Photo provided by St. Pius X ChurchGREENSBORO — Parishioners, clergy and friends gathered for a “burning of the mortgage” celebration at St. Pius X Church April 9.
“This mortgage burning represents all the debt we have retired,” said Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, pastor.
“This mortgage burning represents the retirement of all of our previous capital campaigns: the parish church, the chapel, the cloister, the Simmons Parish Center, the DeJoy Primary Education Center, the Connolly Athletic Center, the rectory, the columbarium, updates to our parish school, and everything we did to tie this entire campus together.”
“To the very many people who helped us envision this moment and to the ones who helped us accomplish it, we are so grateful,” he said.
April 9 was the date chosen for the celebration to coincide with Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week and the parish’s ongoing effort “to provide great hospitality as we continue to welcome people back to church after the pandemic,” Monsignor Marcaccio noted.
As evidenced by all the building projects, the Greensboro parish has experienced tremendous growth over the past two decades.
Through two capital campaigns, “Making a Place at the Table” and “Making a Place to Gather and Grow,” it built a 1,100-seat parish church, Simmons Parish Center and DeJoy Primary Education Center to complete its Elm Street campus.
The extensive building efforts are a sign of the parish’s commitment to stewardship, Monsignor Marcaccio explained. St. Pius X Parish has been recognized internationally by the International Catholic Stewardship Council for its successful stewardship campaigns.
“If you seek a representation of stewardship, look around and you will see our church and our buildings,” Monsignor Marcaccio said. “But these buildings are simply tools – the tools we need for worship, the tools we need to gather together, the tools we need for evangelization and education, the tools we need for our labor, and the tools we need to be a church and to participate with God in the building of the Kingdom.”
In planning for the parish’s future, Monsignor Marcaccio added, “St. Pius X was also the first parish to achieve assets of over a million dollars with the Diocese of Charlotte Foundation, as part of our ongoing effort to ensure the success and funding of its many ministries.”
“With this mortgage burning,” he said, “we celebrate not the finish line, but a milestone as we journey forward in faith, hope and love.”
— Georgianna Penn, Correspondent