A Parish Rooted in the Eucharist in Parrish
St. Frances Cabrini Roman Catholic Church sits along 69th Street East in Parrish, a fast-growing community in northern Manatee County, Florida. The parish is centered on the Eucharist, faithful to the teachings and traditions that have been handed down by the Apostles, and that conviction shapes everything from its daily Mass schedule to its campaign to build a larger church home. With more than 1,200 families now in the pews, the parish is in the middle of a major capital project called A Place Where Heaven Touches Earth while continuing to offer a full sacramental and formation life in its current space.
Mass, Confession, and Adoration
The weekend Mass schedule offers two Saturday evening Masses at 4:00 PM and 5:30 PM, and two Sunday morning Masses at 9:00 AM and 10:45 AM. Weekday Masses are celebrated on Wednesday at 5:30 PM, and on Thursday and Friday at 8:30 AM. The church is open for prayer on Tuesday, when no Mass is scheduled. Confessions are heard on Saturday from 2:00 to 3:00 PM, and by appointment at other times. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament fills the day on Wednesdays, beginning after the morning and continuing until 5:30 PM, and parishioners are invited to sign up for a holy hour at the back of the church. Mass is livestreamed on the parish Facebook page for those who cannot attend in person, and Father Joseph Gates has encouraged anyone who is unwell to remain at home and join the liturgy that way.
Welcoming First-Time Visitors
The parish welcomes new visitors with practical guidance on the most common worries. People may dress casually in the Florida heat, including sandals and conservative-length shorts, or they may prefer their Sunday best - both are welcome. Worship aids are placed in each pew to help visitors follow the order of the Mass, the postures, and the prayers; an usher will bring one to anyone who does not see one. The church teaches that Communion, or the Eucharist, is the real presence of Christ, so non-Catholics are asked not to receive the host, though they are welcome to come forward with arms crossed over their chests for a blessing. Visitors are not expected to place anything in the offering, and may simply let the basket pass them by. Online giving is available for those who choose to make the parish their church home, and envelopes are still offered for those who prefer them.
The Seven Sacraments in Parish Life
The seven sacraments form the backbone of parish life. Parents preparing for a child's Baptism schedule a parent preparation session through the office, with the child registered in the parish before arrangements are made. First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion are prepared through the parish's two-year family program, with separate Year 1 and Year 2 tracks. Children who have not yet received these sacraments by second grade or beyond are walked through the OCIC (Order of Christian Initiation for Children), with at least one parent or guardian attending alongside them.
The OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) is a seven-month series of weekly classes that culminates at Easter with the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and First Communion for adults who have never been baptized, for Christians baptized in another denomination, and for baptized Catholics who did not continue in the faith. Adults explore the person of Jesus, develop a prayer life through Scripture study, and grow in Catholic belief and practice before being received into full communion at the Easter Vigil.
Couples preparing for marriage are asked to contact the parish office at least six months in advance, and to refrain from booking a reception venue until a ceremony date is secured. The parish provides a Bride's Room, an organist or pianist ($300), and a cantor ($200); outside musicians are welcomed with a $100 consultant fee paid to the parish Music Director. A Day of Reflection Retreat is required for every couple, and a Two Become One retreat is available for couples 55 and older. The parish also accompanies Catholics and non-Catholics through the annulment process, in which a tribunal of the Diocese of Venice determines whether an earlier marriage was valid in the eyes of the Church. The Anointing of the Sick and the care of the dying are arranged through the parish office, and the parish assists families in planning the Readings and Music for a Catholic funeral.
Faith Formation from Pre-K to Middle School
Family Faith Formation serves children from Pre-K through fifth grade, meeting on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:30 PM. Mary Jo Chronis, the Religious Education Coordinator, oversees the team of volunteer catechists and the registration process. The two-year First Communion track includes both parent meetings and classroom sessions, with calendars and registration forms available in the narthex and online. Father Joseph Gates asks parents in Faith for a Lifetime to treat sacramental preparation as a serious priority, with regular Mass attendance, prayer at home, and completion of assigned work forming a single, integrated whole. Repeated absences from sacramental preparation may require the parish to determine whether a child has received sufficient preparation to celebrate the sacrament at the scheduled time.
Middle schoolers in grades six through eight gather in a youth-group style setting every other Monday night from 6:30 to 8:00 PM, with parent meetings the first Tuesday of each month at the same time. Monthly community events complement the classroom rhythm. Nick Lanowich, the parish's Youth Ministry and Communication Director, oversees both the middle school and high school programs.
High School Youth Group, Confirmation, and Cabrini Connections
High school faith formation meets on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 7:30 PM and feeds directly into the two-year Confirmation program, which also meets every other Monday from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. The High School Youth Group, open to all teens in grades nine through twelve, gathers every Thursday evening from 6:30 to 8:30 PM in the John Paul George Youth Room in the Cabrini Center. Its goal is discipleship, spiritual growth, and fellowship, built through faith-filled activities, community service, prayer, and study of the Catholic faith. Summer trips and retreats are part of the rhythm; past years have included the Steubenville Youth Conference, white-water rafting, and a Six Flags excursion.
