families have come here because of job relocations, immigration, or to live closer to extended family. Some of our members are cradle Catholics, others more recent converts. Whatever the reason or the roots, this community in Fairfield has become home, and it is in this home that we live and witness to our Catholic faith. In the decades since the founding of the parish, five bishops of the Diocese of Bridgeport have assigned seven pastors to serve this community, assisted by many priests over the years. Fathers McGuire, O’Keefe, Scanlan, Scull, Carroll, Dogali, Kachuba, Boccaccio, Martin, Esposito, Petrucci, Sankoorikal, Smolik, Kinnally, Rousseau, Cutler, Crofut, Iannacone, Blawie, and probably a few others I just don’t know about have spent some of their priestly ministry here. The faithful who make up the parish have increased in number, from the original 464 families, to over 2,500 today. While people often look at the priests, it is really the households that are counted as members of the parish that make the parish what it is. You, the community of the faithful, are the reason the parish exists, the source of all our pastoral activity, the driving force behind our efforts to evangelize, and the energy that lets us serve those who are in need.

For almost thirteen of my seventeen years of priestly ministry, I have been in some way connected to St. Pius X Parish. This has meant participation in key moments in the lives of many families: baptisms, weddings, funerals, confirmations, first communions; times of joy and sorrow and everything in between. All this reminds me that a parish is something that is alive and dynamic. The cycle of life, the rhythm of a community, the needs, hopes, and desires of the human heart, all form the experience of this family of faith. Looking back at 70 years of history reminds me I am blessed beyond measure to participate in this history and share in this particular moment of the dynamic and growing community of faithful people entrusted to the patronage of St. Pius X. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for allowing me to share this chapter of your parish’s life with you. Happy anniversary!

Peace,

Fr. Sam