St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church sits along East Peters Colony Road in Carrollton, in the southeast corner of Denton County, and it is one of the larger parishes in the Diocese of Fort Worth, with more than two thousand registered households. The parish describes itself as home to all God's children, a diverse church family centered on the Eucharist that cultivates Catholic discipleship through formation, hospitality, prayer, and service. Its people range from young families to single parents, single-member households, retired singles, and couples of every age, and the parish grounds its identity in the Franciscan spirituality of the Third Order Regular (TOR) priests who have led it for decades.
From a North Carrollton Living Room to a Dedicated Sanctuary
The story of St. Catherine of Siena began in April 1977, when a small group of North Carrollton residents gathered to talk about forming a Catholic community. The following year, CCD classes opened with seven students meeting at that same Methodist church, and the Women’s Club organized itself to support the religious education program. From May 1978, regular Holy Mass was scheduled for the new community, which grew as a mission of St. Philip’s in nearby Lewisville.
In 1979 the community purchased the land on which the current education and fellowship buildings now stand. Fr. Bob Whitfill was appointed as the first pastor in 1981, and the parish was officially named St. Catherine of Siena. The Community Center was completed in 1984, the same year the preschool program started, and membership grew from 140 people to 1,500 families. The youth programs and the Music Ministry were both rejuvenated in the years that followed.
Fr. Richard Weaver succeeded as pastor in 1986 and, in the next year, the parish produced its first pictorial directory. The annual Autumnfest celebration also had its origin in 1987. When Fr. Weaver returned to the Dallas Diocese in 1989, Fr. Tom Craig became pastor and Fr. Jovian Lang served as priest in residence; the parish built its Youth Center that same year. Funds were raised in the mid-1990s to expand facilities, and on August 20, 1997, Franciscan TOR priests Fr. George Thennattil and Fr. Thomas Panickaruparampil joined the community. Bishop Joseph Delaney of Fort Worth dedicated the new Family Center on January 16, 1998, opening Siena Hall, the Kiva, kitchen storage, and three office rooms.
In 2000 the parish began planning a permanent sanctuary. Ground was broken in May 2002, and Bishop Delaney returned to dedicate the new sanctuary on November 16, 2003. Assisi Hall became the social center of the parish, hosting coffee gatherings, pancake breakfasts prepared by the Knights of Columbus, and ministry meetings of every kind. Fr. Mathew Kavipurayidam, T.O.R., was appointed pastor in July 2004, launched a Parish Renewal process, and built a leadership structure of Commissions of Worship, Community Life, Administration, Formation, and Outreach. In September 2014 Fr. Mathew transferred and Fr. Augustine was named pastor, later becoming Provincial of the South Indian Province of TOR in November 2017. Fr. Sushil Tudu, T.O.R., was appointed pastor in December 2017, and on January 15, 2026, Fr. Ignatius Hembrom, TOR, became the current pastor.
Mass, Reconciliation, and Hours of Eucharistic Adoration
All Masses at St. Catherine of Siena are in English. The Sunday schedule offers a Saturday Vigil Mass at 5:00 pm and three Sunday Masses at 9:00 am, 11:00 am, and 5:00 pm. Daily Mass is offered at 8:30 am on Monday and from Wednesday through Saturday. On Holy Days of Obligation, Masses are celebrated at 8:30 am and 7:00 pm.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is heard every Saturday from 9:00 am to 10:00 am. The parish’s commitment to Eucharistic Adoration is unusually deep. Holy Hours are kept Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9:00 am to 10:00 am, with extended Adoration on Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm. On the first Friday of each month, Adoration continues from 10:00 am straight through to midnight, and individuals or groups may commit to a weekly Holy Hour or the monthly First Friday hour as a sign of dedication to Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.
Mass is livestreamed through the Diocese of Fort Worth’s online broadcast, and prayer lists in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese are kept on file. The annual Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12 is celebrated with a novena December 3 through 11 and a Spanish Mass with a Spanish choir.
Pastoral Staff and Clergy
Fr. Ignatius Hembrom, TOR, leads the parish as pastor. The pastoral team includes Fr. Sushil Tudu, TOR, as a parochial vicar and priest available for adult Confirmation conversations, and Deacon David Robinett, with Deacon Walter Stone assisting in Confirmation work. Micheal Cervantes serves as Director of Liturgy and Music, Beverly Dawson as Business Manager, Karen Hines as Coordinator of Religious Education, Emily Cutshall in Youth Ministry, Deb Pretzlaff in Youth Ministry and Youth Formation, Rosemary Manganilla as Director of Social and Pastoral Ministries, Jeanette Page as Safe Environment Coordinator, Cathy Zuvic as Marriage Preparation Coordinator, and Mary Nguyen as coordinator of OCIA, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults.
