About St. Jude Center · Buffalo, New York
The St. Jude Center is the Official Diocesan Shrine of Saint Jude of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, New York, located at 760 Ellicott Street in the heart of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. Founded in 1969 by Msgr. Edward J. Ulaszeski as a pastoral care ministry serving patients, families, and staff at Buffalo General Medical Center, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, and surrounding hospitals, the Center is housed in a renovated 1856 Victorian mansion (originally built as the Victoria Hotel) with an adjoining carriage house that serves as its chapel. Designated the diocesan shrine on February 1, 2016, it offers daily Mass in English and a Hungarian-language Sunday Mass, alongside a weekly novena to St. Jude and First Friday Eucharistic Adoration.
- Established
- 1969
- Patron
- Saint Jude Thaddeus (the Apostle)
- Rector
- Reverend Richard H. Augustyn (Director)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo
Why belong here
The St. Jude Center is a diocesan shrine uniquely situated within walking distance of Buffalo General Medical Center, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, and other major Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus institutions, offering a quiet, garden-surrounded haven of prayer and sacramental ministry for patients, families, and hospital staff. Daily Mass in English, a treasured Sunday Mass in Hungarian, a weekly Wednesday novena to St. Jude, and First Friday Eucharistic Adoration give the Shrine a distinctive devotional rhythm, while its clinical pastoral education program has trained generations of chaplains for hospital ministry. Visitors seeking the intercession of St. Jude — patron of desperate and lost causes — find here both a deeply personal place to pray and a community rooted in more than five decades of specialized pastoral care for the sick and suffering.
Mass times at St. Jude Center
Weekly Mass schedule
Adoration times
- First Friday of every month, 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM (Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament)
About the St. Jude Center
The Saint Jude Center is the Official Diocesan Shrine of Saint Jude in the Diocese of Buffalo, New York. Founded in the Spring of 1969 by Msgr. Edward J. Ulaszeski as a pastoral care ministry for the sick and suffering, it now anchors the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus at 760 Ellicott Street. From its renovated 1856 Victorian mansion and adjoining carriage-house chapel, the Center offers daily Mass in English, a Hungarian-language Sunday Mass, a weekly novena to St. Jude, and First Friday Eucharistic Adoration, while continuing its founding mission of providing professional pastoral care to the patients, families, and staff of Buffalo General Medical Center, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, and other nearby hospitals.
- Founded Spring 1969 by Msgr. Edward J. Ulaszeski
- Designated Official Diocesan Shrine of Saint Jude on February 1, 2016
- Located on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, adjacent to Buffalo General Medical Center and Roswell Park
- Listed for sale by the Diocese of Buffalo in June 2024; Shrine to be relocated to Saint Joseph Cathedral
History
The Center was established in 1969 when the Diocese of Buffalo approved the concept of a professional pastoral care ministry and authorized the purchase of an 1856 Victorian house and its carriage house near the city's major hospitals. Monsignor Ulaszeski directed the ministry until his retirement in 2002 and was followed by Father Richard H. Augustyn, who has now served for nearly five decades. Over the years the Center expanded its work to include a clinical pastoral education program that has trained generations of hospital chaplains. On February 1, 2016 the Diocese formally elevated the Center to the status of Official Diocesan Shrine of Saint Jude, and in 2024 it announced the sale of the Ellicott Street property with the Shrine itself being relocated to Saint Joseph Cathedral.
