Dear St. Pius X Community,

With work now underway on both the Church and the Sports Complex, I thought it would be a good time to recap how we arrived at this point.

The Sports Complex
About 6 or 7 years ago, I became aware of nine acres of land on Ira Lee that parishioners were about to lose due to unpaid back taxes—it was headed for foreclosure. Because I hold a real estate license and knew several parishioners 
experienced in real estate, we were able to save the property from foreclosure and purchase it for just over $250,000. Over the years, we could have sold it for more, but I always saw its potential. Our parking lot is small, and our athletic fields are limited, so I began discussions with the school administration and the council to create a plan for that land. At that time, the CYO was very small. I worked with a friend who owns a civil engineering firm, and the school council 
produced eight different versions of a site plan. My only requirement was for Coach Bell, who has been involved in building and using sports complexes around the state, to be involved and give his seal of approval, saying it worked 
for the school and CYO. When Dr. Bell arrived, she helped gather cost estimates, and we realized the project was not financially feasible for the school at that time. The plans were set aside, but we never lost sight of them—especially when we began paying taxes on the unused land. With today’s reality of a vibrant, dedicated CYO I am confident that the financial burden of this new property will be minimal when compared to the tremendous benefit it will provide our parish.

The Church Renovation and Gathering Space
When I arrived at St. Pius X, I quickly saw the need for a proper gathering space. The noise in the back of the church, before and after Mass, is distracting; furthermore, the Blessed Sacrament Chapel was not aligned with Church norms. Our glass-enclosed Monstrance was another concern, as perpetual adoration—it's ideal context—was not possible. The diocese requires that renovations move toward a single Tabernacle, and from the beginning I hoped to address these issues. As our finances stabilized, I deposited into a dedicated savings account every unexpected estate gift or generous donation that came in, so it would not be treated as general spending. Over time that account grew to over a million dollars, allowing us to begin seriously planning for this renovation.
 
Benefits of the Sports Complex
The sports complex will directly relieve our parking problems. Once games are moved there—other than volleyball and basketball—our parish campus will be far less crowded. Eventually, we may even be able to reconfigure some of our current land for additional structured parking without impacting our current field used daily by the school.

Beyond logistics, the complex will strengthen the faith formation of our children. It keeps their activities in a place where faith remains central. Rather than seeking recreation elsewhere, they will continue to learn and grow under the 
care of our parish.

Next Steps and Finances
We have hired an architect who has been guiding the church renovation process, and we are now ready to sign a construction contract with Keller Martin, pending diocesan approval. A parishioner who is a general contractor has been working on site preparation at Ira Lee so that, depending on the capital campaign’s success, we could have at least one soccer field ready by next fall.

Because the church renovation cannot easily be done in phases, it will proceed as one project to limit time we spend with Mass in the Family Center. The Sports Complex can be in phases, but ideally, we will build it all at once. At present, we are about $1.5 million short of the total amount needed. While a loan is possible, it would raise the cost of the project, and I hope to avoid that.

I advocate Financial Peace not only because it helps families but because it is how I live—both personally and in parish leadership. My goal is always to avoid debt and to be a faithful steward of the resources God has entrusted to us.

In Him
Fr. Pat

Dear St. Pius X School Families

Hopefully you have heard of the exciting plans for the development of a Family Sports Complex and the renovation of our St. Pius X Church building. Information about the project is included in the attached pamphlet, and architectural renderings may be viewed on the back wall of the church, in the coffee bar foyer, and in the Family Center main hall.

Plans for this project have been developed by a dedicated and diverse committee of parishioners, including school parents and staff, over the past 24 months. The committee along with the architect have come up with impactful improvements for the life of our SPX Community while maintaining fiscal responsibility. The Sports Complex will be a tremendous help to our families who have children enrolled in the school and in CYO programs by adding regulation size fields for football, baseball, softball, and soccer, cutting down a lot of travel time for kids who have had to practice and have home games at other locations due to our field limitations.

The entire project will cost seven million dollars. Fr. Pat, as an extremely responsible steward of our parish funds, has saved two million dollars over the past few years. Earlier this year, several parishioners made much appreciated leadership pledges for the project totaling another two million dollars, and many other families have already sent in their pledges. 

For this much-needed project to happen, we must raise the additional 1.6 million dollars. That is where you can help. Our goal is for every family to participate in this effort to the extent that they are able. We ask that you prayerfully consider this step in the growth of our community and make a pledge to the project that may be paid for over three years. If you are feeling that you cannot stretch your budget one more inch, please read this message that Fr. Pat included in the June 1st bulletin.

“Please pray about what you and your family can do in this process. It may not be easy, but it is as simple as making a commitment. What are you spending money on that you don’t absolutely need to spend? Say you only spend $3 a day on a coffee…and you save that every day; that would be $1,000 a year. Over three years it is $3,000…. I would think that is the least any of us could give.”

Thank you for your consideration of this important project. Cards with the campaign prayer may be picked up in the back of the church or in the church office. Please continue to pray and drop off your pledge card in the office or the box in the back of the church as soon as possible.

God bless you.

St. Pius X Capital Campaign Committee