All adult volunteers and employees who serve in ministry must complete Safe Environment certification through the Diocese of Fort Worth, including awareness training, a background investigation, and personal references. A teen leadership training program is also available for volunteers ages 11 to 17.
Family Formation from Kindergarten Through Fifth Grade
St. Catherine’s Elementary Family Formation (EFF) serves children in kindergarten through fifth grade, with sessions offered on Sunday mornings from 9:30 am to 10:45 am and Wednesday afternoons from 4:30 pm to 5:45 pm. The program runs from September through the first weekend in May, following the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD calendar. Parents are given weekly materials and prayers to use at home, and special enrichment sessions mark the seasons of Advent and Lent. A home study option is available for families who homeschool academically or whose child has a health condition preventing attendance.
Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLW) invites young parishioners forward during Mass to hear Scripture proclaimed on their level in the Kiva in the Family Life Building. CLW is open to children in kindergarten through fifth grade and is offered at all Masses on the second and fourth weekends of the month as long as enough leaders are available. Readers, assistants, song leaders, and monitors serve about once per month and complete thirty minutes of preparation. CLW coordinators estimate that 175 children ages 3 through 10 take part in Vacation Bible School each summer, with 100 volunteers needed to keep the program running.
Elementary Sacrament Preparation (ESP) brings children in second through fifth grade and their parents together for Reconciliation and First Holy Communion. The family-centered program includes a parent orientation, five classes for First Reconciliation (typically celebrated in November), and six classes plus a workshop for First Communion (typically the last weekend of April). Sacramental preparation sessions meet either Sunday afternoons at 1:00 pm or Monday evenings at 6:45 pm, and there are no fees for the sacramental formation itself.
Youth Ministry, Confirmation, and the Retreat Year
Youth Night is the parish’s large-group faith formation program for grades six through twelve, meeting Sunday evenings from early September through April on the CFBISD and Lewisville ISD school calendars. The Youth Choir sings at the 5:00 pm Sunday Mass each week, rehearsing at 4:00 pm in the Church.
Confirmation in the Diocese of Fort Worth takes place in the sophomore year of high school or later, at age 15 or older. At St. Catherine of Siena the norm is at least two years of involvement in Youth Night before Confirmation, with preparation concentrated in the last portion of the second year. Sophomore candidates attend a fall orientation and retreat, then Confirmation prep sessions on select Wednesdays in the spring from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. Youth volunteers also serve with the Dallas Ramps Project on Saturdays from 7:00 am and visit individuals through the St. Vincent de Paul Society, which meets the second and third Thursday of each month from 7:00 to 8:30 pm in Siena Hall.
Becoming Catholic: OCIA for Adults and Children
Adults who wish to become Catholic are welcomed through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, called OCIA at St. Catherine of Siena. The process is tailored to the individual’s background and is offered year-round, with classes meeting on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:15 pm. Adults who were baptized in another Christian denomination and wish to enter full communion, as well as Catholics who have never received First Communion or Confirmation, all find a place in this process. Depending on background, the journey typically runs a year and a half to two years and follows the candidate’s readiness rather than a fixed calendar.
For children and youth ages seven and older who have not been baptized, the parish offers the Rite of Christian Initiation Adapted for Children, a two-year program that includes classes during the school year and occasional summer meetings. An adult family member is required to attend each session with the child.
The Liturgy Team: Servers, Lectors, Choirs, and Ushers
Liturgy ministry at St. Catherine of Siena is a wide circle of roles that make Sunday and weekday Mass possible. Altar Servers assist the presider in the sanctuary and may be any age between 9 and 90 who can focus on the Mass and have received First Communion. Lectors prepare with a Saturday morning prayer and study session at 9:00 am on the weekend they serve, then proclaim the readings from Scripture at the liturgies they are scheduled for. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion must have received the Sacraments of Initiation and be in good standing with the Catholic Church, and training is provided. Ushers welcome the community, seat the assembly, prepare the gifts of bread and wine, collect the offering, build the communion procession, and distribute bulletins. Representatives for the Rite of Baptism assist the families of those being baptized, while Altar Society members care for the altar linens and servers’ albs, washing and ironing at home on a rotation of about once every eight weeks.
The Music Ministry includes an Adult Choir, a Children’s Choir that rehearses Thursdays from 4:30 pm to 5:00 pm in Room 17 of the Family Life Building for children in grades one through five, a Contemporary Choir that leads music at the 5:00 pm Sunday Mass, cantors who animate the sung worship of the assembly, and accompanists and instrumentalists who audition for the role.
