St. Pius X Parish is
located in the most
northern part of the
city of Pueblo, west
of I-25. Due to
increased
construction of
multi-family and
single family
dwellings, the
parish serves a
growing population
of families in all
shapes and sizes:
single parents,
blended families,
and senior citizens.
It is serving an
increasingly more
ethnically diverse
population. The
closeness of major
hotel/motel
construction in
recent years has
also increased out
of state visitors
during the summer.
The parish was
established in 1954
to serve a
congregation of
approximately 300
families. Many of
those families were
originally members
of Sacred Heart
Cathedral, of which
St. Pius was an
offshoot. While the
church was being
built, parishioners
either elected to
attend mass at the
Cathedral or they
celebrated mass with
Monsignor John
Kelley at the VFW
hall at 3200
Elizabeth. Msgr.
Kelley was the
founding pastor of
St. Pius X.
Construction on the
church began in the
summer of 1955. The
$300,000 original
parish plant
included a red brick
church with four
basement classrooms
and an adjoining
convent. By
Christmas, the
church was ready to
celebrate its first
mass. That
summer on September
9, 1956, Bishop
Joseph Willging
dedicated the parish
church named for
Pope Pius X.
