The following parish groups provide volunteer opportunities. Click on any one of the following links to go directly to the group for more information:

• Saint Rita School
• Religious Education
• Religious Education Program
• John Paul II Society
• Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
• Liturgy
• Saint Rita Altar Boys
• Lectors
• Music & Choir: Saint Rita’s Music
• Sacristan
• The Ushers at Saint Rita Catholic Church
• Outreach Organizations
• Saint Rita Parish Respect Life Group
• ESL Program
• Hospitality Committee
• Funerals
• Legion of Mary
• Social Outreach Program
• Inreach Organizations
• Saint Rita Mother’s Group
• Parish Father’s Group
• Parish Women’s Group
• Saint Rita Craft Group
• Hispanic Charismatic Prayer Group
• Hispanic Young Adult Group
• Parish Advisory Groups
• Pastoral Council
• Finance Council

For over fifty years, Saint Rita School has provided a quality Catholic education for children in grades K-8. Saint Rita School was established in 1952 by the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Chestnut Hill and has proudly served thousands of children since its opening. Saint Rita is a strong Faith community which provides a roadmap for life for our students. Daily Religion classes, weekly Mass, outreach service projects and sacramental preparation deepen our students’ understanding of their Faith and the Church. Our academic curriculum includes both core subjects, including reading, spelling, grammar, science, social studies, mathematics and enrichment courses, including music, P.E., art, library, computer technology and weekly instruction in Spanish.

For more information, please see our website www.saintrita-school.org or contact our School Principal, Mrs. Mary Pat Schlickenmaier, by email saintritaalexandria@worldnet.att.net, phone (703) 548-1888, or write:

Saint Rita School
3801 Russell Road
Alexandria, VA 22305

Religious Education Program

Teachers and aides are needed for our religious education programs at all levels, first grade through high school. Contact Betsy Nunn, Director of Religious Education, 703-836-1356 or nunnw@aol.com.

John Paul II Society

The John Paul II Society is a young adult ministry at Saint Rita’s that meets monthly to discuss great books. The books we discuss range widely across a spectrum that includes fiction and non-fiction, Catholic and non-Catholic writers, theology, history, spirituality, and adventure. Recent works we have read include Dostoyevsky’s “The Brothers Karamazov,” Beloc’s “How the Reformation Happened,” and Pope Benedict XVI’s “Jesus of Nazareth.” Meetings of the JPII Society generally occur one Saturday night each month from 6:30 PM until around 8:00 PM. And there is usually pizza. All are welcome! Please contact Matthew Ouimet at 703-451-0333 or mjouimet@msn.com.

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)

A program of classes on the Catholic faith for non-Christians or for Christians of other denominations who are considering entering the Catholic Church.  Classes began August 29 and end in April 2008.  Call Parish Rectory Office 703-836-1640 to register.

Saint Rita Altar Boys

A great group of boys who serve at Sunday and other special Masses, and in doing so, assists the priests and parish. Altar boys are in the 4^th through 12^th grade, and must have received First Communion. The duties are straightforward so no experience is necessary as the boys are trained. The experience is also enriching and the time commitment is not great as each boy serves once every 2-3 weeks. The altar boys also do fun activities like hiking, the Marine Corps Evening Parade, and movies. Point of contact: Mr. Kelly McKeague, (703) 768-1474, or email at mckeague6@cox.net.

Lectors

This ministry consists of a dedicated group of men and women who read the Word of God during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. By the action of reading, the lector becomes the instrument through whom God becomes present to those gathered at Mass through His Word and through His teachings. The Old and New Testament readings are proclaimed to the congregation during Sunday liturgy, Monday evening Novena Mass, Holyday Masses, and other special liturgical celebrations. New members are welcome to join at any time. Training, if necessary, will be provided. To join, please leave your name and contact number with the parish secretary at (703-836-1640) and the lector coordinator will contact you.

Music & Choir: Saint Rita’s Music

Sacred music has a prominent place at Saint Rita Parish. The Parish choir sings at the 11:15 liturgy on Sundays and for the celebrations of Christmas, Holy Week, Easter and other Solemn Feasts throughout the liturgical year. For more information please contact Mr. Lawrence Bowie, Director of Music, at 703-836-1640, ext. 29.

Sacristan

The sacristan is responsible for setting up the priests for all Masses making sure all is ready for when the priest arrives for Mass.

The sacristan is there for all baptisms setting up the priest for the wonderful occasion and after the baptism, makes sure all things are put away.

The sacristan sets up all weddings making sure the altar is set up for this wonderful occasion. After wedding she makes sure all things are put away and checks the church to see that it is clean for the next Mass. Also keep track of all candles, hosts and wine. When low, she puts in an order form to Fr. Donahue for more.

