Starting in the 1980s members of the Traditionalist Catholic society SSPX began moving to St. Marys, attracted to its isolation from the modern world. Since then the number of residents in St. Marys affiliated with the SSPX has grown considerably, to the point in 2020 that they formed the majority of the towns population. The growth of the SSPX in the town has been a source of tension with some older residents who are not members of the movement and who do not share the society's conservative social values.