Christ Is Risen Alleluia!

Welcome to St. Rita!

Our Mission Statement

We, the Parish of St. Rita, a Catholic Community of Faith, are called by the risen Lord to love God the Father. We believe that Ministry is the power of the Holy Spirit, therefore, we encourage, support, and provide opportunities, so that everyone may participate in and be recipients of the Church's Mission Ministry.

We aspire to deepen our understanding of Christ's Good News and to serve our neighbor of the Gospel. We realize the necessity and accept the responsibility of supporting ourselves as a parish. We invite everyone to join in celebrating and witnessing the presence of the risen Lord among us.

Our History

Saint Rita Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis is in downtown of Indianapolis at 1733 Dr. Andrew J. Brown Avenue. For direction Map on this page can point you in the right direction.

St. Rita, an extension of St. Bridget Catholic Church, was established in 1919 as the first African-American parish in Indianapolis. The first church structure of St. Rita Church, a Knights of Columbus Chapel was moved from Fort Benjamin Harrison to 19^th and Arsenal Avenue and was dedicated on August 3, 1919 by the Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis.  St. Rita Catholic Church along with St. Francis de Sales become both educationally and socially important to the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood from the beginning of the twentieth century. 

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May Devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary refers to special Marian devotions held in the Catholic Church during the month of May honoring the Virgin Mary as "the Queen of May". May devotions originated in Italy in the in the 16th century. From Italy they spread to Central Europe, where daily or weekly, May devotions take place during the month of May of each year, and specific prayers for them were promulgated in Rome in 1838. Pray the rosary before Sunday mass at 9:30am and on Wednesday at 5:30pm.

Sunday, May 6 – May Crowning - May is traditionally the month of Mother's Day in America, and for us Catholics it also happens to be the month that we honor another mother, our spiritual mother, Mary.

Sunday, May 20 – Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord (Ascension Thursday)

The Feast of the Ascension commemorates Jesus' ascension into heaven 40 days after his resurrection. Thus Ascension Day falls 40 days after Easter, on the 6th Thursday of Easter. In 2012, Ascension Day falls on May 17th. Solemnity of the Ascension has been permanently transferred to the following Sunday. (This year, this Solemnity will be celebrated on Sunday, May 20, 2012.)

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Sunday, May 27 – Pentecost Sunday

Pentecost celebrates the birthday of the Christian Church, when the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles in the Book of Acts. Pentecost is celebrated 50 days after Easter, on Pentecost Sunday and marks the end of Easter Season and the beginning of the Ordinary Time. The Liturgical Color of this Solemnity is Red and it is a Holy Day of Obligation.

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