St. Pius X Catholic Church

09/05/2026

09/03/2026

This morning at St. Pius 🕊️ Thank you to Sarah Vajgrt for this beautiful capture.

"Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
with the lyre make music to our God,
Who covers the heavens with clouds,
provides rain for the earth,
makes grass sprout on the mountains."
-Psalm 147: 7-8

09/02/2026

Angela "Angie" Cummings, age 54, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, passed away on August 31, 2026, at her home surrounded by family.

Vigil Services will be held at 4 PM on Thursday, September 3rd at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Cedar Rapids, with Visitation immediately after.

Funeral Visitation will begin at 9 AM, and Funeral Service will be held at 10:30 AM on Saturday, September 5th at St. Pius X Catholic Church with a Luncheon immediately after.

Angie is survived by her loving husband of 32 years, Chris Cummings of Cedar Rapids; daughters, Mikayla (Nate), Gabriella (Sam) Smith, and Haley; parents, Jim & Kathy Nelson of Cedar Rapids; brother, Jay (Diana) Nelson of Cedar Rapids and sons Josh (Carly), Matt (Hayley; Bennett, Callie), Eric, and Kevin (Maddie); sister, Katia (Mike) Loyd of Mount Vernon, and children Clayton (Kylee; Ava, Benjamin), Selah, and Caleb; In-laws, Bill & Mary Cummings of Cedar Rapids; brother-in-law, Shawn (Jenn) Cummings of Colorado and daughter Aven.

Angie was preceded in death by her sister Joanne Nelson and her Godmother (Aunt) Rose Anne Gussy (Thuente).

Angie was born March 3, 1972, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, daughter of Jim & Kathy Nelson. Angie and her family were members of All Saints Parish, attended All Saints School, and graduated from Regis High School in 1990, where she met and started dating her husband, Chris. Angie obtained her bachelor’s degree in teaching from the University of Northern Iowa, and spent the first 3 years of her teaching career in Davenport, while Chris obtained his chiropractic degree.

She then moved to St. Patrick's Middle School when they returned to Cedar Rapids. She began her time at Regis Middle School when it opened in 2000-2001. Angie let her light shine through the many ways she served at Regis. She served as a 6th/7th grade math teacher, resource teacher, lead teacher, campus minister, and most recently an instructional coach. She loved helping the students, staff, and families navigate the world of adolescence.

Thank you to the medical teams from Mayo and Mercy. We would especially like to thank the entire Xavier community, staff, students & parents who have shared their light with Angie and her family over the past 15 months as she fought her glioblastoma diagnosis. We are grateful for the prayers, love, and support, the food train, her "Uber" drivers, the friends who kept her company, helped share their light and faith, and kept her going when things were tough.

Angie’s light was shared with many over the years; if you have pictures of/with her you’d like to share with the family, please upload them at the link below. These photos will be viewed by the family and displayed at the Vigil and Funeral services. http://tinyurl.com/Angie-Memorial-Photos

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the following causes:

· "Angie's Angel's Fund" which will help fund an XMS education program to help middle school teachers expand and grow in their craft, and other campus ministry programs such as retreats at the new middle school. Follow above link - “I want to support...” select “Angie’s Angel Fund”.

· SPIRITUS (Haley's mission workplace that has put on retreats for Xavier Catholic Schools students)

09/01/2026

There will be NO 5:30pm Mass this Thursday at St. Pius (9/3) due to the scheduled visitation for Angela Cummings. Her Vigil service will start at 4:00pm, followed by the visitation. All are welcome.

08/28/2026

Please join us in wishing Fr. Ken a very Happy Birthday! 🥳🎉

08/28/2026

Supporting Local Area Needs ❤️

Several parishes in our Pastorate have traditionally taken up a second collection at the end of each month to support local community needs. While these second collections will no longer take place, we still want to support the important work of our Faith in Action Committees!

This weekend, collection envelopes will be available at the ends of the pews and in the gathering space. To donate, simply place your contribution in one of these envelopes, write your name, and check the Social Justice box next to your church name. Then place the envelope in the regular collection.

