A woman runs the show, but not the mass, at St. Pius X Catholic Church

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Carol Pacione chats with Karl Rickert before a Sunday morning Mass at St. Pius X Catholic Church. As the senior official of a parish that doesn't have a full-time priest, Pacione, 63, fulfills many of the functions of a pastor. Pacione will be retiring in March from her position as pastoral life director at the church. (Amy Davis / Baltimore Sun)

Carol Pacione is the top official in the church of a denomination that doesn't ordain women. For 13 years she's been the pastoral life director at St. Pious X Roman Catholic Church — one of a small number of lay leaders who enjoy all the powers and responsibilities of a traditional parish priest, except for the ability to perform the sacraments. It's a role that has helped the Catholic Church cope with a decades-long decline in priestly vocations in the United States while opening a path to leadership for women.