Winners of the St. Pius X Christmas Classic are awarded the Monsignor Richard Lopez Championship Trophy. Monsignor Lopez has been a teacher at St. Pius X since 1980. During that time there is no one who has had a greater impact on the St. Pius X community than Monsignor Lopez.

Monsignor Lopez was born in 1944 in New York City. At the age of 10 he moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. After high school he attended Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he graduated with a degree in Language. He then entered the seminary at St. Louis University. He was ordained April 28, 1973 at Christ the King Cathedral in Atlanta.

Monsignor has been very active with Birthright. He serves on their International Board. He was also the chaplain at Our Lady of Perpetual Help cancer home for nine years. He currently serves as an in-residence priest at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Atlanta.

More, however, than the positions he holds or the jobs he performs, Monsignor’s influence stems from the person he is. He sees the goodness of God in every student he teaches. Every student, in turn, feels touched by God through him.

The trophy is so named in order that we may honor him and in a small way say "thank you" for the blessing he has been and continues to be.

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