Thank you for your continued generosity and support for those who need it most!

08/14/2026

Carol Marie Esker (Hogan), 86, a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend, peacefully passed away on Tuesday, surrounded by family. She leaves behind a lifetime of love, laughter, and beautiful memories.

Carol was born and raised in Jesup, Iowa. She was the youngest of seven siblings, and from an early age, she developed her love of sports and her tenacious spirit. After graduating from high school, Carol moved to Cedar Rapids to begin her working life as a secretary. She met her husband, Carl, at the Armar Ballroom in Marion.

Carol and Carl quickly built a family of their own, welcoming four children into their lives. Sixty-five years later, they are blessed with 13 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren! Two of Carol’s grandsons share her September 23 birthday, and this date became the occasion for an annual family birthday bash. This family tradition, along with family vacations and card games, was among the many things that brought Carol great joy.

Carol enjoyed lunches with friends, playing cards, golfing, helping others, and spending time with her family. Her days often ended with cocktail hour with Carl, friends, and family, when they would gather to “solve the world’s problems.” She had a wonderful appreciation for time spent together and was a great listener.

Above all, Carol’s faithfulness was constant. Her service to others was seen most fully in her calling as a wife, mother, and grandmother. She also helped show the world the beauty of raising a child with special needs. Carol and Carl took many trips with their son, Stephen, to explore the country. She was a good sport, and Carol and Stephen were great pals.

She is survived by her husband, Carl; her children, Stephen Esker of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Nancy (Dave) Probst of LeMars, Iowa; Mike (Jody) Esker of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Lori (Mitch) Myers of Marion, Iowa; and two siblings, Paul Hogan and Margaret Feeley. She will be missed by all her grandchildren, but her life will continue to live on in the stories shared, traditions celebrated, and lessons learned winning and losing in cards.

Our family wishes to thank all those who cared for Carol throughout these past many years. This includes family, Alyssa, and the staff of HallMar Village and Suncrest Hospice. Lastly, we wish to thank the makers of Snack Pack Pudding and Pepsi. She truly had a sweet life.

Funeral services will be held Monday, August 17, at St. Pius Catholic Church. Visitation will be held from 9:30–10:30 a.m., followed by Mass at 10:30 a.m. A luncheon will follow the Mass, with private family burial to follow. The funeral will be live-streamed for those who wish to watch online at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh-sdzau39ykw_hbTVv8Qcw/featured.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Community Health Free Clinic https://www.communityhfc.org/donate/ or Discovery Living, Inc. https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=BAS8ST2XS9QHC&ssrt=1786563706523. If you do make a donation, please send a confirmation to [email protected] or call 319-362-2147 so the family can thank you properly.

08/10/2026

Awesome turn out for our Pastorate-wide Liturgy training and dinner last night at Pius! ✨ A huge thank you to everyone who attended and helped organize this event.

08/05/2026

Please join us for our upcoming speaker series featuring Fr. Ken on August 13th here at St. Pius Hall! See image for details.

08/04/2026

Well done, all!

2025-26 Fiscal Year Ends

As our fiscal year ended in June, we have some amazing totals to share from 7/1/25 through 6/30/26:

•5,035 individual households picked up food boxes -- 18,186 individuals. (About 20% of households pick up more than once a month)

•10,277 boxes of groceries were distributed, each individually packed by our faithful volunteers

•1,255 school bags with weekend provisions went home to 602 households in the Catholic schools system

•10,095 bags of food and supplies were distributed to folks living outside

•Of 418,934 pounds of food distributed, 66,881 pounds was food donated from parishioners and walk-in donors. The remaining 352,073 pounds was purchased or donated from retailers or wholesalers.

•$80,740.50 was paid to landlords or utility companies, helping 137 families stay in their homes.

Thanks to ALL our donors of food and cash to feed and help all these local folks in need of our assistance. Our clients are always so grateful when they pick up food or we pay a bill that keeps their water or power on!