On Monday, August 13, 2018, Sr. Rita Washington, SFCC, entered eternal life. Sr. Rita, a vowed religious for 57 years, served as an Oblate Sister of Providence and a Sister for Christian Community respectively. Professionally, Sr. Rita served as Director of Religious Education of Resurrection Catholic Missions for more than 25 years. Previous to coming to Resurrection, Sr. Rita was director of the Office of Black Catholic Ministry for the diocese of Birmingham, Alabama. Years prior, she taught in Oblate schools in Michigan and Washington, D.C. and other ministry sites.
During her time at Resurrection, Sr. Rita made an indelible mark on the parish community as an educator, principal, catechist, and pastoral associate. Annually, she led the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) classes and taught hundreds of students through Resurrection Catholic Church’s vacation bible school initiative. Sr. Rita also developed an orientation program for new families and staff at Resurrection Catholic School, modeled on the RCIA process, “View Your Child’s World” which helped them understand and support the goals of Catholic education. The program has become a model for other Catholic schools across the country.
Sr. Rita was a long time member of the National Black Sisters Conference. She was a mentor to many young religious women and seminarians; never bereft of sage counsel and advice.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held Friday, August 17, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. at Resurrection Catholic Church. Visitation will take place from 10:00 a.m. until the funeral hour.
An additional Mass of Christian Burial will be held Saturday, August 18, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes, located at 1621 Boykin Blvd, followed by interment at Casher Cemetery, both in Mobile, Alabama. Prior to the second Mass, visitation will take place from 10:00 a.m. until the funeral hour.
In lieu of flowers, Sr. Rita requested donations be made to Resurrection Catholic Missions of the South, Inc. in her memory either in person or by clicking here.