Serve God and Neighbor!

Involvement in parish life affords us the opportunity to use our time, talent, and our treasure in service to God and others. Every Catholic has an important role to play in the Body of Christ. St. Rita Church offers its members over 70 ways to serve others, study the Word of God and our Catholic faith, and build friendships with each other. Below are just some of the ministries you can share in at St. Rita. Please explore!

Remember that all volunteers at St. Rita must first go through the Safe Environment process that is required by the Catholic Diocese of Dallas. Click here for more information on that process.
 

How is God calling you to participate in the family of the Church?

Austin Street Shelter
On the fourth Tuesday of every month, parishioners from St. Rita take food to the downtown homeless shelter. Parishioners prepare sandwiches in their homes and deliver them to the church. Volunteers transport the food to the Shelter in the evening where they then serve the food to the less fortunate. Help is needed for food preparation, delivery and serving of the food.
Contact: Anne Wilson

Bereavement Ministry
St. Rita’s Bereavement Ministry would offers a friendly, caring group of people who will walk alongside you through life’s most difficult experiences. Volunteers lead grief support groups who understand what our parishioners are going through and who want to help. Bereavement ministers help others gain access to valuable resources and skills to recover from their loss and help them look forward to rebuilding their lives.
Contact: Bernadette May, RN (Parish Nurse)
To learn more, visit the St. Rita Bereavement Ministry Webpage!

The Good Samaritans
The members of the Good Samaritan Ministry at St. Rita are charged with the privilege of seeing to it that those in our parish community who are unable to attend Mass because of illness or infirmity, continue to feel a part of the community through the receiving of the Holy Eucharist once a week.
Contact: Bernadette May, RN
972-934-8388 ext.318
To learn more, visit the Good Samaritans’ Webpage!

St. Rita Bread Ministry
Various bakeries and stores donate day-old bread, which volunteers collect and bring to various charitable distribution centers. This is a valuable and longstanding ministry which has helped to feed thousands of needy people.
Contact: Julien Frost

Helping Other People Everyday
(H.O.P.E.) is a group of concerned parishioners who willingly volunteer to help others. We have four groups of volunteers. Each group serves for one week on a rotating basis. Each group has team leaders that work with the Parish Nurse. Volunteers provide practical, prayer, and social support; including transportation for errands, medical appointments, grocery shopping, and to Mass on weekends; prepare meals; perform light housekeeping, yard work, and respite care; make home bound and nursing home visits.
To download a H.O.P.E Request Form, click here! (.pdf) or here! (Word)
To learn more, visit the H.O.P.E. Webpage!

AIDS Ministry
St.Rita families join together to provide meals for people with AIDS. They prepare a portion of a meal at home, and then deliver it to one of four homes run by AIDS services of Dallas. St. Rita also provides a large number of Christmas gifts through the annual Magi Tree. Our AIDS Ministry currently needs more volunteers to facilitate children’s activities.
Contact: Mary Beth O’Connor

The St. Rita Honduras Mission
St. Rita has a sister parish – Virgen de los Remedios – in Sonaguera, Honduras, located in the Diocese of Trujillo. We are working to build this relationship based on our common faith and desire to fulfill Pope John Paul II’s vision for the Church in the Americas. We share our time and talents through mission trips to assist in education, medical needs, and evangelization faith building. We share from our material blessings, and we receive their gifts of faith, spirit, and culture. Spanish language skills are not a requirement to participate actively in this ministry.
To learn more, visit our special Honduras Mission Webpage!
Contact: Honduras Ministry

Outreach Angels
This is a ministry to help bereaved families during family funerals. We prepare a reception for their families and friends in Sweeney Hall or their homes to help families. This is done at families’ request.
Contact: Teresa Rogers or Karen Dempsey

The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul
St. Rita’s St. Vincent de Paul Society helps the needy within our parish boundaries. When an individual or family requests assistance in paying rent, utilities or other necessities, two members of the Society visit their homes and determine their need. They and the entire group then discuss the case at the weekly meeting and decide how to address their immediate financial need and work with the family to improve their life situation. The group maintains the parish food pantry for supplying food to those in need. Volunteers are also needed for support of our members including communications, computer, and organizational tasks. We meet Thursday evenings at 6:00pm in the Pastoral Center Lounge.
Contact: Paul Scherer
The St. Vincent de Paul Hotline: 972/232-1393

North Dallas Shared Ministries
A coalition of North Dallas-area interdenominational churches provides emergency assistance to low-income clients while promoting self-respect and responsibility. St. Rita parishioners donate food to the food pantry, and volunteer at the Emergency Aid Center and Medical Clinics. Financial assistance, a clothing store, ESL classes and job counseling are also offered.
Contact: Carole George