St Jude

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Letter from the Pastor
It is often said that a person's first and lasting impression of what "Church is" comes from one's parish experience. While news headlines and official documents might impact us, still 'what happens in the life of the parish' is where our relationship with God unfolds. How we experience God's presence in prayer and interaction with others in parish settings reveal the depth of our faith. The foundation of a parish stands upon Christ and His Gospel, lived out in the traditions of our faith. However, a foundation is "underground". What is built upon it reveals what is underneath. So the testimony that a parish is truly founded upon Christ and His Gospel remains with its parishioners. They are who reveal "the face of God".
Since my arrival at St. Jude's in September 2002, I have many times seen this 'face of God' reflected to me. The warmth, openness, willingness to forgive and generosity of giving, volunteering and supporting those in need have shown me that St. Jude's is truly founded on the principles of what a parish is called to be. I feel gifted to be a part of this community.
A number of years ago, parishes, organizations, companies and almost every 'group' of people were directed to develop a Mission Statement to describe who they are and how they want to be known by others. Following this lead, I developed a Mission Statement with a "Vision" to implement it for myself. These are my statements:
MISSION: "As a Christian, priest and pastor my goal is to live the Gospel by living to make a difference."
VISION: "I want to grow into a willingness to lose my life for the sake of the Gospel. As a pastor, I want to aid people of the Church to face the future. I want to do this by not blaming others for why things are not the way they might be, but by using the talents given me by God to spread love rather than hate, to grow in wisdom by intellectual reflection and listening to others, to be active in offering solutions to problems, to seize opportunities and to learn to live happily with uncertainties. I want to live the example of Christ, His love and His good news by being involved with parishioners and in the community in which I live. I dedicate myself to do this by being a person of integrity and aiming to live generously rather than greedily, to be loving, compassionate and forgiving."
In trying to live out these words, some days are better than others; however, this is my vision of how I feel called to serve the parish community of St. Jude's. I call upon God's grace to assist me and parishioner's prayers to truly be a person of integrity in sharing in this ministry of Christ.
May everyone coming to our doors feel welcome. May everyone feel valuable and a living part of the Body of Christ incarnated in the parish community of St. Jude. I invite you to browse and travel through this Parish Website. Check us out! Click on the various ministries and activities the parish offers. Also, I invite you to visit us at 5353 McFarland Road and check us out in person!