The sacristan puts out the bulletins and newspapers on Saturday.

For more information, contact Betty Hawkshaw at 703-548-5970 or bhawkshaw@comcast.net.

The Ushers at Saint Rita Catholic Church

The Ushers at Saint Rita Catholic Church, act as hosts and hostesses who volunteer to welcome all to each liturgical mass/celebration. The ushers are examples of hospitality by performing various duties in a Christ-like manner.

The role of ushers is the oldest lay ministry in the Catholic Church. It is a descent from a long line of people of God. During the time of Christ, they were called the doorkeepers of the temple.

Today’s primary duties and responsibilities include greeting and welcoming parishioner’s as they enter the church; help them with seating, information or questions. Also they take up the collection and wish everyone a good day at the conclusion of the Eucharistic celebration.

All are invited to volunteer, women and men, couples and families are encouraged to serve. If interested in being an usher please contact, Daniel Nichols at 703-548-1863 or dnatsol@aol.com.

Saint Rita Parish Respect Life Group

WE ARE A PEOPLE OF LIFE, AND A PEOPLE FOR LIFE. Our mission is to make the respect life message live in the hearts and actions of all Saint Rita parishioners. Restoring respect for human life at all stages from initial conception to natural death is our goal. Our program embraces the four foundational aspects of this task as articulated by our Bishop Paul S. Loverde, namely: prayer, education, action, and sacrifice.

One major focus is our monthly Respect Life Mass celebrated on the fourth Saturday of each month followed by Holy Rosary prayer at the Duke Street Alexandria abortion facility where we pray in order to (1) ask for Divine assistance in the struggle to establish appropriate respect for life and to eliminate abuses against human life and; (2) to be a public example to our neighbors, abortion clients, abortionists, and abortion facility employees that abortion is truly an evil which terminates human lives and needs to be remedied; (3) to offer arriving abortion clients one last opportunity to change their minds; and (4) to make known to abortion clients that both a support ministry and a healing ministry are available for them so that they can have their child. If interested in joining, please contact Joe Zimmer at 703-548-1784 or jbzimmer@comcast.net.

The schedule for the Respect Life Mass in 2008 is:

Special Events — DON’T MISS

• 13^th Annual LIFE CHAIN Rosary and Prayer — Sunday, October 5, 2008, 2:30–3:30 p.m. Gather along Franconia Road with your family, friends and neighbors. Stand up for God’s defenseless little ones.

For more Respect Life information, check out these Web sites:

Check out our current Calendar Of Activities.

Please consider adding A Prayer For Life to your daily devotions.

ESL Program

Saint Rita’s Parish and School in cooperation with Hogar Hispano/Catholic Charities sponsor year round English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. During the regular academic year, September thorough May, seven levels of English as well as a class in Spanish and a preparatory class for the citizenship exam are offered. Two levels of basic English are offered in the summer. Classes meet for two hours three times a week. Presently, the fee for classes is $40 which includes the books. The majority of our students are members of the parish and surrounding community. They come primarily from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras and have been in the United States for less than a year. Our teachers are volunteers; professionals with varied backgrounds. Spanish is not required in order to teach an English class. Please contact Russ Tarver at 703-517-0059; ritarver@cox.net, the Saint Rita ESL site coordinator, if you or some one you know is interested in taking or in teaching an ESL class. You can also stay up-to-date with all things ESL through the web site.

Hospitality Committee

The Hospitality Committee is a group of parishioners, both men and women, who plan, coordinate, and staff various social and liturgical-based parish events. These include funeral receptions, and other receptions that follow parish functions. The committee is also in charge of decorating the reception room in the Parish Center and insuring that the kitchen is fully stocked with supplies. To join this busy and exciting committee, call either Thana Dixon at 703-836-3538 or Chris Ames at 703-519-8335.

Funerals

When a family requests the use of the Parish Center for a funeral reception our committee speaks with the family and coordinates the delivery of the food. We provide setup, servers, and cleanup so that the family is free to share time with those attending the funeral. We are always in need of individuals who can help when the need arises. People can call me, Kathleen Sullivan at 703-370-5682 if they want more information or would like to be added to our list of volunteers.

Legion of Mary

Legion of Mary is the largest apostolic organization of lay people in the Catholic Church, with well over 3 million active members and 20 million auxiliary (praying) members worldwide. The weekly meeting of the Legion includes praying the Rosary, spiritual reading and discussion, reports on apostolic work, and a talk by a priest. The Saint Rita Legion of Mary currently consists of one Spanish-speaking group whose members engage in the following apostolic works: going door-to-door in the Hispanic neighborhoods of the parish, passing out Catholic information on the streets, and visiting Hispanic families with the Pilgrim Virgin statue of Mary. Please contact Walter Vanegas at 571-265-5745.

