About St. Rita · Fort Worth, Texas
St. Rita Catholic Church is a bilingual English/Spanish Catholic parish in the Handley neighborhood of east Fort Worth, Texas, belonging to the Diocese of Fort Worth. Founded in 1909 and named after St. Rita of Cascia, the patron saint of the "impossible," the parish has served east Fort Worth families for more than a century from its current campus on East Lancaster Avenue. It offers Saturday Vigil and Sunday Masses in English and Spanish, a Saturday Reconciliation schedule, Thursday Eucharistic Adoration, religious formation for children and adults, and a long-running St. Vincent de Paul conference that actually traces its origins to this parish.
- Established
- 1909
- Patron
- St. Rita of Cascia (patron saint of the "impossible")
- Rector
- Rev. Keith Hathaway
- Diocese
- Diocese of Fort Worth
Why belong here
St. Rita is a small, historic, bilingual parish where a founding family of fourteen has grown into a multi-generational English- and Spanish-speaking community on Fort Worth's east side. A parishioner here worships in two languages, can spend the day in Thursday Eucharistic Adoration (9:00 AM – 8:00 PM), serves through a St. Vincent de Paul conference that has been helping neighbors since 1945, and forms children and adults in the faith under the long pastoral care of the Diocese of Fort Worth — all on a single campus on East Lancaster that the parish has occupied since the 1940s.
Mass times at St. Rita
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM
Adoration times
- Thursday 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM
History of St. Rita Catholic Church
St. Rita traces its roots to 1908, when a local woman known as 'Miss Mollie' petitioned Bishop E.J. Dunne, second Bishop of the Diocese of Dallas, for a Catholic church in the Handley area of east Fort Worth. Told the project would be an 'impossible task,' she pressed on, and the mission church opened its doors to fourteen families on February 28, 1909, on Erie Street a block south of Lancaster. Bishop Dunne named the church for St. Rita of Cascia, the saint of the 'impossible.' A December 9, 1916 fire destroyed the little church, and Mass was celebrated in the home of Mrs. Pat Ferrell for about a year and a half. The 1918 rebuild replicated the original design — an English bungalow with a front porch and a bell tower (whose bell was later salvaged from a discarded Santa Fe Railroad steam engine). In 1942, St. Rita was joined with the St. William mission in Arlington under Father William Silk as the Arlington-Handley parish; during this period, the present Lancaster/Weiler site was purchased in 1943 and, in 1945, parishioner Joseph Noel — under Monsignor Langenhorst — founded the St. Vincent de Paul Society here. The present church was built in 1974 under Father Albert Tyl and dedicated by Bishop Joseph Cassata, the first Bishop of the newly created Diocese of Fort Worth. The parish has continued to grow as a bilingual community serving east Fort Worth.
- 1908: 'Miss Mollie' appeals to Bishop E.J. Dunne for a Handley mission
- February 28, 1909: Mission opens to 14 families on Erie Street
- December 9, 1916: Fire destroys the original church
- 1918: Church rebuilt in the original English-bungalow design with bell tower
- 1942: St. Rita paired with St. William mission in Arlington under Father William Silk
- 1943: Present Weiler and East Lancaster site purchased
- 1945: Joseph Noel and Msgr. Langenhorst found the St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. Rita
- 1974: Present church built under Father Albert Tyl, dedicated by Bishop Joseph Cassata
Parish Leadership & Staff
St. Rita is led by Rev. Keith Hathaway, who was ordained on May 23, 2015 at St. Patrick Cathedral in Fort Worth. He is assisted by Permanent Deacon Brad Samuelson — a retired cardiologist originally from Colombia who was ordained a deacon by Bishop Michael Olson in 2020 — along with Sister Yolanda Pineda (Director of Religious Formation), Maribel Ruiz (Business Manager), Kevin Keil (Music Coordinator), Melissa Manjarrez (Administrative Assistant), and Ana Vitela (Safe Environment Coordinator).