- 1968: Two-story addition added to the 1856 Victoria Hotel to accommodate the new ministry
- 1969: Center founded by Msgr. Edward J. Ulaszeski in Spring
- 1975: Msgr. Ulaszeski receives the Wehr Award for Service from Roswell Park
- 1978–1987: Msgr. Ulaszeski serves as diocesan director of hospital ministry and director of clinical pastoral education
- 1985: Msgr. Ulaszeski receives the Dr. William Year for Humanitarian Service Award
- 1988: Msgr. Ulaszeski appointed Prelate of Honor (Monsignor) by Pope John Paul II
- 2002: Monsignor Ulaszeski retires
- 2009: 40th anniversary celebrated on April 26 with Mass at St. Jude and brunch at the Millennium Hotel
- 2010: Msgr. Edward J. Ulaszeski dies in June at age 86
- 2016: Designated Official Diocesan Shrine of Saint Jude on February 1
- 2024: Diocese lists the property for sale at $1.5 million; Shrine to be relocated to St. Joseph Cathedral
Architecture & Facilities
The Center is housed in an 8,755-square-foot Victorian mansion at 760 Ellicott Street, originally built in 1856 as the Victoria Hotel, with a two-story addition added in 1968. The main residence preserves original nineteenth-century features including five marble fireplaces and large pocket doors, and functions as both administrative offices and the chaplains' rectory. Behind the residence stands a renovated carriage house that has been converted into the Center's intimate chapel, the spiritual heart of the Shrine. The half-acre property also includes landscaped gardens, an 18-car parking lot, and a three-bay garage.
- 1856: Original structure built as the Victoria Hotel
- 1968: Two-story addition added
- Five original marble fireplaces retained
- Large pocket doors retained
- Carriage house converted into chapel
- 8,755 sq ft total
- Half-acre lot with 18-car parking lot and three-bay garage
Pastoral Care & Hospital Ministry
The Center's founding mission is professional pastoral care for the patients, families, and staff of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. From its location adjacent to Buffalo General Medical Center and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Center's chaplains — led for decades by Director Fr. Richard H. Augustyn — visit the sick, comfort the grieving, and support hospital staff. The Center also operates a Bereavement Support Group for those who have lost an adult loved one, meeting at Buffalo General Hospital on the first Tuesday of each month from 2:00 to 3:30 PM.
- Pastoral care visits to Buffalo General Medical Center
- Pastoral care visits to Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Hospital staff and family support
- Bereavement Support Group: 1st Tuesday, 2:00–3:30 PM, Buffalo General Hospital
Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)
In addition to direct ministry, the St. Jude Center has historically trained the next generation of hospital chaplains through its Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program. The 22-week course admitted up to 24 students per year and prepared them for pastoral care in clinical settings. Monsignor Ulaszeski himself served as the diocesan director of clinical pastoral education from 1978 to 1987, embedding CPE into the Center's identity as a teaching chaplaincy as well as a working one.
- 22-week CPE program
- Up to 24 students per year
- Founded under Msgr. Edward J. Ulaszeski
Saint Jude Thaddeus & the Shrine
The Center is dedicated to Saint Jude Thaddeus, the Apostle traditionally invoked as the patron saint of desperate and lost causes. Designated the Official Diocesan Shrine of Saint Jude on February 1, 2016, the Center draws devotees seeking the saint's intercession, particularly patients and families facing serious illness at the neighboring hospitals. The weekly Wednesday novena to St. Jude is a centerpiece of the Shrine's devotional life, complementing daily Mass and First Friday Adoration.
- Patron: Saint Jude Thaddeus (Apostle)
- Feast day: October 28
- Shrine designation: February 1, 2016
- Weekly Wednesday novena at 4:30 PM
Staff & Leadership
The Center has been led since its second generation by Rev. Richard H. Augustyn, who joined the ministry early in its history and has served as Director for nearly five decades. He was preceded by founder Msgr. Edward J. Ulaszeski, who directed the Center from 1969 until his retirement in 2002 and who received the title of Monsignor from Pope John Paul II in 1988. The lay SJC Guild — including its president, vice president, treasurer, and bookkeeper — has long supported the Center's mission, particularly highlighted at the 40th anniversary celebration in April 2009.
- Rev. Richard H. Augustyn — Director (1976–present)
- Msgr. Edward J. Ulaszeski — Founder/Director (1969–2002)
- SJC Guild — lay support organization
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Msgr. Edward J. Ulaszeski1969–2002
Founder; ordained 1952; served as diocesan director of hospital ministry and director of clinical pastoral education 1978–1987; appointed Prelate of Honor (Monsignor) by Pope John Paul II in 1988; retired in 2002; died June 2010 at age 86.
- Rev. Richard H. Augustyn1976–present
Joined the Center early in its history; as of 2024 had served approximately 48 years as Director; continued to lead the ministry during the Diocese's 2024 decision to list the building for sale and relocate the Shrine to Saint Joseph Cathedral.