About St. Pius X · Baltimore, Maryland
St. Pius X is a Roman Catholic parish located at 6428 York Road in the Rodgers Forge / north Baltimore area, founded in 1958. It is now united with neighboring Saint Mary of the Assumption (founded 1849, in the Govans area) as the Pastorate of St. Pius X and St. Mary of the Assumption, sharing clergy, Mass schedules and ministry on York Road. As of late 2024, the Archdiocese of Baltimore announced that St. Pius X is being merged into the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, about two miles north on North Charles Street; the parish celebrated its final regular Masses at the end of December 2024, while Saint Mary's last regular Mass was January 5, 2025. The parish website (stmarystpiusx.org) remains the hub for the two-parish pastorate's online giving, schedules, and parish news.
- Established
- 1958
- Patron
- St. Pius X (Pope Pius X, 1835–1914)
- Rector
- Rev. Jose 'Jojo' Opalda (shared pastor of the Pastorate of St. Pius X and St. Mary of the Assumption)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Baltimore
Why belong here
St. Pius X has been a Rodgers Forge / north Baltimore parish home for over six decades — a community that long balanced traditional Catholic worship and education with a lively social-justice and family life (food drives, Girl Scouts, Mom's Night Out, Christmas tree sales, parish school). Since joining the Pastorate of St. Pius X and St. Mary of the Assumption, the two congregations about a mile apart on York Road share daily Mass and a single pastoral team, so weekday Mass is celebrated Monday through Friday at noon in St. Mary's Mother Mary Lange Chapel, and weekend Mass rotates between the two churches. Visitors and parishioners have historically described it as a diverse, open-hearted and welcoming community where young families, longtime members and newcomers all find a place.
Mass times at St. Pius X
Weekly Mass schedule
Pastorate of St. Pius X and St. Mary of the Assumption
St. Pius X (6428 York Road, Rodgers Forge) and Saint Mary of the Assumption (5502 York Road, Govans) are formally joined as a single two-parish pastorate located about a mile apart on York Road in north Baltimore. The official website, stmarystpiusx.org, presents both communities as 'diverse and open-hearted,' eager to share the joy and passion of two parish families 'joined in faith and loving service.' The two share a pastor (Fr. Jose 'Jojo' Opalda), a combined Mass schedule, shared online giving, and shared ministries, and they describe themselves as one pastoral family with two historic worship sites.
- St. Pius X — 6428 York Road, Baltimore, MD 21212 — phone 410.427.7500
- Saint Mary of the Assumption — 5502 York Road, Baltimore, MD 21212 — phone 410.435.5900
- Combined pastorate website: http://stmarystpiusx.org/
History of St. Pius X
St. Pius X was founded in 1958 to serve the growing Catholic population in north Baltimore's Rodgers Forge corridor. The first Mass was celebrated in the middle of a snowstorm, with parishioners walking to attend the dedication. By its 50th anniversary in March 2008 (marked with Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski), the parish had grown to roughly 1,325 registered families. From the start, the parish emphasized social justice and was deeply interwoven with the surrounding neighborhood — Irish céilí dances in the basement, food drives, Girl Scouts, Mom's Night Out childcare, a beloved parish school, and an annual Christmas tree sale that became a Rodgers Forge institution. The parish completed a $1.8 million renovation in 2009 with $2.3 million raised by parishioners. In September 2024 the Archdiocese of Baltimore decreed that St. Pius X would be merged into the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen; the parish held its final regular Masses at the end of December 2024 while Saint Mary's last regular Mass was January 5, 2025.
- Founded 1958; first Mass held during a snowstorm
- 50th anniversary celebrated March 2008 with Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski
- Roughly 1,325 registered families at 50th anniversary
- 2009: $1.8 million renovation ($2.3 million raised by parishioners)
- September 2024: Archdiocese of Baltimore decrees merger into Cathedral of Mary Our Queen
- December 2024: final regular Masses at St. Pius X; January 5, 2025 final Mass at Saint Mary's
Saint Mary of the Assumption (partner parish)
Saint Mary of the Assumption, the other half of the pastorate, was founded in 1849 and has a long history closely connected to the Govans neighborhood. It sits at 5502 York Road and is the site of the Mother Mary Lange Chapel (in the parish hall downstairs), where the combined pastorate celebrates its daily 12:00 PM Mass Monday through Friday. Saint Mary's also hosts the 4:00 PM Saturday Vigil Mass and the 9:00 AM Sunday Mass in the shared pastorate schedule.