Cabrini Connections is the parish's young adult ministry for men and women in their twenties and thirties. The group meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month from 7:00 to 9:00 PM in the John Paul George Youth Room, reflecting on the upcoming Sunday Gospel, exploring Catholic apologetics, and reading formative spiritual books. Outside its regular meetings, the group hosts movie nights, group fitness workouts, and other casual events aimed at building authentic friendships rooted in Christ.
Adult Faith Formation: Bible Study, Divine Mercy, That Man is You, and She Shall Be Called Woman
For adults seeking ongoing formation, the parish offers a Bible Study group, two weekly Divine Mercy Cenacles (one on Monday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 PM, another on Thursday mornings from 9:30 to 11:00 AM, both in the Cabrini Center), the men's program That Man is You, and the women's program She Shall Be Called Woman. The Divine Mercy Cenacles study Sacred Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska, while praying for priests and religious vocations and finding ways to live out the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy. Cabrini Moms, a newer gathering for Catholic mothers, meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month from 10:00 to 11:30 AM, with older siblings welcome. Ongoing Adult Formation meets on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:30 PM.
Liturgical Ministries and Outreach
Laura Finn coordinates the parish's liturgical ministries, which include Sacristans, Lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of the Holy Eucharist, Knights of the Altar (altar servers), and Ushers. Each ministry has its own formation and procedures. Lectors present the Word of the Lord at Mass and are formally commissioned after training, with the parish providing guidelines, saint-reading instructions, and links to the daily readings from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Extraordinary Ministers of the Holy Communion must show the greatest reverence in their demeanor, attire, and handling of the Eucharist. Ushers create a welcoming, orderly environment at every Mass, and Sacristans prepare the church for liturgy, ensuring that vestments, sacred vessels, bread, and wine are ready, clean, and properly arranged in the sacristy.
The parish also reaches out to the homebound through a Homebound Ministry that brings Holy Communion, prayer, and a tangible link to the parish community to those who cannot attend Mass due to age, illness, or disability. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion are trained for this work, and the parish provides a clear process for initiating a hospital visit, asking family members to make the formal request so the office can coordinate with neighboring priests when travel or timing requires it.
Parishioners travel less than half an hour from the church to minister at Hardee Correctional Institution and the Manatee County Jail. Volunteers can serve in pastoral outreach, distribute the Eucharist, prepare men for the sacraments, or facilitate programs, after completing an orientation and shadowing experienced volunteers. Men and women are both eligible. The parish also supports the Cabrini Cottage Thrift Store, and each December takes part in Wreaths Across America, laying remembrance wreaths at the graves of veterans through the Mother Cabrini Wreaths of Manatee County group. Parishioners can sponsor wreaths, volunteer on placement day, or simply gather with family and friends to take part in the moment. A Knights of Columbus council (Council #12155) and a Fourth Degree Assembly (#3322) meet at the parish, with council business meetings on the first Tuesday of the month and assembly meetings on the third Tuesday.
A Place Where Heaven Touches Earth: The New Church Campaign
Many of the parish's Masses now approach or exceed the capacity of the current church, and the parish is in the active phases of a capital campaign called A Place Where Heaven Touches Earth. The campaign is being conducted in phases, beginning with a smaller group of parishioners and expanding outward, so that a strong foundation of support is built before the entire parish is invited to participate. Architectural, engineering, permitting, and site preparation work is already underway, and the parish is continuing to grow the financial foundation that will allow it to move confidently into construction. Father Joseph Gates's vision is not simply to construct a larger building, but to create a sacred church where the beauty of the liturgy, the celebration of the sacraments, and the proclamation of the Gospel will inspire faith for generations to come. The campaign is open to every household in the parish, and every gift, large or small, is treated as an act of faith and stewardship.
My Cabrini Parish and the Parish Office
My Cabrini Parish, the parish's online portal, gives registered parishioners a way to keep family information up to date, review giving, sign up for group email updates, find events, discover ministries through the Group Finder, and submit prayer requests to the parish prayer team. The parish shares updates on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and Nick Lanowich oversees those channels along with My Cabrini Parish. Parishioners may request a Mass intention through an online portal, with a $10 stipend and a request that no more than three intentions be submitted per year; a Mass card can be mailed or picked up at the parish office. The parish supports the Catholic Faith Appeal of the Diocese of Venice, which funds ministries, charities, and pastoral work across the ten-county diocese. Every volunteer who works with minors must complete the Diocese of Venice's VIRTUS Protecting God's Children training and submit to fingerprinting through the parish office. The parish office, located at 12001 69th Street East, is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM and on Friday from 8:00 AM to noon.