About Our Lady of Fatima · Farrell, Pennsylvania
Our Lady of Fatima is a Roman Catholic parish in Farrell, Pennsylvania, part of the Diocese of Erie. Established on March 5, 1952, it was formed by the consolidation of two earlier ethnic parishes — historically Irish St. Elizabeth and Italian St. Anthony of Padua — and is now housed in the former St. Elizabeth church building, a striking Gothic structure of Cleveland stone and Kittanning buff brick. Today the parish is administered by Father Glenn Whitman (who also serves St. Anthony of Padua in Sharon), with weekend assistance from retired Father Frank DiCristina. With about 380 registered families, the community is small but active, gathering around the Saturday vigil Mass, weekday prayer services, a parish cavatelli crew, a Prayer Book Club, all-day adoration, and outreach to a sister parish food pantry.
- Established
- 1952
- Patron
- Our Lady of Fatima (Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. Glenn Whitman
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie
Why belong here
Our Lady of Fatima is a tight-knit, multigenerational Catholic community where parishioners are known by name and welcomed into a true family of faith. Members gather around the Saturday vigil Mass, weekday morning prayer services, all-day adoration and Holy Hour, a Prayer Book Club, the parish cavatelli crew (a beloved Shenango Valley tradition), and outreach like the prayer chain and food-pantry partnership with their sister parish, Church of the Good Shepherd in West Middlesex. It is a place where the heritage of immigrant Catholic families lives on in a historic Gothic church and where every liturgy is a chance to 'know, love, and serve God and one another.'
Mass times at Our Lady of Fatima
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30–3:50 p.m. (Sacrament of Penance)
Adoration times
- All Day Adoration: select Thursdays 6:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
- Holy Hour: select Thursdays 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Welcome to Our Lady of Fatima Parish
The parish homepage greets visitors with a message that has become a kind of mission statement: 'We, the Parish of Our Lady of Fatima, are a community of people of diverse nationalities. Our ancestors, with their great LOVE for the church and strong devotion to the Blessed Mother, created and preserved this faith community, that is now entrusted to us and for our continued care.' Every member is invited to keep the faith alive by sharing in the presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist and continuing the mission to 'know, love, and serve God and one another.' The welcome is literal: the bulletin and website invite newcomers to stop downstairs for coffee and donuts after Mass and to introduce themselves.
- Community of 'diverse nationalities' rooted in Irish and Italian immigrant heritage
- Mission: to preserve Christian life and values from birth to death through the Eucharist
- Invitation to visitors to stay after Mass for fellowship in the Social Hall
History: From St. Elizabeth and St. Anthony of Padua to Our Lady of Fatima
Our Lady of Fatima grew out of two earlier Shenango Valley parishes founded by immigrant communities who came to work in the steel mills. St. Elizabeth was established in 1902 by Irish Catholics in what was then South Sharon, and its $50,000 Gothic church on Roemer Boulevard (then Haywood) and Wallis Street was designed by Oil City architect Joseph P. Brenot in Cleveland stone and Kittanning buff brick with copper cornices and finials, illuminated by more than 2,000 electric light bulbs. A generation later, Italian Catholic families created St. Anthony of Padua with an Italian-speaking pastor. On March 5, 1952, Bishop (later Archbishop) John Mark Gannon of the Diocese of Erie ordered the two parishes consolidated into one community honoring Our Lady of Fatima. Monsignor Geno J. Monti led the merger and became the new parish's first pastor.
- St. Elizabeth Parish founded 1902 — Irish Catholic community in South Sharon (now Farrell)
- St. Anthony of Padua Parish — Italian Catholic community
- March 5, 1952 — Bishop Gannon orders consolidation into Our Lady of Fatima
- Monsignor Geno J. Monti named first pastor
- 1960 — Elementary school, chapel and convent erected (later named Monsignor Geno J. Monti School)
- 2002 — Parish celebrates 100th anniversary of St. Elizabeth founding and 50th anniversary of Fatima dedication
- 2008 — Absorbed St. Ann parish; becomes the only Catholic parish in Farrell
Parish Staff and Clergy
Our Lady of Fatima is led by Father Glenn Whitman, who also serves as Administrator of St. Anthony of Padua in Sharon. Weekend assistance is provided by Father Frank T. DiCristina, a retired priest of the Diocese of Erie. The parish staff includes Pam Rabold as Secretary/Bookkeeper, Joann Horner in Liturgical/Maintenance, and Christina Russo as Choir Director. The bulletin also names Maureen Murray as Organist and Thomas Cimoric as Foreman of the Catholic Cemetery Association.
- Pastor: Rev. Glenn Whitman
- Weekend Assistance: Rev. Frank T. DiCristina (retired)
- Secretary/Bookkeeper: Pam Rabold
- Liturgical/Maintenance: Joann Horner
- Choir Director: Christina Russo
- Organist: Maureen Murray
- Catholic Cemetery Association Foreman: Thomas Cimoric
Office Hours and Contact
The parish office is open Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Telephone, fax and email are answered during those hours.
- Office Hours: Monday–Thursday, 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
- Phone: 724-346-3359
- Email: [email protected]
Sacraments
The parish provides the standard Catholic sacraments through the office. Baptisms are scheduled by calling the Parish Office; weddings must be arranged at least six months in advance; the Sacrament of Penance is offered every Saturday afternoon before the vigil Mass; and arrangements for Anointing of the Sick, Communion calls, and funeral liturgies are coordinated through the office.
- Baptism: call the Parish Office
- Marriage: arrangements six months in advance; call the Parish Office
- Penance: Saturdays 3:30–3:50 p.m.