Children’s Liturgy of the Word and the Music Ministry both fall under the coordination of Micheal Cervantes, the Director of Liturgy and Music. Wedding Coordinator Assistants and Funeral Coordinator Assistants round out the liturgical team, helping the Wedding Coordinator organize the bridal party processional, pin boutonnieres, distribute printed programs, and assist at communion, and helping the liturgist place the pall on the casket, bring in the thurible and incense, and assist at funerals.
Adult Faith, Men’s Formation, and Marriage Enrichment
Adult Formation at St. Catherine of Siena gathers Bible studies, Natural Family Planning classes, and the Joe Catholic men’s formation ministry. Joe Catholic is a formation ministry designed by men for men, with a casual format of three short non-sequential talks each meeting - Catholic Toolbox, Saint Talk, and Scripture - on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm in Room 19. All adult men aged 18 and over are welcome.
The Natural Family Planning ministry teaches the Creighton Model FertilityCare System on a regular schedule at the parish, in accordance with the Church’s teaching on married love. Worldwide Marriage Encounter offers couples a weekend of Catholic experience facilitated by three team couples and a priest, with the emphasis on the communication tools husbands and wives need to live out God’s desire for their marriage.
The prayer life of adults is sustained by a Contemplative Prayer Group that meets once a month on Sunday afternoons from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm and sponsors two weekend retreats a year at Wellspring Center for Spirituality near Tyler. The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is prayed on Sundays at 3:00 pm in the chapel, and the Friday Night Rosary, facilitated by the Women’s group, gathers at 7:30 pm on Friday evenings.
The Service Team: Bereavement, Respect Life, and Outreach to the Homebound
The parish Service Team identifies the needs of the community and works to bring the parish’s gifts to those in need. The Bereavement ministry assists grieving families by providing a reception following the funeral. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion to the Sick are trained and commissioned to bring the Eucharist to the ill and homebound in their homes, hospitals, assisted living facilities, and nursing homes. The Prayer Line prays daily for parishioners, their families and friends, and anyone facing illness, dying, or personal trials, continuing to pray for an intention until otherwise notified.
Respect Life promotes the sanctity of human life from conception until natural death, educates parishioners on right-to-life issues as taught by the Church, and engages in pro-life activities. Gabriel Angels provides emotional, spiritual, and practical support to young women in crisis pregnancies, including pregnancy information, community resources, clothing, and baby items. Shawls of Comfort and Joy produces prayer-filled crocheted and knitted shawls given for grief, illness, births, baptisms, and marriages. Holy Sews, an ecumenical ministry, provides handmade infant bereavement clothing for families who lose a baby between gestational weeks 16 and 25.
Homecare assistance is available to elderly, ill, and homebound parishioners who need help with cleaning, transportation to doctors, grocery shopping, or rides to Mass.
The Mission Team: Hands-On Service Across DFW
St. Catherine’s Mission Team, formed in 2021 under the philosophy that one need not always travel far to serve, places volunteers in vetted, hands-on ministries across the DFW area. The list of partners, all personally experienced by team members, is long: the Metrocrest Services food pantry and homeless outreach, Christian Community Action, Bonton Farms Extension, Meals on Wheels, The Stewpot Food Pantry (formerly CitySquare), the Veterans Resource Center, Hope Shelter in Mineral Wells, The Family Place, and Families to Freedom, which supports survivors of human trafficking.
On Fridays the Mission Team partners with Streetside Showers at North Dallas Family Church, 1700 S. Josey Lane in Carrollton, helping offer hot showers and personal hygiene care to people experiencing homelessness. Volunteers can serve one or two shifts, from 9:30 am to noon and noon to 3:00 pm. The parish also runs its own food pantry, St. Catherine Food Pantry, where volunteers can sign up to staff regular Saturday and Sunday collection shifts.
St. Vincent de Paul Society and the Parish Food Pantry
The St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. Catherine of Siena is a Catholic lay organization inspired by Gospel values and following in the tradition of its founder, Blessed Frederic Ozanam, and patron St. Vincent de Paul. Vincentians go in pairs to visit those in need in their homes, providing tangible assistance and making no distinction in those served, while conscientiously maintaining confidentiality and dignity. A hotline, 972-480-5287, fields requests for assistance, and the Conference meets the first and third Wednesday of each month from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm in Siena Hall. The Society collaborates with other people of good will in relieving need and addressing its causes.
Food donations may not be left in the narthex and must be delivered directly to the St. Vincent de Paul pantry on Saturday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30 am, Saturday after the 5:00 pm Mass, and Sunday after the 11:00 am Mass. Monetary donations should be made directly to St. Vincent de Paul, not to St. Catherine of Siena.
