About St. Jude · Joliet, Illinois
St. Jude Catholic Church was a Roman Catholic parish in the west side of Joliet, Illinois, dedicated in 1954 and supported throughout its life by the Hammes family, whose land gift and funding built both the original church and its school. The parish was served in its final years by Fr. Michael Lane and was home to a thriving Catholic school, a perpetual adoration chapel, and multiple weekend Masses that filled its parking lots weekly. After seventy years of ministry, St. Jude was canonically closed on June 30, 2024, when the Diocese of Joliet merged it with St. Paul the Apostle, St. Patrick, Sacred Heart, and St. Joseph (Rockdale) into a new parish, Queen of Apostles / Reina de los Apóstoles.
- Established
- 1954
- Patron
- St. Jude (Thaddeus)
- Rector
- Rev. Michael Lane (last pastor; merged into Queen of Apostles, June 30, 2024)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Joliet
Why belong here
St. Jude was, for seventy years, a tight-knit west-side Joliet parish shaped by the generosity of the founding Hammes family and generations of working-class Catholic families. It offered multiple weekend Masses, daily noon Masses, a perpetual adoration chapel, Saturday confessions, a parish school, and the kind of full parking lot that signaled a living community. Although the parish itself was closed and merged into Queen of Apostles on June 30, 2024, parishioners continue that fellowship at the Queen of Apostles worship sites under Fr. Michael Lane, with the St. Paul campus now also housing the merged Queen of Apostles School.
Mass times at St. Jude
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM
Adoration times
- Perpetual Adoration (24-hour Adoration Chapel)
Parish Overview
St. Jude was a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Joliet located in the Marycrest / west-side section of Joliet, Illinois. Founded in 1954 by the Hammes family, it served the community for seventy years before being merged into Queen of Apostles / Reina de los Apóstoles on June 30, 2024 as part of the diocese's Targeted Restructuring process.
- Founded 1954
- Closed and merged June 30, 2024
- Diocese of Joliet
- Final pastor: Fr. Michael Lane
History & Founding Family
The parish was created through the generosity of Romy (Rony) and Dorothy Hammes, the developers who shaped Joliet's westward expansion in the 1950s. They donated the land for the church and school and underwrote much of the construction; at their request, the new parish took the name of St. Jude. The surrounding Hammes Avenue still links the parish parking lots to the family's Marycrest Shopping Center.
- Romy Hammes — Knight of St. Gregory (Pope Pius XII), land developer, Ford dealer
- Dorothy Hammes — Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal
- Jerry Hammes — son, honored by PBS
- Marycrest Shopping Center on West Jefferson Street
- Hammes Avenue connecting Marycrest to the parish
Clergy & Staff
In its final years the parish was led by Fr. Michael Lane, who also served as moderator of the merged Queen of Apostles parish. The parish secretary was Sheila Passehl.
- Pastor — Rev. Michael Lane
- Parish Secretary — Sheila Passehl
- School principal — Robert Tyrell
Parish School
St. Jude Catholic School operated on the parish campus at 2212 McDonough Street from the parish's founding in 1954 until consolidation. Its final principal, Robert Tyrell, was named principal of the merged Queen of Apostles School after the 2024 restructuring.
- St. Jude Catholic School
- Final principal: Robert Tyrell
Diocesan Restructuring & Merger
In 2024 the Diocese of Joliet announced that St. Jude would be consolidated as part of its Targeted Restructuring program. Five Joliet-area parishes — St. Paul the Apostle, St. Patrick, St. Jude, Sacred Heart, and St. Joseph (Rockdale) — were canonically extinguished effective June 30, 2024 and merged into Queen of Apostles / Reina de los Apóstoles. St. Paul the Apostle Church and St. Patrick Church retained their consecrated names as the two new worship sites; St. Joseph became a mission church; St. Jude Church and Sacred Heart Church closed. Fr. Michael Lane was named moderator in solidum with Fr. J. Rodolphe Arty, C.S.C.
- Diocese of Joliet — Targeted Restructuring
- Bishop Ronald Hicks announced the consolidation
- Five merged parishes: St. Paul the Apostle, St. Patrick, St. Jude, Sacred Heart, St. Joseph (Rockdale)
- Effective date: June 30, 2024
- New parish name: Queen of Apostles / Reina de los Apóstoles
- Worship sites: St. Paul the Apostle and St. Patrick churches
- Pastors in solidum: Fr. Michael Lane (moderator), Fr. J. Rodolphe Arty, C.S.C.
Contact & Location
- Address: 2212 McDonough Street, Joliet, IL 60436
- Phone: (815) 725-2209
- Fax: (815) 741-8844
- Website: www.stjudejoliet.org
- Facebook: facebook.com/StJudeInJoliet