100 Year Anniversary 1923-2023

Sunday, September 10 - Anniversary Mass w/ Bishop Smith at 10AM
Parish Picnic following Mass

 Sign of the Cross
Call to Prayer
Leader:      Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of Your love. Send forth Your Spirit and our hearts will be renewed. 
All:             And you will renew the face of the earth.

Leader:      O God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit, instructed the hearts of the faithful; grant us, by the same Holy Spirit, a love and desire for what is right and just, and the constant enjoyment of His consolation, through Christ our Lord. 
All:             Amen.

Litany of St. Rita            
Leader:      Lord, have mercy on us.                                                All:     Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us, Christ hear us.                                   Christ, graciously hear us.

God, the Father of heaven…                                                     …have mercy on us.
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world…
God, the Holy Spirit…
Holy Trinity, one God…

Immaculate Mary, Mother of God…                                        …pray for us.
Holy Mary, Mother of pure love...
Holy Mary, Comforter of the afflicted...
Holy Mary, Queen of all the saints...
Holy Mary, Model of life for Saint Rita...
Saint Rita, our advocate and protectress...
Saint Rita, beloved by the Lord...
Saint Rita, given special grace from heaven...
Saint Rita, remarkable in childhood...
Saint Rita, model of obedience to God’s Will...
Saint Rita, of untiring patience...
Saint Rita, model of Christian mothers...
Saint Rita, mirror for Christian spouses...
Saint Rita, heroic in sacrifice...
Saint Rita, generous in forgiving...
Saint Rita, martyr in penitence...
Saint Rita, embracing humility & poverty...
Saint Rita, exemplary as a widow...                
Saint Rita, prompt to answer the divine call...
Saint Rita, patient in suffering...
Saint Rita, mirror of religious observance...
Saint Rita, mystical rose of every virtue...
Saint Rita, enamored of the Passion of Christ...
Saint Rita, pierced with a thorn...
Saint Rita, in ecstasy before the Blessed Sacrament...
Saint Rita, consumed with Divine Love...
Saint Rita, received into heaven with joy...
Saint Rita, incorrupt in your chaste body...
Saint Rita, advocate of impossible cases...
Saint Rita, persevering in prayer...
Saint Rita, help of those in need...

Lamb of God,
Who takes away the sins of the world…                      …spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God,
Who takes away the sins of the world…                      …graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lord, you have signed your servant Rita…                 …with the seal of leave.     

Leader:      Let us pray. O God, Who bestowed on Saint Rita such grace that she loved her enemies, and bore in her heart and on her forehead the mark of Your love and Passion, grant us, we beseech You, through her merits and intercession, a love for our enemies. Through our contemplation of Your sufferings and Passion, may we merit the reward promised to the meek and the suffering. You live and reign forever. 

Prayer of Petition
Leader:      Glorious Saint Rita, patroness of those in need, your intercession with our Lord is most powerful. Through the favors obtained by your prayers you have been called “Advocate of hopeless and even impossible cases.” Saint Rita, humble and pure; patient and compassionate lover of Christ Crucified! We have confidence that everyone who has recourse to you will find comfort and relief.  Listen to our petitions and show your power with God on our behalf. Obtain our petitions for us if they are for the greater honor of God, and for our good. We promise, if our petitions are granted, to make known your favor, and to glorify God for His gift. Relying on your power with the merciful Savior, we ask of you... (mention your request in silence)
Leader:      We pray now for the needs of this community of faith:
We pray for the church in Portland, Oregon.  We pray especially for Archbishop Sample, that he will guide us in prayer and humility.  We pray.       All:  St. Rita, intercede for us.
We pray for this community of faith, especially for all of the ministries that take place within the walls of this parish and community.  We pray:    All:  St. Rita, intercede for us.
We pray for the 100 year celebration, that as we celebrate, we will remember those who helped build this community, and at the same time, take serious our call to share the faith that has been handed on to us so that all might come to the table of the Lord.  We pray:  All:  St. Rita, intercede for us.
We pray for the staff, volunteers, and all who have served this community in this past year in any way, that they may know our gratitude for their generosity of heart and spirit.  We pray: 
All:  St. Rita, intercede for us.
We pray for those among this community who are ill or struggling with sickness, for those who need peace of mind and heart, for those struggling with depression and anxiety, that they know the peace that only God can bring. We pray:             All:  St. Rita, intercede for us.
We pray for the elderly of our parish, that they know they can lean on us to walk their daily journey; for families, that they may call this community home; and for our youth that their dreams and visions of faith and hope may be nourished in this community. We pray:  All:  St. Rita, intercede for us.   
We pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, especially for those among this community who seek to walk with Christ more closely.  We pray:  All:  St. Rita, intercede for us.
We pray in remembrance of all the faithful departed, especially those who have died from among this community of faith in these 100 years, that they may know the eternal light of our radiant God.  We pray:                                                                    All:  St. Rita, intercede for us.

