St. Francis Xavier

Welcome & Parish Identity

St. Francis Xavier is one of four parishes in a single Catholic family serving the towns of Ranger, Cisco, Eastland, and Strawn in Eastland County, Texas. The shared website invites visitors: 'We are a Catholic parish community serving the 4 cities of Strawn, Ranger, Eastland, and Cisco TX. Thank you for visiting our website!' Within that family, St. Francis Xavier is the Spanish-language parish, and its page is presented in both English and Spanish to welcome the Hispanic Catholics of the area.

• Part of a four-parish cluster: St. Rita (Ranger), Our Lady of the Holy Rosary (Cisco), St. Francis Xavier (Eastland), St. John (Strawn)
• Pastored by Pallottine (SAC) priests from the Diocese of Fort Worth
• Bilingual English/Spanish communications

Mission Statement

The cluster's shared mission statement reads: 'We gather as the Body of Christ: to grow in our faith, to serve, to share. We the faith community of St. John, St. Rita, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, St. Francis Xavier and St. Boniface, united in God's family through our Catholic tradition, gather to bear witness to the teachings of Jesus Christ and share his eternal mission. We come together for communal worship, education in faith, spiritual growth and fellowship. Inspired by the Holy Spirit we reach out as Christ's hands to spread God's love, healing and forgiveness. We are committed to our tradition of hospitality, diversity and tolerance. We invite all to use their time, talent and treasure to make present the kingdom of God. We are the embodiment of the Catholic tradition for a century and more.'

Pastoral Team & Parish Staff

The parish is led by a Pallottine pastor who also serves the three other parishes in the cluster. Day-to-day operations are handled from the shared parish office in Ranger, with a secretary and a bookkeeper, and the pastor and staff are reachable by phone, text, and email for both routine needs and pastoral emergencies.

• Pastor — Rev. Maria Joseph Kiran Kumar Pudota, SAC (mobile: 817-821-5821)
• Bookkeeper — Patricia Davis
• Secretary — Danielle Harper (mobile: 254-631-7484)
• Parish Office: 1109 Blackwell Rd, Ranger, TX 76470 — open Mon–Thu, 9 AM–3 PM
• Phone: 254-647-3163 | Email: [email protected]

Devotions & Marian Life

Beyond the Mass schedule, the parish nurtures a strong Marian and devotional life, anchored by the lay group Las Guadalupanas. The faithful gather monthly to pray the Rosary to Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the parish calendar also lists a Consecration to the Sacred Heart.

• Rosary to Our Lady of Guadalupe — 12th of every month, 6:30 PM (if the 12th falls on a Sunday, 10:30 AM before Mass); hosted by Las Guadalupanas
• Consecration to the Sacred Heart (parish calendar event)
• First Friday Adoration — 7:00 PM (monthly)

Becoming a Parishioner

The cluster invites newcomers to register online or with a hard-copy form at the back of any of the four churches. Once registered, parishioners are asked to schedule a meeting with Pastor Fr. Joseph Pudota so he can personally welcome them to the parish. The registration form asks each household for sacramental history (Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation), previous parish, and contact information.

• Online registration: stritacatholicranger.org/parish-registration
• Hard-copy forms available at the back of the church
• Newcomers encouraged to meet Fr. Joseph Pudota after registering
• Questions: 254-647-3163

Sacraments

St. Francis Xavier prepares and celebrates the full range of Catholic sacraments for its parishioners. Sacramental milestones such as First Communion are celebrated in bilingual and Spanish Masses at the parish and the other cluster parishes, and Reconciliation is offered weekly as well as by appointment.

• Baptism — by arrangement with the parish office
• First Communion — typically celebrated in spring (e.g., May 16 at 11:00 AM bilingual at St. Rita, Ranger)
• Confirmation — coordinated through the parish office and Diocese of Fort Worth
• Reconciliation (Confession) — Thursday 6:30–7:00 PM and by appointment
• Matrimony — by appointment with the Pastor
• Anointing of the Sick — via the pastoral emergency line

Safe Environment & Diocesan Compliance

Like every parish in the Diocese of Fort Worth, St. Francis Xavier participates in the diocese's Safe Environment Program for the protection of children and vulnerable adults. The cluster's calendar lists ongoing Safe Environment training and compliance dates for all four parishes.

• Diocesan Safe Environment training required for adults working with minors
• Cluster-wide compliance calendar maintained on the parish website

The 2022 Carbon Wildfire & Parish Response

On March 17, 2022, a wind-driven wildfire swept through Eastland County, burning more than 54,000 acres and destroying 86 homes in the small community of Carbon. Seven families belonging to St. Francis Xavier lost their homes, vehicles, and belongings, and two young men — Ernesto and Jesus Perales — suffered burns as they fled. The parish's then-pastor, Pallottine Father Vijaya Mareedu, accompanied survivors back to survey the damage, and on March 20, 2022, Fort Worth Bishop Michael F. Olson came to celebrate Mass and pray with the families at St. Francis Xavier. In the weeks that followed, the parish hosted lunch for the families after every Sunday Mass, and donations totaling $230,984 from the diocese, the Knights of Columbus, Catholic Charities Fort Worth, and beyond were distributed to the seven Carbon families and another parishioner who lost livestock structures. The families continued to meet after Sunday Mass to help one another finish renovating the used mobile homes they had placed on their properties — a visible sign, parishioners said, that 'God is very much showing us a way to stay together, work together, and be committed.'

• Seven St. Francis Xavier families lost homes in the March 2022 Carbon wildfire
• Bishop Michael F. Olson celebrated Mass at the parish on March 20, 2022, with survivors
• Parish hosted weekly Sunday lunches for affected families for months afterward
• $230,984 in donations distributed through the diocese, Knights of Columbus, and Catholic Charities Fort Worth

Annual Diocesan Appeal & Giving

The four-parish cluster participates each year in the Diocese of Fort Worth's Annual Diocesan Appeal, promoted on the shared website with the theme 'Love One Another As I Have Loved You.' The Appeal supports diocesan ministries, seminarian formation, Catholic Charities, and parish needs across the 28-county diocese.

• Coordinated Annual Diocesan Appeal across all four cluster parishes
• Pastoral emergency support available through Fr. Joseph Pudota and parish staff