Hospitality, Autumnfest, and the Parish Calendar of Celebrations
The Hospitality team works to extend Christ’s welcome beyond Mass and to schedule at least one social event per month, while also planning an annual Spring ministry fair. Autumnfest is the parish’s signature fundraising celebration, with planning beginning in April and events held both indoors and outdoors. A Golf Tournament supports Autumnfest and brings families together for a day of fun and fellowship.
The Christmas Bazaar, held the first weekend in December, gives parish and community vendors a chance to sell their wares. The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated December 12 with a novena December 3 through 11 and a Spanish Mass with a Spanish choir. Other annual highlights include a Halloween Karnival and Trunk or Treat, a Sweetheart Dinner and Dance in February, a St. Patrick’s Day Dinner and Fest in March, and a St. Catherine of Siena multi-cultural potluck luncheon in April.
Special Interest Groups: Men, Women, Seniors, and Fellowship
The parish supports a wide circle of special interest groups open to adults of every stage of life. Fisher of Men is a group of men who deepen their relationship with God through Scripture study and small-group discussion, meeting Saturday mornings at 6:15 am. The Mothers and Young Women Group gathers for fellowship with guest speakers, Ladies Night Out, Couples Night Out, guided children’s adoration, daily Mass, and playdates. The Women’s Club, founded in 1978, meets the fourth Monday at 6:45 pm from September through May for a program that combines business, education, service, and social time, with dues of $10 a year for women 18 and over.
Seniors 55+ Meet and Greet is a social group with no set agenda and no dues that gathers once a month for coffee and an activity. The Community Club, also for those 55 and over, meets after morning Mass for coffee and a potluck breakfast the third Friday of the month from September through May. Kegler’s Bowling meets every other Saturday at 6:00 pm from September through May at AMF Lewisville, with teams leveled by a 100% handicap system. The African Community Club, a social ministry of African families, meets the first Sunday of each month after the 11:00 am Mass to welcome new arrivals and discuss ways to be more involved in the parish community.
The Knights of Columbus Council 13408 is open to Catholic men aged 18 and older and meets the first and third Mondays of each month, with the first Monday open to all parishioners and the second a business meeting for members. Softball brings together parishioners for fellowship on Thursday nights over a ten-week season each spring, summer, and fall. The Social Activities Committee plans and assists at parish events in collaboration with other ministries.
GriefShare is a special weekly seminar and support group that meets on Tuesday evenings to help rebuild life after the death of a loved one.
Stewardship of Time, Talent, and Treasure
St. Catherine of Siena teaches that stewardship is recognizing that everything one has and everything one is comes as a gift from God, and being grateful and generous with those gifts. The foundation of stewardship is prayer, and the parish encourages parishioners to invest their time in daily conversation with God, share their talent by participating in parish activities and ministries, and offer their treasure cheerfully and generously. The parish points to St. Francis of Assisi’s reminder to “preach the Gospel at all times. Use words when necessary,” and frames stewardship as a way of life rooted in gratitude rather than a fundraising campaign.
Online giving is available through Pushpay and through Faith Direct using church code TX376. The parish also participates in the Kroger Community Rewards program and the Tom Thumb Good Neighbor program, both of which donate a percentage of members’ purchases to St. Catherine of Siena. Donations to the Annual Diocesan Appeal support ministries across the Diocese of Fort Worth. FlockNote is the parish’s communication channel; parishioners can sign up at scscc.flocknote.com or by texting SCSCC to 84576.
Joining the Parish and Practical Information
Becoming a parishioner of St. Catherine of Siena begins with registration, available online or through the parish office. Families are asked to be registered members of the parish for at least three months before scheduling a Baptism, and one parent must be Catholic. Letters of Good Standing are issued only to parishioners who have been registered for at least six months.
The parish office is open at 1705 E. Peters Colony Road, Carrollton, Texas 75007, reachable at (972) 492-3237 with fax (972) 394-0676 and email info@stcatherine.org. The website, stcatherine.org, links to Mass and Confession times, the parish bulletin, online giving, formation registration, and the many ministries that give the parish its character. The Knights of Columbus Council 13408 can be reached through www.KofC13408.org.
The parish is named for St. Catherine of Siena, the fourteenth-century Italian mystic, nurse, and Doctor of the Church whose life was marked by contemplation and action. Her Dialogue and her letters shaped the spirituality of the Dominican third order she joined as a teenager, and her example of serving the poor and sick while remaining rooted in prayer continues to shape the parish named in her honor.