And so we pray the prayer that Jesus taught us:                      All:  Our Father…

Prayer of Petition

Leader:      Let us pray. 
All:             Heavenly Father! In Your infinite love and mercy, You heed the prayer of Your beloved servant, Rita. You graciously grant favors through her intercession, which are considered impossible to human skill and effort. Relying on her compassionate love, we ask You to assist us in our trials and difficulties. Let unbelievers know that you are the helper of the humble, the defender of the weak, and the strength of those who trust in You. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Leader:      Pray for us, St. Rita.
All:             That we may be worthy of the promises of Christ.
Blessing & Sign of the Cross
 

Loving God, full of mercy and Giver of all graces, we praise You and thank You for all our blessings, especially for 100 years as the faith community of St. Rita. Help us to acknowledge that every good thing comes from You. Help us to never take for granted all that we have received from You, so that we may always be filled with heartfelt gratitude and a sincere love.
As we prepare to celebrate our centennial anniversary, we ask your divine protection for our parish and all of its parishioners. May you keep us healthy and safe from all evil and harm.
Enlighten us with your Holy Spirit. Show us how to reach those in need of You, Your comfort. Let all who enter our doors feel a warm welcome. Let each experience a true sense of belonging. Let our hearts be meek and humble like that of Your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ.
We pray that through the guidance of your Holy Spirit, and through the intercession of St. Rita, our patron and saint of the impossible, our parish will continue to grow, flourish and continue to be a spiritual home for all of us, both now and in the future. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be…

On September 9, 1923, a small brown wooden church building a few miles east of Portland, Oregon, was consecrated and dedicated to the recently canonized Saint Rita of Cascia -- and the parish of Saint Rita Catholic Church found its first home.
It wasn't exactly the beginning of Saint Rita parish, though. That came months earlier, when the pastor of Saint Rose of Lima Church in northeast Portland, Rev. J.M. O'Farrell, saw the need for a new parish beyond the eastern border of Portland, among the new housing developments with names like Maywood Park and Parkrose Estates.
So Father O'Farrell set to work establishing the new mission parish. On August 15, 1923, the parish marked its first baptism, when Barbara Veronica Skelley was christened at home.
But by then, the effort to build a mission chapel was well underway. The new parishioners -- many of them Italian and Irish immigrants, including families with nearby farms -- had raised almost $4,500 (equivalent to about $80,000 in 2023) and purchased land at the corner of Prescott Street and Craig Road (known today as 102nd Avenue).
Parishioners cleared the land, using a team of horses to pull out the large fir stumps. The basement was dug, concrete was mixed and poured, and walls were framed and nailed into place with help from Father O'Farrell himself.
Inside, the walls were plastered and painted. Plumbing, wiring and light fixtures were installed, along with pews, the altar, the communion rail, a few small stained-glass windows, and the new statue of Saint Rita.
With the chapel scrubbed until it shone and the handmade altar linens in place, the new church was ready.
And on a bright September Sunday morning, with more than 100 parishioners present, Portland Archbishop Alexander Christie blessed and dedicated the church to Saint Rita who had been canonized in 1900 as the "Saint of the Impossible."