- Pastor: Rev. Keith Hathaway
- Permanent Deacon: Dcn. Bradley (Brad) Samuelson
- Director of Religious Formation: Sister Yolanda Pineda
- Business Manager: Maribel Ruiz
- Music Coordinator: Kevin Keil
- Administrative Assistant: Melissa Manjarrez
- Safe Environment Coordinator: Ana Vitela
Sacraments
Information about scheduling baptisms, weddings, and other sacraments is handled through the parish office. Deacon Brad Samuelson is involved in adult faith formation (RCIA), marriage preparation, and the healing of marriages through Sanatio and Convalidation, and also serves as a Tribunal Advocate. Reconciliation is regularly available Saturday afternoons before the Vigil Mass, with additional times published for Holy Week.
- Reconciliation: Saturday 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM (additional times during Holy Week)
- RCIA (adult initiation) with Deacon Brad Samuelson
- Marriage preparation and Convalidation with Deacon Brad Samuelson
- Tribunal advocacy with Deacon Brad Samuelson
- Baptism, Anointing of the Sick, and other rites arranged through the parish office
Faith Formation & Religious Education
The parish's faith-formation program is directed by Sister Yolanda Pineda and includes preparation for the sacraments as well as ongoing adult formation. RCIA for adults entering the Church is led by Deacon Brad Samuelson. Families interested in faith formation are encouraged to contact the parish office at [email protected] or (817) 451-9395.
- Director of Religious Formation: Sister Yolanda Pineda
- RCIA for adults, with Deacon Brad Samuelson
- Children's and family faith formation programs
- VIRTUS Safe Environment program for adults and children, coordinated by Ana Vitela
Parish Ministries & Outreach
St. Rita's signature outreach is its St. Vincent de Paul Conference — a direct continuation of the society that parishioner Joseph Noel and Monsignor Langenhorst founded here in 1945, and which the parish notes has since spread throughout the Dioceses of Fort Worth and Dallas. The parish also supports marriage and family ministries through Deacon Brad, music ministry under Kevin Keil, and a Safe Environment program that ensures compliance with diocesan requirements for those working with children and vulnerable adults.
- St. Vincent de Paul Society (St. Rita Conference) — founded 1945 at this parish
- Marriage preparation and family ministry — Deacon Brad Samuelson
- Music ministry — Kevin Keil, Music Coordinator
- Safe Environment / VIRTUS — Ana Vitela, Safe Environment Coordinator
Visiting St. Rita — Contact & Office
The parish is located at 5550 E. Lancaster Avenue in Fort Worth's 76112 ZIP code, in the Handley neighborhood. The parish office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM, and can be reached at (817) 451-9395 or [email protected]. Bishop Michael Olson's diocesan decree is also linked from the parish's homepage, and the parish keeps an active Facebook page at facebook.com/StRitaFW where feast-day and parish announcements are posted.
- Address: 5550 E. Lancaster Ave, Fort Worth, Texas 76112
- Phone: (817) 451-9395
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://stritafw.org/
- Office hours: Monday–Thursday, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM
- Diocesan authority: Diocese of Fort Worth (Bishop Michael Olson)
- Official Facebook: facebook.com/StRitaFW
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father William Silk1942 (as pastor of the Arlington-Handley parish that included St. Rita)
Oversaw the 1942 pairing of St. Rita with the St. William mission in Arlington; the present Lancaster/Weiler site was purchased in 1943.
- Father Albert Tyltill 1979 (built present church 1974)
Built the present church in 1974, dedicated by Bishop Joseph Cassata.
- Father William AaronJune 1979
Arrived with then-associate Father Joseph Pemberton.
- Father Joseph Pemberton1986 (became pastor)
Was associate pastor under Father Aaron, then became pastor in 1986.
- Father Richard FloresJuly 1993 – July 2008
Long-tenured pastor.
- Father Paul Kahan, SVDuntil August 2015
Society of the Divine Word (SVD) priest.
- Father Eric Groner, SVDuntil August 2020
Society of the Divine Word (SVD) priest.
- Rev. Keith Hathawaycurrent
Current pastor; ordained May 23, 2015 at St. Patrick Cathedral, Fort Worth.