About St. Jude · Ephraim, Utah
St. Jude Catholic Mission is a small Roman Catholic mission church located at 160 East Center Street in Ephraim, Utah, in the heart of Sanpete County. It is a mission of Saint Elizabeth Catholic Church in Central Valley (the Richfield-area parish established in 1947) within the Diocese of Salt Lake City, and is one of several rural missions — alongside San Juan Diego (Gunnison), Saint Anthony of the Desert (Torrey), and the chapel at the Central Utah Correctional Facility — served by the same priest-administrator. The mission offers Sunday Mass in both English and Spanish, a weekly Wednesday evening Mass followed by Adoration and Confessions, and serves a notably large Latino Catholic community in the Snow College/Ephraim area.
- Established
- 1971
- Patron
- St. Jude (Thaddeus), one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, traditionally venerated as the patron saint of hopeless and desperate causes
- Rector
- Reverend Jose Fidel Barrera-Cruz (Administrator of Saint Elizabeth Parish and its missions, including St. Jude)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salt Lake City
Why belong here
St. Jude Mission is a small, bilingual Catholic community in the Sanpete Valley that welcomes both longtime local families and newcomers drawn to Snow College and Ephraim's rural setting. With three Masses each week — including a vibrant Spanish-language Mass on Sunday afternoons that draws around 400 worshippers — and a Wednesday evening Holy Hour with Adoration and Confessions, it offers regular opportunities for the Eucharist, reconciliation, and Eucharistic devotion in an intimate mission setting. Because the mission is part of a wider cluster of parishes and missions under Saint Elizabeth in Central Valley, members benefit from sacramental preparation, OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults), and faith-formation programming shared across the cluster, all while worshipping in a close-knit local community in the heart of central Utah.
Mass times at St. Jude
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday, 1:00 pm (between the English and Spanish Masses)
- Wednesday, 6:45 pm – 7:15 pm (during Adoration, after the 6:00 pm Mass)
Adoration times
- Wednesday, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm (Holy Hour following the 6:00 pm Mass, with Confessions during Adoration)
About St. Jude Catholic Mission
St. Jude Catholic Mission is a Roman Catholic mission church at 160 East Center Street in Ephraim, Utah, part of the Diocese of Salt Lake City. It is administered together with Saint Elizabeth Catholic Church in Central Valley and serves the Catholic faithful of Ephraim and the wider Sanpete Valley — including students at nearby Snow College and a large Spanish-speaking community.
- Mission type parish within the Diocese of Salt Lake City
- Located at 160 East Center Street, Ephraim, UT 84627
- Phone: (435) 896-5539
- Served by Saint Elizabeth Catholic Church, Central Valley
History
St. Jude Mission was established in 1971 as one of a wave of new Catholic missions planted across central and rural Utah as the Diocese of Salt Lake City grew beyond the Wasatch Front. The Saint Jude Center was built on East Center Street in 1984 to give the community its own dedicated facility. On October 2, 1994, Rev. Clarence J. Sandoval was installed as pastor of the mission in a ceremony recorded in the diocesan history. In 2021, Rev. Jose Fidel Barrera-Cruz — a priest of the Diocese of San Vicente originally from El Salvador — was appointed administrator of Saint Elizabeth Parish and its associated missions, including St. Jude.
- 1971 — Mission established
- 1984 — Saint Jude Center built in Ephraim
- 1994 (October 2) — Rev. Clarence J. Sandoval installed as pastor
- 2021 — Fr. Jose Fidel Barrera-Cruz appointed administrator
Clergy and Leadership
St. Jude Mission is administered by Rev. Jose Fidel Barrera-Cruz, who was born in El Salvador, attended the seminary of Nuestra Señora del Camino in Sololá, Guatemala, and was ordained to the priesthood on December 7, 2002, for the Diocese of San Vicente. After coming to the Diocese of Salt Lake City in 2008, he was appointed in 2021 as administrator of Saint Elizabeth Parish and its missions — St. Jude, Saint Anthony of the Desert, San Juan Diego, and the chapel at the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison.
- Administrator: Rev. Jose Fidel Barrera-Cruz
- Phone for parish administrator: (435) 201-2635
- Parish cluster phone: (435) 896-5539
Languages and Bilingual Community
St. Jude Mission is a bilingual Catholic community. The Sunday schedule deliberately includes both an English Mass at noon and a Spanish Mass at 2:00 pm, with the Spanish Mass drawing roughly 400 worshippers and serving as a major center of Latino Catholic life in Sanpete County.
- English Mass — Sunday 12:00 pm
- Spanish Mass — Sunday 2:00 pm
- Spanish-language ministry for the Latino Catholic community of Sanpete Valley
Ministries and Outreach
Although a small rural mission, St. Jude is active in faith formation and outreach, particularly to the Latino Catholic community of Sanpete County. Catechists from the mission have been certified for ministry, and the mission has explored developing a Newman Center at Snow College in Ephraim to serve the growing number of Latino students from the mission who attend the college.
- Catechetical ministry with certified catechists serving the missions
- Outreach to Latino youth attending Snow College in Ephraim
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) coordinated with Saint Elizabeth Parish, Central Valley
- Coordinated sacramental preparation across the Saint Elizabeth cluster of missions
Parish Cluster: Saint Elizabeth Catholic Church
St. Jude Mission is one of several Catholic missions served together with Saint Elizabeth Catholic Church in Central Valley, Utah (near Richfield). Saint Elizabeth, established in 1947, is the parish church; its associated missions include St. Jude (Ephraim), Saint Anthony of the Desert (near Capitol Reef), San Juan Diego (Gunnison), and the chapel at the Central Utah Correctional Facility (Gunnison).
- Saint Elizabeth Catholic Church, Central Valley — 815 North SR 118, Central Valley, UT 84754
- Saint Anthony of the Desert Mission (Torrey, near Capitol Reef)
- San Juan Diego Mission (Gunnison)
- Central Utah Correctional Facility Chapel (Gunnison)
Patron Saint — St. Jude Thaddeus
The mission is named for St. Jude Thaddeus, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, who is traditionally venerated as the patron saint of hopeless and desperate causes. His feast day is celebrated on October 28.
- Patron: St. Jude Thaddeus, Apostle
- Feast Day: October 28
- Traditional patronage: hopeless and desperate causes
Visit and Contact
St. Jude Mission welcomes visitors and new parishioners in the Sanpete Valley, including students at Snow College. The mission shares its phone line with the Saint Elizabeth Parish office.
- Address: 160 East Center Street, Ephraim, UT 84627
- Phone: (435) 896-5539
- Diocesan page: https://www.dioslc.org/parishes/saint-jude-catholic-mission
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Clarence J. Sandovalinstalled October 2, 1994
Installed as pastor of Saint Jude Mission, Ephraim, on October 2, 1994, in a ceremony recorded in the Diocese of Salt Lake City's official history.
- Rev. Richard Shermanserved before 2021
Pastor of Saint Elizabeth Parish in Central Valley; drove hundreds of miles each weekend to celebrate Mass at Saint Jude, San Juan Diego, Saint Anthony of the Desert and the Central Utah Correctional Facility.
- Rev. Jose Fidel Barrera-Cruzappointed 2021
Born in El Salvador; attended the seminary of Nuestra Señora del Camino in Sololá, Guatemala; ordained December 7, 2002 for the Diocese of San Vicente; came to the Diocese of Salt Lake City in 2008; appointed administrator of Saint Elizabeth Parish and its associated missions (St. Jude, St. Anthony of the Desert, San Juan Diego, and the Central Utah Correctional Facility chapel) in 2021.