HISTORY
The first pastor of
St. Jude's was the easy-going and energetic Reverend Thomas F.
Griffin who was appointed on September 30, 1955 after Archbishop
Gannon had purchased the first acreage of the new parish on August
15, 1955. The Chapel of St. Joseph Home for Children (the present
St. Joseph Apartments) served as temporary church. The original
census indicated there were 396 families to comprise the new parish.
Fund raising efforts of every type were undertaken by early
parishioners who bound themselves together in an organization called
the Family Guild.
On May 1, 1958 ground was broken for
the parish school which was to be shared with the parishioners of
St. Julia's, hence the name change to Our Lady's Christian School.
As early as July, 1956 parishioners moved into the auditorium of the
school for both daily and weekend Masses. A modern church was
dedicated by Bishop Alfred M. Watson on July 18, 1971 during the
pastorate of the Reverend Francis D. Gallagher (1962-1976). The
Reverend James Weber (1978-1985) constructed a major addition to the
parish office wing. A large parish center was constructed at a cost
of $834,000 during the pastorate of the Reverend Henry Kriegel
(1986-1998). St.
Jude Parish ranks among the largest parishes in the Diocese of Erie
with the number of families in excess of 2,700. It is a vibrant
parish marked by lively weekend liturgies, a quality Catholic school
and education program, numerous outreach programs to the poor and
needy, Scripture and prayer groups and a wide variety of support
programs for people with varying needs. |
