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On May 7, 1926, the Diocese purchased five acres of land for the site of the church and
the other parish buildings. This acreage constitutes the present Saint Jude Parish Square,
bounded by State Boulevard, Randallia Drive, Forest Avenue, and Pemberton Drive. A short
time later, the Diocese purchased an additional five acres to the west and south, hoping
that the resale of these lots would pay the cost of construction for a new church. Because
of the Great Depression, these lots were not sold until much later.
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The committee which purchased the property invited the
people to suggest a name. "Sharon Terrace" was among the names proposed and
eventually selected as the name of the new addition. Situated in the Holy Land along the
Mediterranean Sea, Sharon is a beautiful and fertile section where the 'Rose of Sharon'
flower grows. This flower is mention in the Canticle of Canticles: 'I am the flower of the
field,' which Christians later applied to Christ as the flower of humanity, the Lord of
all creatures.
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On April 12, 1929, Bishop Noll formally established
the parish as Saint Jude Church and appointed the
Reverend John A. Dapp as its first
pastor. The southwest lower wing of the school was planned as a
chapel. On Sunday, April 21, 1929, Mass was celebrated for the first time in
the Chapel. By that evening all the furnishings for the chapel, except
the pews and collection baskets had been donated by members of the parish, the Cathedral
and other friends.
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On August 12, 1929, ground was broken for a
'temporary" Rectory, at a cost of $13,500, on the northwest comer of Pemberton and
Forest Avenue. It was "temporary,' because a more permanent Rectory was to have been
built on the Parish Square. School opened in September with eight grades and 293 pupils.
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By 1935 the parish had grown rapidly. The school
had reached 345 children and it quickly became obvious that the chapel which seated only
260 people was inadequate for the size of the parish. Because of the large parish debt and
depressed economic plans to build a separate church unit had to be dropped. Instead, the
decision was made to build a church adjoining the east side of the school, with entrances
on Randallia Drive. On July 1, 1935, ground was broken for the new church. A Spanish
architectural style conforming with the school building was chosen, and it was built to
handle a seating capacity of 750.
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On Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1935, Bishop Noll
dedicated the new church. In the fall of 1937, John Dehner donated the addition of a
second public office room to the rectory.
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In October 1953, Bishop Noll approved of a plan to build a
new convent north of the school, a four room addition to the south end of the school, and
a new gymnasium. With school opening that fall, the enrollment had reached 616 pupils. By
this time, the Green Room (the former chapel) had been converted to class use.
The staff now numbered 12 teachers.
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In July 1998, the parish purchased the house at
2020 Forest Avenue for $105,000 to be used as a rectory. The purchase of this home
opened the way to convert the old convent into more efficient parish and school use.
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