CONYERS--St. Pius X Parish broke ground May 17 for a new sanctuary which will provide badly needed expanded worship space for the growing church in Rockdale County.

The new sanctuary, designed to seat 800 people, will be integrated into the existing buildings at the parish on Georgia 20 south. Using similar materials and the same roof line, the sanctuary will fit between the current worship space and current church offices.

The present church will become a chapel for daily Mass and for smaller services to be held at the parish. The present overflow area will become the narthex for the new sanctuary.

Father John Kieran, pastor of St. Pius X, assisted by members of the building committee and parish council, architects, builders and parishioners, blessed the ground between Sunday Masses May 17 and prayed for the success of the project.

Kathy Pusch, a member of the 14-person building committee, said the project is currently estimated at just under $2 million. The sanctuary will be very open, light and simple with high ceilings and many windows, she said. People will also have the opportunity to make additional donations for the sanctuary in honor of others, she said, including statuary, stations of the cross, stained glass, a baptismal font and holy water fonts.

Building is expected to start in mid-summer and be completed by Easter of 1999.

The architects for the project are CDH Partners of Marietta and the builders are Potts General Contracting of Conyers.

St. Pius, the only Catholic parish in Rockdale County, began in 1974 in a chapel on the grounds of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers. The first Mass was celebrated on the Georgia 20 property in November 1977. In 1990 the buildings were expanded to accommodate new educational and fellowship activities. Since then the membership of the parish has nearly doubled.