About Saint Jude Thaddeus · San Francisco, California
The Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus is a ministry of prayer and pilgrimage of the Western Dominican Province (Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus) housed within St. Dominic's Catholic Church in the Lower Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco. Founded in October 1935 at the height of the Great Depression by Fr. William Thomas Lewis, O.P., it exists to foster devotion to St. Jude Thaddeus, the 'Patron of Difficult and Desperate Cases,' and to support the education and formation of young men studying for the Dominican priesthood and brotherhood. The Shrine welcomes tens of thousands of visitors a year — by mail, phone, online, and in person — and centers its life on a daily Mass with relic blessing, an annual solemn novena in October, a city-wide pilgrimage, and a year-round calendar of novenas and triduums.
- Established
- 1935
- Patron
- Saint Jude Thaddeus (Apostle and Martyr, 'Patron of Difficult and Desperate Cases')
- Rector
- Fr. Michael Hurley, O.P. (Pastor of St. Dominic's Parish, which houses the Shrine). Director of the Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus: Fr. Elias Guadalupe Ford, O.P.
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco (the Shrine sits within St. Dominic's Parish, served by the Dominican Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus — Western Dominican Province)
Why belong here
The Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus offers a rare combination: a centuries-old Dominican devotional tradition, an active international mail and online petition ministry, and a home in one of San Francisco's most architecturally distinguished Gothic Revival churches. Devotees come to seek St. Jude's intercession in 'difficult and desperate cases,' to enroll loved ones — living or deceased — in the Shrine's St. Jude Apostolate, and to participate in one of the most generous calendars of novenas (seven a year) and preached triduums anywhere in the western United States. The annual St. Jude Pilgrimage draws thousands through the streets of San Francisco each October, and the daily 5:30 p.m. Mass is followed by a blessing with a relic of St. Jude himself — a direct, tangible link to the Apostle for the tens of thousands who visit each year.
Mass times at Saint Jude Thaddeus
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Mon–Fri mornings — 7:45 am (before 8:00 am Mass, during novena week)
- Mon–Fri evenings — 5:15 pm (before 5:30 pm Mass, during novena week)
- Saturday — 8:40 am (before the 9:00 am Mass)
- Confessions prior to each Mass during Novena week (Oct 20–28, 2025)
- Priests are readily available to accommodate the many pilgrims who come in increasing numbers
Adoration times
- Shrine/Church open Mon–Fri 10:00 am – 5:30 pm and Sat–Sun 8:00 am – 7:00 pm; the daily 5:30 pm Mass (Mon–Fri) is followed by a blessing with the relic of St. Jude
About the Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus
The Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus is a ministry of prayer of the Western Dominican Province (Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus) housed within St. Dominic's Catholic Church in San Francisco. Its twin purpose, set out on every page of its website, is to foster devotion to St. Jude Thaddeus, 'Patron of Difficult and Desperate Cases,' and to support the education and formation of worthy students for the Dominican priesthood and brotherhood. The Shrine calls itself 'A Ministry of Prayer. A Ministry of Hope,' and describes its mission with the words: 'From the humblest of beginnings during the Great Depression sprang a shoot of Hope in the heart of the City.' The Shrine exists to remedy the fact that St. Jude — often called 'The Forgotten Saint' — bore the same name as the traitor Judas Iscariot and was long overlooked by the faithful.
- Founded October 1935 by Fr. William Thomas Lewis, O.P.
- Located inside St. Dominic's Catholic Church, 2390 Bush Street
- Ministry of the Western Dominican Province
- Motto: 'Patron of Difficult and Desperate Cases'
History of the Shrine
The Shrine was born out of the hardships of the Great Depression and the looming shadow of a second world war. Its founding in October 1935 was a deliberate act of hope by the Western Dominican Province: crowds filled the church for the first novena, devotees waited outside into the night, and a worldwide mail and pilgrimage ministry was soon born. In 1953, the Shrine was moved from the Lady Chapel to its present alcove, given a new marble altar, marble statue, and stained glass windows, and was soon expanded under directors Fr. Patrick D. Kane, O.P. and Fr. Joseph Asturias, O.P. Today the Shrine sits in a fully restored St. Dominic's Church — earthquake-strengthened with nine flying buttresses — and welcomes tens of thousands of pilgrims each year.
- 1935: Founded by Fr. William Thomas Lewis, O.P. at the request of Fr. Leonard Callahan, O.P.
