About
St. Rita’s Parish was established in 1921 and began in a storefront at 295 Bradley Avenue. In 1922 our first Church was built and our school was begun. We were a small and predominantly Italian parish in our early years.
From 1937 to 1948 we didn’t even have a resident priest, but were staffed by the generosity of the priests of the Society of St. Paul on Staten Island.
In 1950, Msgr. Paul Andrews arrived as administrator and quickly became pastor. His total dedication to Christ was translated into a fatherly love that built up the parishioners and thus built up the parish. He remained until 1985 when Fr. John Reardon, our pastor emeritus, carried on the work that Msgr. Andrews had so faithfully begun.
Today, we are a vibrant and diverse parish serving over 1,000 families whose heritages are Italian, Indian, Filipino, Irish, African, Sri Lankan, and Vietnamese among many others.
One witness to the spirit of community and generosity of St. Rita’s parishioners is our parish soccer and softball field, which was built and continues to be maintained entirely by parish volunteers for the benefit of our parish’s children. By the grace of God, there are many other ways that Christian friendship and community flourish throughout our parish, our school, our religious education program, our various parish groups, and our sports and scouting programs.
Programs
Location
281 Bradley Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10314, United States