- Anointing of the Sick: call the Parish Office
- Funeral / Mass of Christian Burial: through the Parish Office
Liturgy, Music, and Devotions
Music at Our Lady of Fatima is led by Choir Director Christina Russo and Organist Maureen Murray. Devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary are a particular hallmark: the bulletin lists weekly memorials for the Sanctuary Light and Blessed Virgin Mary Altar flowers, and the Altar Rosary Society (chaired by Jean Mabie) supports Marian devotion in the parish. The parish also keeps a Prayer Chain column running in the weekly bulletin so that anyone may submit prayer intentions that will be forwarded to fellow parishioners.
- Choir Director: Christina Russo
- Organist: Maureen Murray
- Altar Rosary Society Chair: Jean Mabie
- Sanctuary Light memorials available each week
- Blessed Virgin Mary Altar flowers available each week
- Prayer Chain ministry in the weekly bulletin
Lenten and Holy Week Schedule
During Lent, the parish gathers for weekday Mass on Fridays at 12:15 p.m. and prays the Stations of the Cross every Tuesday at 12:15 p.m., followed by a Communion Service. Holy Week brings the parish together for a special schedule centered on the Paschal Triduum, with Easter Sunday Mass followed by coffee and donuts in the Social Hall.
- Ash Wednesday — 12:15 p.m. Mass
- Stations of the Cross — every Tuesday during Lent, 12:15 p.m., Communion Service to follow
- Palm Sunday — Saturday Vigil 4:00 p.m. Mass
- Holy Thursday — 7:00 p.m.
- Good Friday — 12:00 noon (no Saturday service)
- Easter Sunday — 9:00 a.m. Mass, followed by Coffee and Donuts downstairs
Parish Ministries and Organizations
Our Lady of Fatima runs a full complement of ministries that touch nearly every aspect of parish life — from liturgical service to fellowship to outreach. At Mass, lectors, Eucharistic ministers, altar servers and greeters fill a published Ministry Schedule each week. Behind the scenes, the Cavatelli Crew keeps an Italian-American tradition alive by gathering in the Good Shepherd Social Hall to hand-roll cavatelli (chaired by Flo Fusco), and the Prayer Book Club meets Wednesday evenings for faith and fellowship.
- Liturgical ministries: Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Altar Servers, Greeters
- Altar Rosary Society — Marian devotion
- Fatima Cavatelli Crew — community pasta-making
- Prayer Book Club — Wednesdays, 6:00 p.m. in the Social Hall
- Prayer Chain — bulletin column
- Catholic Cemetery Association
Parish School: Monsignor Geno J. Monti School
Built in 1960 as part of the consolidated parish campus, the parish elementary school, chapel, and convent were erected to serve the new Our Lady of Fatima community. The school was later renamed Monsignor Geno J. Monti School in honor of the parish's founding pastor. Former students and CCD alumni in the Shenango Valley remember it as a center of religious education and Catholic identity for generations of Farrell children. (The school is no longer listed as an active institution on the Diocese of Erie's current parish page.)
- School, chapel, and convent erected 1960
- Renamed Monsignor Geno J. Monti School in honor of the founding pastor
- Served as the parish's center of religious education for decades
Outreach and the Sister Parish Food Pantry
Our Lady of Fatima partners with its sister parish, the Church of the Good Shepherd in West Middlesex, to support the Good Shepherd Food Pantry. Blue totes are placed at each entrance of the church with signs listing the 'Items of the Month,' and parishioners are challenged to 'show the Fatima Spirit' by filling them. The parish also publishes weekly prayers for the sick and a Prayer Chain column, and the bulletin regularly invites members to pray for one another's intentions.
- Sister parish: Church of the Good Shepherd, West Middlesex
- Monthly food-pantry collection with Items of the Month
- 'Show the Fatima Spirit' — fill the blue totes
Cavatelli Crew — A Living Shenango Valley Tradition
A signature fellowship of Our Lady of Fatima is the Fatima Cavatelli Crew, chaired by Flo Fusco. On scheduled mornings parishioners gather in the Good Shepherd Social Hall to hand-roll cavatelli — a centuries-old Italian pasta tradition that honors the parish's founding Italian-American community. The cavatelli is sold or distributed as a fundraiser and a sign of parish unity.
- Chair: Flo Fusco
- Meets in the Good Shepherd Social Hall
- Open to all parishioners as a fellowship and fundraiser
Prayer Book Club
Every Wednesday evening at 6:00 p.m., parishioners gather in the downstairs Social Hall for the Prayer Book Club — a casual evening of faith, prayer, and conversation rooted in the parish's devotional life.
- Wednesdays, 6:00 p.m.
- Downstairs in the Social Hall
Cemetery Ministry
Our Lady of Fatima continues to oversee a Catholic cemetery association for the parish, ensuring perpetual care of parish burial grounds. The bulletin lists Thomas Cimoric as Foreman of the Catholic Cemetery Association.
- Catholic Cemetery Association Foreman: Thomas Cimoric
Weekly Bulletin
The parish publishes a weekly bulletin (printed and posted online at fatimafarrell.org) that serves as the central source of Mass intentions, sanctuary light and altar flower memorials, the Ministry Schedule (Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Altar Servers, Greeters), parish calendar, and announcements. The bulletin is where Holy Day schedules, special collections, and the Prayer Chain column appear.
- Published weekly at fatimafarrell.org/weeklybulletin.php
- Includes weekly Mass intentions and Memorials
- Lists Lector, Eucharistic Minister, Altar Server and Greeter assignments
- Publishes the Prayer Chain column and parish calendar
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Monsignor Geno J. Monti1952–
First pastor; spearheaded the 1952 consolidation of St. Elizabeth and St. Anthony of Padua and later had the parish school named in his honor (Monsignor Geno J. Monti School).