- 1953: Moved to its present alcove in the north wall
- 1989: Loma Prieta earthquake damages bell tower and interior
- 1992: Archbishop John R. Quinn rededicates St. Dominic's after the $6.6M restoration
- 2010: 75th anniversary celebrated
- 2011: Fr. Allen Duston, O.P. appointed director
- 2015: Fr. Boniface Willard, O.P. preaches the Solemn Novena
- 2025: 90th anniversary; Fr. Elias Guadalupe Ford, O.P. preaches and serves as director
Novenas and Devotions
The Shrine is, above all, a house of novenas. The official calendar lists seven novenas and a triduum each year: the Solemn Novena of St. Jude (Oct 20–28, preached), the Christmas Novena, the Our Lady of Lourdes Novena (Feb 3–11, preached), the Easter Novena, the Mother's Day Novena, the St. Peregrine Novena (patron of cancer patients), the Father's Day Novena, and the St. Monica Triduum (Aug 25–27, preached). The month of November is dedicated to All Souls. Petitioners may submit their intentions online, by phone, by mail, or in person; all are placed on the altar of St. Jude and remembered in the prayers of the Dominican community.
- St. Jude Novena — October 20–28 (preached)
- Christmas Novena — Dec 25 – Jan 2
- Our Lady of Lourdes Novena — Feb 3–11 (preached)
- Easter Novena — April 5–13
- Mother's Day Novena — May 2–10
- St. Peregrine Novena — June 1–9
- Father's Day Novena — June 13–21
- St. Monica Triduum — Aug 25–27 (preached)
- Month of All Souls — November 2–30
Annual St. Jude Pilgrimage
Each October the Shrine hosts a city-wide pilgrimage in honor of St. Jude Thaddeus. Thousands of pilgrims from across the United States and Mexico gather at a starting parish (in 2025, St. Philip's Church at 725 Diamond Street) and process with the statue of St. Jude through the streets of San Francisco, praying and singing, before arriving at St. Dominic's Church for a bilingual Mass and a blessing with the relics. The student brothers from St. Albert's Priory traditionally join the procession. Buses run from St. Dominic's to the starting church from 7:00 am to 9:00 am; parking is available at St. Dominic's only.
- Late October each year (2025: Saturday, October 25)
- Begins at a partner parish with a statue procession
- Concludes with a bilingual Mass at St. Dominic's
- Relic blessing follows the Mass
The Relic of St. Jude Thaddeus
The Shrine is privileged to house and guard several relics, including a small relic of the True Cross located by the Pieta, and — most popular — small bone fragments of St. Jude the Apostle. After every daily 5:30 pm Mass (Mon–Fri) and after many Sunday Masses (notably the 1:30 pm Spanish Mass), the faithful are invited to come forward to venerate the relic and receive a personal blessing. One of the Shrine's relics was historically taken to the island of Molokai to bless the lepers, continuing the long Catholic tradition of carrying relics of the saints to the sick and suffering.
- Small bone fragments of St. Jude the Apostle
- Relic of the True Cross by the Pieta
- Relic blessing after every 5:30 pm daily Mass and after the 1:30 pm Spanish Sunday Mass
- One relic historically taken to Molokai to bless the lepers
The St. Jude Apostolate
The St. Jude Apostolate is the Shrine's enrollment program for individuals and families — living or deceased. Members share in the prayers and good works of the Dominican Order, and the Shrine's stated apostolic purpose is 'to further the devotion to Saint Jude, Patron of Difficult Cases, and to foster the education of worthy students for the Dominican priesthood and brotherhood.' All those enrolled are remembered daily in the prayers of the Dominican Fathers and during the seven Solemn Novenas celebrated at the Shrine each year. Enrollment can be made online, by phone, by mail, or in person.
- Individual or family enrollment (living or deceased)
- Remembered daily in Dominican prayers
- Remembered at the seven annual novenas
- Supports education of Dominican student brothers
Architecture and Setting: St. Dominic's Church
The Shrine's home is the fourth and current St. Dominic's Catholic Church, a 1928 English Gothic Revival landmark with French influences. It was designed by Arnold Sutherland Constable of the Seattle-based Beezer Brothers, constructed between 1923 and 1928, and finished to its present form in 1973. The 28,000-square-foot structure rises nine stories at the nave and thirteen to the top of the bell tower, and is clad almost entirely in terra-cotta. The Shrine alcove is finished in green Alpian Italian marble and crowned by a Venetian mosaic dome, with the marble statue of St. Jude flanked by figures of a working man, a mother and baby, a businessman, a young woman, a nurse, a doctor, a Dominican priest, and a Dominican nun — Daprato Studios' depiction of 'the peoples of the world' for whom St. Jude intercedes.
