The Shrine Church of Saint Jude was established on June 30, 1961, by His Excellency, Bishop Bryan J. McEntegart. It was established to meet the needs of the rapidly expanding area of Canarsie following World War II. Fr. Rosario Pitrone was appointed as the first and founding pastor. It is the only Shrine church in the Diocese dedicated to St. Jude, the Saint of the Impossible Causes. As if proof of St. Jude’s patronage was needed, in less than ten days after the parish was established, through the cooperation of the Interboro Theatre Corporation, the First Masses in the new parish were celebrated on July 9, 1961, in the Canarsie Theater on Avenue L between 93rd and 94th streets – a most unlikely spot for such a solemn occasion. Daily Mass during this time was offered in a chapel in the rectory constructed by men of the parish.
The first organization of the parish was the Ushers’ Society. The Altar Boys’ Society was the next to be formed. In the fall of 1961, the Holy Name Society and the Rosary Society were formed, and the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine was established for the instruction of the children of the parish attending public schools. Many of these children received their First Holy Communion in the Canarsie Theatre on May 6, 1962. As an act of gratitude for our good fortune, a Novena in honor of St. Jude was begun on Thursday evenings. The practice continues to this day.
On June 17, 1962, a formal ceremony for the building of a multi-Purpose Hall was held. Msgr. Genova presided over the ceremony and Fr. Francis McMullen of the Diocese of Rockville Centre gave the address to the gathered assembly of laity and clergy. Building operation began shortly thereafter. The parish continued to grow, and the Sacrament of Confirmation was administered to a large group of children and 21 adults from the first convert class on June 22, 1963, by Auxiliary Bishop Charles R Mulrooney, which also took place in the Canarsie Theatre. On December 8, 1963, Masses were celebrated for the first time in the new multi-purpose/church hall and on March 22, 1964, the multi-purpose hall was dedicated by Bishop Bryan J. McEntegart, the Fourth Bishop of Brooklyn.The Hall served as a worship and meeting area.
The foundation for St. Jude’s School was laid on July 25, 1965. The school was opened for studies in the September of 1966. Sister Frances Marie OP. became the first Principal: Sister St. Rita of the Josephites, and Sister Davidica of the Sisters of Mercy served the new school as administrative assistants and teachers. Over the years, the school was staffed by Trinitarian Sisters, the sisters of St. Dominic, Amityville, and many lay teachers. Mr. Ron Rizzuto became the first lay principal of the school in September 1994. Upon the reorganization of schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn, St. Jude School became Our Lady of Trust Catholic Academy, accommodating students from Our Lady of Miracles and Holy Family parishes. Prior to that, each parish had their own school and eventually there was only one site at St. Jude School.
Fr. Thomas Coyne became the second Pastor of St. Jude in 1966. He purchased the Convent on Canarsie Road, which housed the sisters serving the parish. In 1981, Fr. Thomas Anastasio became the third Pastor of St. Jude. The parish celebrated her Silver Jubilee in 1986. In that same year, Deacon Arthur Cuccia was ordained to become the first deacon from St. Jude.
Realizing the desire of the parish to build a new church, the ground was broken in 1987. In 1989, the First Mass in the new and present church was celebrated on Thanksgiving Day. In 1993, Rev. Matteo Rizzo became St. Jude’s fourth Pastor. In May of 1993, the new and present rectory to house the priests was dedicated, and in June of the same year, the church was dedicated.
Msgr. John Delendick was appointed the fifth pastor of St. Jude in August 2004. Under his leadership, the people of God experienced great joy with many changes and challenges. Some of the changes/challenges include a shift in the demographic composition of the parish, Super Storm Sandy in October 2022 and Covid 19 all of which impacted parish life and activities. As Chaplain of the FDNY, Msgr. Delendick weathered these storms, and also ministered courageously to the first responders of September 11, 2001, and those who heroically aided in the recovery effort at Ground Zero. Through the Generations of Faith campaign, he was able to accomplish much needed enhancements to the parish such as the shift to an energy efficient lighting system in the church and rectory, a wheelchair accessible bathroom and new pavement around the church. After accomplishing so much for the parish, a progressive decline in his health forced him to step away from administrative duties and he retired in December 2022.
In January 2023, Fr. Jean Delva Moise was appointed as a temporary administrator of the parish for 6 months. During that time, he fulfilled Msgr. John Delendick’s vision of upgrading the floors of the church. This was accomplished through the capital reserved from Generations of Faith, and the generosity of so many parishioners.
On June 30, 2023, Fr. Ikenna Okagbue became the sixth pastor of St. Jude Shrine Church. Our Pastor, Fr. Ikenna, continues to propel us forward, inspiring us through his keen knowledge of the scripture and his thoughtful and powerful homilies. He reopened St. Jude’s Gift Shop, created a deepening of the liturgical sense in the parishioners, and created an active Parish Pastoral Council and Finance Council, with other sub-councils and committees that promote active participation in liturgy and parish life. So many great things have been accomplished in our parish and there are still many more wonderful things to come in our future.
We continue to live out the gospel, with faith in the Lord and, as it was said by Bishop McEntegart on the very day our parish was dedicated, “Of the many prophetic utterances of Christ, perhaps none is more meaningful to us than His assurance “and I, if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all things to Myself.” In a real sense, this statement of our Blessed Lord contains a perfect summary of the purpose of every Catholic parish - the very reason for the existence of the Shrine Church of St. Jude in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
Therefore, the main story of any parish is always the lives of its people, those who participate at Mass and who in the past and present have so generously continued to give their time, talent, and treasure through their prayers, donations, and vibrant ministries which are too numerous to mention.
- Rev. Rosario Pitrone, Pastor 1961
- Rev. Robert Kennedy
- Rev. Festus Ngige
- Rev. Francis J. Flynn
- Rev. Edward J. Nolan
- Rev. Louis J. Scavo
- Rev. Thomas B. Coyne, Pastor 1966
- Rev. Roland J. Ghirlando
- Rev. Alfred R. D’Anea
- Rev. John Lisi
- Rev. James J. Dargan
- Rev. Felix Miritello
- Rev. Joseph Pham Tri Tan
- Rev. Thomas A. Anastasio, Pastor 1981
- Rev. Anthony S. Danna
- Rev. Vincent A. Zollo
- Rev. Edward Sullivan
- Rev. Matteo J. Rizzo, Pastor 1993
- Rev Mike Tedone
- Msgr. John Delendick, Pastor 2004
- Rev. Hyacinth Ikemelu
- Rev. Dominic Peprah
- Rev. Jean Delva Moise, Administrator 2023
- Rev. Ikenna Okagbue, Pastor 2023
- Deacon Mauclair Simon