In 1954, there was just one Catholic church in White Bear Lake, St. Mary of the Lake. As the population grew, a new church was needed. Thus St. Pius X began. Ken Bacchus, who built many of the homes in the area, donated the entire tract of land on which stands the church of St. Pius X. The parish legally incorporated on June 25, 1954, just a few weeks after the canonization of Pope Pius X. This newly canonized saint became the patron of this new community of faith. The first Mass was celebrated in Gall School’s auditorium on June 20, 1954. The parish grew rapidly. Soon the parish started a custom, which is still followed today at the parish whereby at the conclusion of every Mass, people kneel and pray one Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be for the next person that passes away from the parish.
The Church of St. Pius X is a parish of the Archdiocese of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, under the leadership of Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda, and in union with the Roman Catholic Church and our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV. At no time has the Church of St. Pius X been associated or affiliated with the Society of Saint Pius X, which was recently found to be in schism with the Roman Catholic Church.