- Designed by Arnold Sutherland Constable of the Beezer Brothers
- Constructed 1923–1928; interior completed 1973
- English Gothic Revival with French influences; terra-cotta exterior
- Shrine alcove: green Alpian Italian marble and Venetian mosaic dome
- Marble statue of St. Jude by Daprato Studios of Chicago
Earthquake, Restoration, and the 1992 Rededication
Engineering tests in 1984 revealed that St. Dominic's was seismically unstable. The St. Dominic's Preservation and Restoration Project began work in 1986, but the Loma Prieta earthquake of October 17, 1989 struck before the work was complete, destroying the church's beautiful octagonal bell-tower 'lantern' and bringing down much of the painted decoration on the ceiling beams. The $6.6 million restoration — funded by parishioners, Shrine devotees, and friends around the world — added nine soaring flying buttresses rising from deep concrete piers to a steel ring beam around the roofline. Archbishop John R. Quinn of San Francisco rededicated the church on August 1, 1992. Simpson Gumpertz & Heger later led further repairs to the roofing, terra-cotta cladding, and stained glass windows.
- 1984: Engineering tests reveal seismic instability
- 1989: Loma Prieta earthquake destroys the bell-tower lantern
- 1986–1992: Preservation and Restoration Project
- Nine flying buttresses added
- August 1, 1992: Archbishop John R. Quinn rededicates St. Dominic's
Dominican Stewardship and Student Formation
The Shrine is a ministry of the Western Dominican Province (Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus). Proceeds from the Shrine's ministry support the education and formation of young men studying for the Dominican priesthood and brotherhood, including tuition, housing, and materials for novices and student brothers at St. Albert Priory in Oakland and at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology (DSPT) in Berkeley. The 2025 newsletter reports ten new novices who recently received their habits, and asks for continued prayers for students in formation and for an increase in vocations.
- Ministry of the Western Dominican Province
- Supports tuition and housing at St. Albert Priory and DSPT Berkeley
- Ten new novices received their habits in 2025
Staff and Leadership
The Shrine is served by the Dominican priests of St. Dominic's Parish and the Province. Fr. Elias Guadalupe Ford, O.P., a San Francisco native ordained in May 2025, serves as Director of the Shrine and is preaching the 90th-anniversary Solemn Novena in 2025. Fr. Michael Hurley, O.P. is the Pastor of St. Dominic's, with Fr. Patrick Rooney, O.P. and Fr. Carl Schlichte, O.P. (Prior) as Parochial Vicars. The parish is supported by four deacons — Charles McNeil, Dino Ornido, Dan Rosen, and Jimmy Salcido — and a wider staff that includes the Director of Music & Liturgy Simon Berry, D.M.A., Director of Family and Youth Ministries Kathleen Folan, Director of Evangelization and Adult Faith Formation Daniel Wandres, Director of Community Outreach Huw Richardson, Parish Administrator Gary Price, Office Manager Mark Lizama, Sacramental Liaison Lolita Clemenson, and Sacristan Teresa Antonio.
- Director, Shrine of St. Jude: Fr. Elias Guadalupe Ford, O.P.
- Pastor, St. Dominic's: Fr. Michael Hurley, O.P.
- Parochial Vicars: Fr. Patrick Rooney, O.P. and Fr. Carl Schlichte, O.P. (Prior)
- Four Permanent Deacons in pastoral associate roles
- Director of Music & Liturgy: Simon Berry, D.M.A.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. William Thomas Lewis, O.P.1935 (founder)
Founded the Shrine of St. Jude devotion in October 1935 at the request of Fr. Leonard Callahan, O.P., Fourth Provincial of the Province of the Holy Name.
- Fr. Ralph Goggins, O.P.1935 (briefly)
Replaced Fr. Marchant O.P. as Pastor of St. Pius V Parish and Director of the Shrine before Fr. Burnell.
- Fr. Vincent Burnell, O.P.1935–1941
Tenure included the 10th anniversary of the Shrine in 1939.
- Fr. Edward Hughes, O.P.1941–
Took over just before U.S. entry into WWII; oversaw the Shrine's 20th anniversary in 1949 and the 10th anniversary of the Province of St. Albert the Great.
- Fr. Joseph Fulton, O.P.Provincial at time of move
Provincial under whose administration the Shrine was moved to its present alcove in 1953.
- Fr. Patrick D. Kane, O.P.After 1953
Appointed Director; together with Fr. Joseph Asturias, O.P., expanded the Shrine ministry into a vibrant devotional and mail ministry that reaches thousands.
- Fr. Joseph Asturias, O.P.After 1953
Assisted Fr. Kane in expanding the Shrine's ministry.
- Fr. Allen Duston, O.P.2011
Appointed Priest Director of the Shrine in 2011.
- Fr. Boniface Willard, O.P.2015
Preached the Solemn Novena in October 2015.
- Fr. Elias Guadalupe Ford, O.P.2025–present
Current Director; San Francisco native; ordained May 2025; preaching the 90th-anniversary Solemn Novena in 2025.