About St. Rita · Dayton, Ohio
St. Rita Catholic Church (formally St. Rita of Cascia Parish) is a neighborhood Catholic parish in the Shiloh area of northwest Dayton, Ohio, founded in 1922 for the Catholic families of that growing part of the city. It is now part of the St. Gaspar Family of Parishes, a six-parish collaboration led by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood (C.PP.S.) that also includes Precious Blood, St. Paul, Holy Trinity, Emmanuel and St. Joseph. The parish is best known in Dayton as the childhood parish of Servant of God Sister Dorothy Stang, the missionary and martyr who grew up in the parish school and returned periodically throughout her life. Today St. Rita remains an active worshipping community known for its Holy Name society traditions, its Angel of Peace award, an annual Blue Mass, Soup-and-Stations during Lent, and a deep network of lay charity (St. Vincent de Paul, God's Garden, Family Promise, Stephen Ministry).
- Established
- 1922
- Patron
- St. Rita of Cascia
- Rector
- Fr. Anthony Fortman, C.PP.S.
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Why belong here
St. Rita is the parish to join if you want a true neighborhood Catholic church with deep Dayton roots — the kind of place where multiple generations of the same family still sit in the same pews, and where a 100-year history of Precious Blood mission and lay charity is still lived out in concrete ways. Worship is warm and traditional (with the parish's well-known Wednesday evening Mass, an annual Blue Mass for first responders, and Lenten Soup-and-Stations), the parish sits at the heart of the Sisters of Notre Dame's Sister Dorothy Stang pilgrimage with a museum of her relics, and the St. Vincent de Paul Northwest Dayton Conference, Stephen Ministry, God's Garden, Family Promise and the Knights of Columbus give parishioners hands-on ways to serve the Shiloh neighborhood and broader Miami Valley.
Mass times at St. Rita
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30–4:20 p.m. (September through December, in the rotating parish schedule)
About St. Rita Parish
St. Rita Catholic Church is a century-old neighborhood parish in the heart of northwest Dayton's Shiloh community. Founded in 1922 and now part of the six-parish St. Gaspar Family of Parishes, it lives out a Precious Blood spirituality together with its partner parishes (Precious Blood, St. Paul, Holy Trinity, Emmanuel and St. Joseph). The parish welcomes new members and visitors of every background.
- Mission Statement: 'As a diverse, welcoming Catholic family rooted in the Precious Blood of Jesus, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we provide spiritual direction through God's Word and His Sacraments to guide our community to live as disciples of Jesus, who share His love and Good News.'
- Vision: 'We will be a vibrant, worshipping, sacrificial Catholic family who loves God and sees dignity in all humanity. As we are fed by the Eucharist and strengthened by the Holy Spirit, we will grow in our relationship with Jesus and serve those in our community.'
History
St. Rita was founded in 1922 for the Catholics of northwest Dayton and has been served continuously by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. The original little white wood-frame church hosted Dorothy Mae Stang's confirmation in 1941; the present church was dedicated October 29, 1967 on the Feast of Christ the King, and the parish celebrated its centennial in 2022 with Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr.
Sister Dorothy Stang — Heritage Site
St. Rita is the childhood parish of Servant of God Sister Dorothy Stang, the Dayton-born missionary murdered in Brazil in 2005. The grey stone holy water font from the original little church — the one she would have used — is preserved in the present worship space, and a small lower-level museum displays her childhood report card and a relic of blood-soaked soil from Anapu, Brazil.
- Stop #4 on the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur's eight-station 'Pilgrimage of Hope and Courage'
- Relics on display by appointment through Matt Ruttle, 937-278-5815
- Sister Dorothy spoke at the parish in 1998
- A relic was installed at the Sanctuary of New Martyrs in Rome, January 10, 2025
Parish Staff
- Fr. Anthony Fortman, C.PP.S. — Pastor (also pastor of the St. Gaspar Family of Parishes)
- Fr. Tim Knepper — Parochial Vicar
- Deacon James Olinger
- Debi Hamby — Parish Secretary ([email protected])
Ministries and Outreach
Lay ministry at St. Rita is organized into Liturgy, Faith Formation, Charity & Social Justice, and Community Life commissions. The parish shares a number of these ministries with its sister parishes in the Precious Blood/St. Paul grouping.
- Worship Commission: Liturgical Ministries, Music Ministry, Children's Liturgy of the Word, Eucharistic Adoration, Prayer Network, Centering Prayer
- Charity & Social Justice: St. Vincent de Paul NW Dayton Conference, Family Promise, God's Garden, Respect Life, Prayer Quilt Ministry, Friendly Visitors, Giving Garden, North Coast Job Seekers, CRS Rice Bowl, Christmas in July, Christmas Care and Share, Thea Bowman Meal Program
- Community Life: Knights of Columbus (Marian Council), Gardening Club, Empty Nesters, Pre-Cana
- Faith Formation: Exceptional Needs Christmas Party, Ladies Luncheon
- Cross-parish ministries: Stephen Ministry (one-to-one lay caring), God's Garden community garden on St. Paul grounds, Northmont Community Table
Sacraments and Devotions
- Sunday and weekday Mass (English)
- Saturday Vigil and weekday Confession
- Annual Blue Mass for law enforcement, firefighters and EMS
- Lenten 'Soup and Stations' evenings
- Marriage preparation (Pre-Cana)
- Centennial Mass celebrated with Archbishop Schnurr (2022)
St. Gaspar Family of Parishes
In response to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati's 'Beacons of Light' collaboration model, St. Rita joined Precious Blood, St. Paul, Holy Trinity, Emmanuel and St. Joseph to form the St. Gaspar Family of Parishes, named for St. Gaspar del Bufalo, founder of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. Saturday Vigil Mass and Confession rotate location every four months among St. Paul, St. Rita and Precious Blood.
- Precious Blood — 4961 Salem Ave., Dayton, OH 45416 — 937-276-5954
- St. Paul — 1000 W. Wenger Road, Englewood, OH 45322 — 937-836-7535
- St. Rita — 5401 N. Main St., Dayton, OH 45415 — 937-278-5815
- Holy Trinity, Emmanuel, and St. Joseph — also part of the family
Contact and Location
- Address: 5401 N. Main St., Dayton, OH 45415
- Phone: (937) 278-5815
- Email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Tuesday–Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
- Neighborhood: Shiloh / Northwest Dayton
- Website: https://stgasparfamily.org/st-rita-parish/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- (Founding C.PP.S. priests of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, 1922 onward)1922–c. 2012
St. Rita has been staffed by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood (C.PP.S.) since its founding. Individual pastor names for the 1922–2012 period are not published on the current parish website and could not be independently verified.
- Fr. Jim Seibert, C.PP.S.2012–c. 2024
Dayton native; 40th ordination anniversary celebrated in 2017. Served as pastor of Region Five (Precious Blood, St. Paul, St. Rita) from 2012 onward; previously local director of St. Charles Center, Carthagena, 2000–2012, where he oversaw a major remodeling. Led the parish through its 2022 centennial.
- Fr. Anthony Fortman, C.PP.S.2024–present
Current pastor of St. Rita and pastor of the St. Gaspar Family of Parishes (Precious Blood, St. Paul, St. Rita, Holy Trinity, Emmanuel, St. Joseph); named 'Fr. Tony Fortman' on parish pages.
- Fr. Tim Kneppercurrent
Parochial Vicar serving the St. Gaspar Family of Parishes alongside Fr. Fortman.
- Deacon James Olingercurrent
Diaconate minister at St. Rita.