- Founded 1849
- 5502 York Road, Baltimore, MD 21212
- Phone: 410.435.5900
- Home of the Mother Mary Lange Chapel used for daily Mass
Clergy and Staff
The two parishes share a single pastoral team led by pastor Father 'Jojo' Jose Opalda, who also served as a judicial vicar in the Archdiocese of Baltimore's marriage tribunal during the pastorate years. A longtime and beloved deacon, Patrick Woods, was a fixture at St. Pius X for many years and continued to be celebrated by the community as the parish approached its closure in late 2024.
- Rev. Jose 'Jojo' Opalda — pastor
- Deacon Patrick Woods — longtime deacon
St. Pius X School (closed 2021)
St. Pius X School, located next to the church at 6432 York Road, educated thousands of children over multiple generations, including many non-Catholic and even non-Christian families drawn by the kindly nuns and, later, by the parish's progressive educational philosophy. In 2010 Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien named St. Pius X the first Catholic school in the Archdiocese of Baltimore to adopt a Montessori curriculum, in partnership with Loyola University Maryland's Montessori graduate program; the primary Montessori program for ages 3–6 launched in the 2011–12 school year. The school ultimately closed in 2021. Baltimore County later expressed interest in purchasing the school building and adjacent land for use as a recreation center and ballfields; the property was appraised at $2.5 million.
- First Catholic Montessori school in the Archdiocese of Baltimore (named 2010; program launched 2011–12)
- Partnered with Loyola University Maryland's Montessori graduate program
- Closed in 2021
- Site appraised at $2.5 million; Baltimore County interested in purchase for recreation/ballfields
Parish Life and Community
Beyond its liturgical and educational mission, St. Pius X was a community hub in Rodgers Forge for decades. The parish school, Irish céilí dances in the basement ballroom (part of the Emerald Isle Club circuit), Girl Scout troops, a 'Mom's Night Out' childcare program, an annual parish carnival, and a beloved Christmas tree sale all drew neighbors together — including families like Patti Nicholls, who met her husband at one of the céilís. The Christmas tree sale alone eventually brought in about $100,000. Parishioners used parish events to mark childhood milestones for their children, and state Del. Cathi Forbes was among the many families who treated the church as the anchor of Rodgers Forge life.
- Emerald Isle Club céilí dances in the parish basement
- Annual carnival and Christmas tree sale (~$100,000 cumulative)
- Girl Scouts and 'Mom's Night Out' childcare program
- Food drives and outreach ministry
Stewardship and Giving
The pastorate frames its stewardship theme as 'Always Giving / Always Caring / Always Family,' emphasizing that giving — of money and of time — is what makes the pastorate's liturgical celebrations, faith formation, service and outreach ministries possible. Parishioners are invited to give through weekly envelopes or through the online giving system, and to sign up via the parish's volunteer form to find a ministry that fits their interests.
- Online giving for both St. Pius X and St. Mary's
- Weekly envelope giving
- Volunteer sign-up form
Merger into the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen
In September 2024 the Archdiocese of Baltimore issued a decree merging St. Pius X into the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen (located about two miles north on North Charles Street in the Homeland / Guilford area). The decree is part of a broader wave of parish consolidations across the Archdiocese. St. Pius X was allowed to keep celebrating regular Masses through the end of December 2024, while Saint Mary of the Assumption's final regular Mass was set for January 5, 2025. Longtime parishioner Margie Brassil led an effort to appeal the decision; after the Archdiocese denied the appeal, the parish hired an attorney and pursued further recourse in Rome.
- Merger decree issued September 2024
- Receiving parish: Cathedral of Mary Our Queen
- Final Masses at St. Pius X: end of December 2024
- Final Mass at Saint Mary's: January 5, 2025
- Appeal to Vatican led by Margie Brassil