St. Pius X Parish Community warmly welcomes you.
Whether you are a long-time parishioner, a new member of the community, or visiting us for the first time, we are grateful that you are here. Our parish is a place of prayer, fellowship, and service, inspired by the spirit of our Patron Saint. We invite you to feel at home, to participate in parish life, and to journey with us in faith.
Our Patron & Inspiration
This Parish Church is named after St. Pope Pius X. He comes from a working-class background. He was the son of a village postman and a seamstress from northern Italy and was baptised as Giuseppe Sarto. He became Pope in 1903.
His main concern for the Church lay in the domain of pastoral renewal. This was because of his vast experience as a parish priest and diocesan bishop. Indeed, even as pope he was intent on conducting catechism classes every Sunday afternoon in the Vatican courtyard of San Damaso.
Personal approachability and warmth were the characteristic marks of Saint Pope Pius X. Being true to nature of our Patron Saint, this Community warmly receives everyone who comes to this community.
Parish Founding & Growth
The first Church was constructed at Hillcrest. It well and truly served its purpose over many years. The decision to re-locate the parish centre to Dernancourt was taken after much soul-searching. One big incentive in this decision was the fact that the parish had been donated land at Dernancourt by the Tea Tree Gully Council, and if not built on within one more year, the land would revert back to the local council. So, they seized the opportunity. Till May 1955 Hillcrest was included in the Parish of Walkerville under the care of Fr. Tom O’Rourke.
On May 5th, 1957, the Parish was entrusted to the Pastoral Care of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Fr. E. Ryan, the Oblate Provincial at that time, appointed Fr. Joe P. McCann as the First Oblate Parish Priest of Dernancourt Parish. Since then, many committed Oblate Priests have served in this Parish. This community owes its gratitude to all the Oblates and parishioners from its inception to until now who contributed a great deal to the growth of this community.
Want to learn more?
We'd love to hear from you. Whether you have questions about our history, our team, or how you can get involved, feel free to reach out.