Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth: What It Is and How to Find Parishes, Schools, and Ministries

The Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth (fwdioc.org) is the official diocesan body serving the North Texas Catholic community under Bishop Michael F. Olson, and its website is the practical entry point for locating a parish, a Catholic school, Mass and liturgy information, diocesan offices, and ministries. Use the site directly when you need an official answer about a parish, school, office, or program in the diocese; use it as a starting point rather than a substitute for contacting the specific parish or office, since schedules and local details are set locally.

What the diocese is and who it serves

The diocese describes its mission as providing the faithful opportunities to grow in Christian discipleship and strengthen their relationship with Jesus Christ. Its website organizes that mission into four broad areas:

• Diocese — about the diocese, Bishop Michael F. Olson, apostolates, the Chapel of Saint Pio, the Catholic Center, cemeteries and columbariums, deaneries, history, offices and contacts, and an online directory.
• Schools — Catholic schools, school security, a school finder, school employment, and TEFA – School Choice.
• Vocations — priesthood and seminarians, discernment events, religious orders, deacons, and sisters/nuns.
• Ministries — programs from adult catechesis and campus ministry to prison ministry, respect life, safe environment, young adult and youth ministry.

The site is available in English and Spanish, with a parallel Spanish menu covering ministries, the diocese, bishop, school and parish finders, sacramental guidelines, retreat locations, and offices and contacts.

Find a parish or a Catholic school

The site provides two dedicated lookup tools, both listed in the main navigation:

1. Parish Finder — open it from the Diocese menu (or the Spanish equivalent, Buscador de Parroquias) to locate a local church.
2. School Finder — open it from the Schools menu (Buscador de Escuelas in Spanish) to locate a Catholic school.

Expected result: a list of matching parishes or schools you can then contact directly. The site also maintains an Online Directory and an Offices / Contacts page for diocesan departments, which is the right place when your question is about a diocesan office rather than a specific parish.

Common snag: the parish finder identifies locations, not live schedules. For a specific weekend or holy day time, confirm with the parish itself.

Mass times, Good Friday, and Easter schedules

Mass and liturgy information is a named interest on the site, and the homepage highlights "Good Friday" and "Easter Mass times" among its keywords. In practice:

• Start with the Calendar in the main navigation for diocesan-wide events and liturgies.
• Use the Parish Finder to reach the parish whose schedule you need, since individual parishes publish their own Mass times.
• For liturgy policy questions, the Liturgy & Worship office appears under Ministries (A–O), and the Spanish menu lists Liturgia y Culto Divino.

Because Easter and Good Friday schedules change annually and vary by parish, treat any diocesan listing as a pointer and verify the final time with the parish or the liturgy office.

Offices, ministries, and contact details

If you know what you need but not who handles it, the site's structure narrows it down quickly:

The homepage also offers a Submit Your Prayer Request form and a Stay connected area, which are the simplest ways to reach the diocese when you are not sure which office to contact.

Spanish-language and safe environment resources

Spanish-speaking readers do not need to translate the English menu: the Español section mirrors the English structure with Ministerios (A–Z), Ambiente Seguro, Catequesis Familiar, Ministerio Hispano, Pastoral Juvenil Hispana, Planificación Familiar Natural, and the diocesan and bishop pages. Safe environment information appears in both languages, which matters if you are completing volunteer requirements or need to report a concern.

When to use the site and when to call

Use fwdioc.org when you need to identify the right parish, school, office, or ministry, or to check diocesan-wide events and contacts. Call or email the specific parish or office when you need a definite Mass time, a registration decision, a sacramental preparation detail, or a program's current availability. The site does not publish pricing for programs or events, so cost questions should go to the sponsoring office directly.