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"The difficulty in explaining 'why I am a Catholic' is that there are ten thousand reasons all amounting to one reason: that Catholicism is true."
- G.K. Chesterton
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Our Story
In 2017, during our 100th Anniversary Celebration a parish history was published in book form, complete with many newspaper clippings and photos. Excerpts of this book, separated into 25 year sections, are listed below for your enjoyment. Hopefully these will spark many good memories!
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In more recent years
Bringing in the Heat
When the church boiler died in January 2015, the parish spent several months worshipping across Eaton Street in the Providence College St. Dominic’s Chapel. Our parishioners found their way back to St. Pius V for Easter Week in 2015 dressed in layers of clothing. The ancient 1960’s boiler dinosaur was finally replaced with a new boiler system and air handling unit in November 2015. The $300,000 project features three state-of-the-art boiler units that provide an energy efficient system that hopefully will last as long as the original boiler!
Saving the Bell Tower
One of the dominant architectural features on the Saint Pius V campus is the 80-foot high bell tower. While not on its last legs, the tower’s survival was threatened in recent years by failing joints between the scores of Indiana limestone panels. Rainwater was beginning to seep into the joints which would eventually rust away the metal fixtures that affix the limestone to an interior brick tower.
In May 2020, the parish hired Cornerstone Restoration to remove all of the old failing joint caulking and to install over 1,100 feet of new durable, flexible polyurethane caulking. Sagging granite panels at the base of the tower also were re-set with stainless steel bolts, as the panels were badly out of line with each other. Finally, Cornerstone completed its restoration work by gently power washing the entire limestone façade to remove 60 years of dirt and grit. Exterior lighting was recently repaired to showcase the bell tower on our parish campus.
Cooling Things Off
In the summer of 2020, the Trane Company hoisted into place two new air conditioning condensers behind the church. In an “only at St. Pius V” moment, during the Providence Fourth of July celebration in 2018 a small object fell from the sky and permanently damaged one of the condenser units. The remaining condenser unit worked mightily to supply cool air to the church for two summers, before a decision was made to replace both condenser units. An annual maintenance contract with Trane will keep these condenser units humming for many years to come.
Building Parish Community at Caffe LepantoOur church hall has hosted hundreds of events over the years, but its large size is not conducive to small gatherings, such as lectures and faith sharing for small groups. An idea that percolated since the 2010 Parish Master Plan by Father Ken Letoile, O.P. for a small gathering place within the chuch hall, came to fruition the spring of 2020.
Under the leadership of Father Patrick Briscoe, O.P., Caffe Lepanto was designed and built. Using funding from the Dominican Order, in addition to parish funds, and countless hours of donated parish labor, Caffe Lepanto is now a beautiful gathering space for small parish meetings and events. It features a 70” smart TV with internet connection and pub-like seating to provide a relaxing atmosphere for our parish. The Covid-19 pandemic both helped to make this happen but also initially imited its use but many events are taking place there now!
Replacing the Roof
The largest capital improvement project in the history of the parish (outside of the original church construction) is almost completed. After many years of consideration and planning, a new roofing system was finally installed by Liberty Roofing.
Tons of excess gravel were removed, insulation boards installed, and a new TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin) fabric was adhered to the insulation boards. Most importantly, the old roof drains that regularly provided irrigation to the church hall were re-lined with a poly resin substance that eliminates the leaks from the old cast iron drainage pipes. The white roof will also be an energy saver, helping to cool the church in the hot summer months. The $400,000 roof project has been funded by the 2015-16 capital campaign and by the sale of the former convent.
The contractors are waiting for a break in the winter weather to complete the job, which is about 90% completed. Once the roof is completed, interior repairs to the ceiling of the church, from past roof leaks, will be undertaken in 2021.
Parish Offices Now Centralized in the Church
Those pesky former roof leaks led to a complicated series of moves in the parish. To help pay for the new roof, the old convent was sold in 2020, and the Sisters moved to the former rectory. The parish priests had joined their fellow Dominicans at the Providence College Priory in the spring of 2019.
The final action was the move of the parish offices from the former rectory to the church sacristry this past summer. The new parish offices, accessed by the door near Mary's altar, are now convenient to parishioners wishing to stop by and conduct parish business or to meet with a parish priest.
Sprucing up the Church Façade
The front of Saint Pius V Church is distinguished not only by the panels of beautiful Indiana limestone, but also by the bas reliefs depicting four Dominican saints—Saint Pope Pius V, Saint Dominic, Saint Rose of Lima and Saint Catherine of Siena.
In June of 2020 Cornerstone Restoration gently power washed years of dirt and algae from the entire front of the Church to restore the beauty of the limestone and the saints.
Some highlights of capital improvement while the pandemic prevented the community from our normal activities
- Thanks to the discovery of the former Sanctuary Candle by Father Briscoe, O.P., this beautiful St. Pius V church sacred light was re-installed in time for the Easter Vigil in 2020.
- Lighting in many of the church spaces now enjoy motion sensors that control when the lights go on, helping the parish to save on its National Grid bill.
- The kitchen area in the church hall, with financial help from the Elmhurst Boys, was expanded.
- A Parish Pavilion was built near the school playground to provide an outdoor classroom for the school and a focal point for parish picnics and gatherings.