About St. Jude · Henderson, Texas
St. Jude Catholic Parish is a bilingual (English/Spanish) Roman Catholic community serving the city of Henderson, the county seat of Rusk County in East Texas, and the surrounding rural area. Established in 1934 under the Diocese of Tyler, the parish has provided more than nine decades of sacramental life to Catholic families in the East Texas Pineywoods. It is one of two St. Jude parishes in the Diocese of Tyler (the other being in nearby Gun Barrel City in Henderson County) and remains an active, family-oriented mission congregation celebrating the Traditional Roman Rite in both English and Spanish.
- Established
- 1934
- Patron
- St. Jude (Thaddeus)
- Rector
- Rev. Jose Kannampuzha
- Diocese
- Diocese of Tyler
Why belong here
St. Jude offers a faithful, bilingual Catholic community in the heart of East Texas where English- and Spanish-speaking families can worship side by side, with multiple Sunday and weekday Mass options including a Spanish Mass each Sunday morning and a Spanish weeknight Mass. A long-established (since 1934) parish of the Diocese of Tyler, it welcomes new residents of Rusk County and the surrounding small towns into a tight-knit flock supported by devotions like the Rosary, Eucharistic Adoration, and the sacraments of Confession, Baptism, and Matrimony. The active Knights of Columbus Council 11462 (St. Jude Council) is based at the parish, providing Catholic men a fraternal community of service and fellowship. If you are looking for a Traditional Latin-rooted, multi-generational parish rooted in evangelization and Hispanic ministry in rural East Texas, St. Jude is the diocesan parish of choice in Henderson.
Mass times at St. Jude
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM (typical pattern; consult the parish bulletin / Facebook for current schedule)
Adoration times
- Friday 9:00 AM – Saturday 8:00 AM (extended Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament — pattern modeled on the Gun Barrel City sister parish; consult the bulletin for confirmation)
Parish Identity and Location
St. Jude Catholic Parish is a bilingual (English/Spanish) Roman Catholic parish serving Henderson, Texas — the county seat of Rusk County in the East Texas Pineywoods. It is part of the Diocese of Tyler and belongs to the East Central Deanery. The parish's physical location is at 1100 Longview Drive, Henderson, TX 75652, with the parish office reachable at (903) 657-4398. The parish mailing and council address (1100 Longview Drive) is also where Knights of Columbus Council 11462 ('St. Jude Council') is hosted.
- Henderson, Rusk County, Texas
- Diocese of Tyler — East Central Deanery
- Address: 1100 Longview Drive, Henderson, TX 75652
- Phone: (903) 657-4398
- Languages: English and Spanish
History
Founded in 1934 (per the GCatholic church directory), St. Jude has served Catholic families in and around Henderson for more than nine decades. In its earliest decades the mission was served by priests traveling in from other parishes and from the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Tyler. In the mid-1990s the parish was administered by Father Octavio Suarez, a Colombian Claretian Missionary later incardinated into the Diocese of Tyler in 1998. In more recent years the parish has been led by Father Jayaseelanraj Lucas and, since January 19, 2018, by Father Jose Kannampuzha, appointed by Bishop Joseph E. Strickland.
- Founded 1934 (per GCatholic)
- Served by Father Octavio Suarez, O.Cl. — Claretian Missionary from Colombia (mid-1990s; incardinated into Diocese of Tyler 1998)
- Pastor Father Jayaseelanraj Lucas (until January 19, 2018; reassigned to St. Anthony, Longview)
- Current pastor: Father Jose Kannampuzha (appointed January 19, 2018, from St. Andrew, Lufkin)
Hispanic / Spanish-Language Ministry
The parish has a long-standing Spanish-speaking Catholic community, served by a weekly Sunday morning Spanish Mass and a Thursday evening Spanish Mass. This bilingual ministry reflects the growing Mexican-American Catholic population of the Henderson and East Texas area and is one of the distinctive features of St. Jude. Father Octavio Suarez, who served in the parish, was himself a Spanish-speaking priest who went on to do missionary work among Hispanics across East Texas.
- Sunday Spanish Mass — 11:30 AM
- Thursday evening Spanish Mass — 7:00 PM
- Hispanic evangelization and sacramental preparation in Spanish
- Spanish-language rosary and devotions
Parish Organizations and Fellowship
The parish is home to Knights of Columbus Council 11462, chartered in the parish and based at 1100 Longview Drive. The Knights serve as the parish's principal Catholic men's fraternal organization, supporting vocations, parish fundraising, and community service. The parish also maintains the typical diocesan structure of an Altar Society (women's organization) and welcomes the involvement of Catholic men, women, and youth in parish life.
- Knights of Columbus Council 11462 (St. Jude Council)
- Parish Altar Society
- Parish Pastoral Council (typical)
- Finance Council (typical)
Sacraments and Faith Formation
As a parish of the Diocese of Tyler, St. Jude prepares Catholics of all ages for the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, First Communion) and the Sacraments of Healing and Vocation (Confession, Anointing of the Sick, Matrimony, Holy Orders). Sacramental preparation is offered in both English and Spanish. Couples seeking marriage are asked to contact the parish office well in advance of the wedding date.
- Baptism (English and Spanish)
- First Communion and Confirmation preparation
- Marriage preparation
- Anointing of the Sick
- Funeral liturgy coordination
- RCIA / RCIC — adult and child catechumenate (typical diocesan program)
Diocese of Tyler — East Central Deanery
St. Jude Parish in Henderson is one of seven parishes comprising the East Central Deanery of the Diocese of Tyler. Its deanery sister parishes include St. William of Vercelli (Carthage), Immaculate Conception (Jefferson), Christ the King (Kilgore), St. Anthony (Longview), St. Mary (Longview), St. Matthew (Longview), and St. Joseph (Marshall). The parish is in pastoral communion with the Bishop of Tyler and follows the diocesan liturgical and pastoral norms.
- East Central Deanery — Diocese of Tyler
- Deanery parishes: St. William of Vercelli (Carthage), Immaculate Conception (Jefferson), Christ the King (Kilgore), St. Anthony / St. Mary / St. Matthew (Longview), St. Joseph (Marshall)
- Diocesan bishop: Joseph E. Strickland (most recent published reassignments)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Octavio Suarezmid-1990s (administrator at time of 1996 incident; later administrator after 1997)
Claretian Missionary priest from Colombia; served as administrator of St. Jude during a 1996 charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child (charges dropped July 1997 by Rusk County DA Kyle Freeman for insufficient evidence); incardinated into Diocese of Tyler in 1998; later served as administrator at San Pedro (Tatum), priest-in-charge at Our Lady of Guadalupe (Nacogdoches), and administrator/pastor at St. Michael (Mt. Pleasant) before retiring at Our Lady of Sorrows, Jacksonville. Died April 22, 2021, in Medellín, Colombia.
- Rev. Jayaseelanraj Lucasuntil January 19, 2018
Pastor of St. Jude Parish in Henderson; reassigned by Bishop Joseph E. Strickland to St. Anthony Parish in Longview effective January 19, 2018.
- Rev. Jose KannampuzhaJanuary 19, 2018 – present
Appointed Pastor of St. Jude Parish in Henderson effective January 19, 2018, transferring from the pastorate of St. Andrew Parish in Lufkin.