Social Outreach Program

The Social Outreach Program at Saint Rita Parish puts the Corporal Works of Mercy into practice; it gives the parishioners the opportunity to help their neighbors in Alexandria. We serve breakfast and dinner at Carpenter’s Shelter on the second Sunday of the month and provide receptionists at the front desk on the same day. We serve the same beef stew dinner at Christ House, the only soup kitchen in the City, on the 4^th Sunday. Every five weeks we provide 20 bag lunches each day for that week to the Salvation Army for distribution. We volunteer with ALIVE (ALexandrians InVolved Ecumenically) to pick up and deliver furniture on Saturdays, to assist with the Last Saturday Food Distribution Program, and to sort and stack food for their pantry. Saint Rita Parish also provides individuals and families with financial assistance for rent, utilities, and medical needs as well as information about other resources in the City. In order to do these things we need you to:

• Make Stew
• Make Brownies
• Serve the Dinners
• Be a Receptionist
• Help with the Bag Lunch Program
• Distribute Food
• Deliver Furniture
• Drivers to Deliver Food for ALIVE!

Saint Rita Mother’s Group

The Saint Rita Mother’s Group provides an opportunity for mothers to enjoy each others company, share advice and have some adult conversation while their children play and have a great time too. We meet on Thursdays at 10:30am.

During the winter months the group meets in the Parish Center nursery, and in the summertime we meet at area playgrounds and swimming pools. The group contact sends out a weekly email with the meeting location. If you would like to be added to the email list or want more information, please contact Laura Eckel by email laura_eckel@yahoo.com or 703-994-4843.

Parish Father’s Group

Coming together for prayer, fellowship, and discussion this group is for Catholic men with children at home. We meet on the 2^nd and 4^th Fridays of the month. If interested, please contact stritafathersgroup@gmail.com.

Parish Women’s Group

This group exists to provide spiritual, educational, and social support for married women with children at Saint Rita Parish. The group helps women to fulfill their vocation as mothers. We will meet the 3^rd Friday of each month at 7:30 p.m. If interested, please contact Nancy McKeague at 703-768-1474 or mckeague6@cox.net.

Saint Rita Craft Group

Saint Rita Craft Group consists of our friendly ladies who meet every Monday Morning at 10:00 A.M. in the Parish Center. We do all sorts of crafts including: Embroidery, Knitting, Crochet, Painting, Working with Plastic Canvas etc. All of the items are to be sold at our Christmas Bazaar. We also solve all the problems of the world over coffee, tea and some Goodies.

Come for Crafts-Coffee-Cheer. New members are welcomed with open arms. Please call Peggy Curry-703-549-3308.

Hispanic Charismatic Prayer Group

We welcome you to the Hispanic Charismatic Prayer Group. The group meets weekly and is open to everyone. We sing, praise, pray and have brief teachings in Spanish. The prayer group offers a number of ministries. Our meetings are every Sunday at 6:50 pm in the Church.

Please contact Rosa Reyes-Turcios, if interested, 301-248-7867 or email: delamanoconjesus@santaritavirginia.com

Website: www.santaritavirginia.com

Hispanic Young Adult Group

The Hispanic Young Adult Group is a group of the parish for Spanish-speaking young people ages 18-30. This charismatic prayer group meets weekly to pray together, and engage in other social and charitable works for the parish, the diocese and the community. For information contact Melissa Romero, 703-371-2969.

Pastoral Council

The Pastoral Council is an advisory body of the parish to assist the pastor in the areas of pastoral activities. The Pastoral Council of the Saint Rita Parish is based on the vision of pastoral councils as outlined by the past Ordinary of the Diocese of Arlington, Bishop John Keating, in his pastoral letter “On Consultation in the Parish.” With this document as primary guide, the Saint Rita Pastoral Council helps the pastor in the following specific areas: identifying pastoral needs of the parish, planning pastoral programs, improving pastoral services and evaluating the effectiveness of existing programs and services. Membership in the pastoral council is by appointment by the pastor and currently includes the pastor and nine other parishioners. Those interested in membership on the Pastoral Council must first read the Bishop Keating’s pastoral letter, which can be found at http://www.ewtn.com/library/BISHOPS/CONSULTA.HTM, then contact Fr. Donahue with a letter.

Finance Council

The Parish Finance Council functions as an advisory body to the pastor regarding the financial matters of the parish. The group meets each year two or three times a year to discuss the finance reports, school and parish budgets, fund-raising efforts, capital campaigns and capital improvements. Membership is by appointment by the pastor. For further information, contact Fr Donahue, pastor (703-836-1640) or Allison Cryor DiNardo, council chair (H) (703) 837-9370 and cryor@comcast.net.