Parsch was born in Neustift near Olmutz, Moravia, in what is now the Czech Republic.
He was given the name Pius when he entered the community of Canons Regular in Klosterneuburg Abbey.
Some of these were translated into English, including The Liturgy of the Mass (Herder, 1940), The Breviary Explained (id., 1952), and The Church's Year of Grace (Liturgical Press, 1953).
This early practice of the liturgical renewal was notable for celebration at a free standing altar with the priest facing the people (which he instituted at St. Gertrud Kirche), gothic vestments and an emphasis on the liturgical seasons rather than the calendar of the saints.
[1] These features were all permitted but uncommon prior to Vatican Council II.