3303 Urban Crest Dr
San Antonio, TX 78209
210-824-0139; email: stpiusx@stpiusxsa.org
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The 'Hall of Saints'
In the original design, the church was built with a vestibule that served two purposes: it was a transitional area between the entrance and the body of the church, and it was the "Hall of Saints", dedicated to those who, by their exemplary lives of heroic Christian virtue, have earned a place in the Catholic canon of saints and who are especially dear to the heart of our parish community. Although the vestibule was eventually converted into the back area of our church where the Baptismal Font resides today, the statues of the saints are still present within our walls in the narthex outside of the left-side doors, which leads to the church office. Their presence serves to remind us of their earthly existence as well as of their eternal home with God. We call upon them to intercede for our parish family.
Entering from the side-doors next to the church office, you'll see St. Vincent de Paul. His statue resides above the Society of St. Vincent de Paul charity bins, as a reminder to all of the needs of the poor.
St. Vincent was born in Pouy, France, what is today known as Saint-Vincent-De-Paul, France. He was ordained a priest in 1600 and was later taken captive and sold into slavery by Turkish pirates. He converted his owner to Christianity and was able to escape. In his years as a priest, he had a special concern for peasants and galley-slaves. He founded a society of missionary priests known as the Vincentians as well as an order of religious sisters known as the Daughters of Charity. St. Vincent de Paul was renowned for his compassion, humility, and generosity. For this reason, he is known as the “Great Apostle of Charity.”
The next statue to the right, going toward the doors to the nave of the church, is the Immaculate Heart of Mary holding the child Jesus. Her visible heart represents her interior life, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections and above all, her virginal love for God and her maternal love for her son, Jesus. Although this statue does not show a sword, traditionally the Immaculate Heart of Mary is depicted as being pierced by a sword as it connects to the prophecy delivered to Mary in the gospels, in which she is told, at Jesus' presentation at the temple, that her heart would be pierced with a sword.
Continuing to the right, we come to see St. Anthony de Padua, the patron of our city. He was born in Lisbon, Portugal near the end of the twelfth century. As a young man, he joined the Augustinian Canons in his own city, but later received permission to join the recently formed Franciscan Order (Order of Friars Minor). In his earthly life, he became known as a gentle, but profound speaker whose sermons resulted in the conversion of many hundreds of people. On June 13, 1691, St. Anthony’s Feast Day, the first mass was celebrated at the river which now flows through San Antonio and his name was given to the new settlement along its banks. St. Joseph stands to the right of St. Anthony de Padua. He is the husband of the Virgin Mary and the earthly foster father of Jesus. The statue depicts him with the child Jesus. He is the patron of all Christian families, and especially of fathers, and he is the protector of the Universal Church, just as he was in his earthly life. 
St. Teresa of Avila is the last saint in the walkway, leading into the Church. She was a prominent Spanish mystic, a Doctor of the Church, a theologian of contemplative prayer, and is considered to be, along with St. John of the Cross, the foundress of the Discalced Carmelites (OCD). In 1970, Bl. Pope Paul VI bestowed the title Doctor of the Church upon her and St. Catherine of Siena, the first women to be awarded this distinction. She is revered as the Doctor of Prayer and has written several books such as The Interior Castle, which is among her most famous writings.