About St. Jude Thaddeus · Mifflintown, Pennsylvania
St. Jude Thaddeus Parish is a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Harrisburg serving the small Juniata River Valley community of Mifflintown, Pennsylvania, in Mifflin County. The parish's worship site sits along the William Penn Highway (old Route 22), while its administrative offices are shared with neighboring Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in nearby Lewistown. Sunday and weekday Mass, confessions, and a robust Eucharistic devotional life are offered at the Mifflintown church under the pastoral leadership of Fr. Kevin J. Coyle, who serves both parishes jointly.
- Established
- 1959
- Patron
- St. Jude Thaddeus
- Rector
- Rev. Kevin J. Coyle
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg
Why belong here
St. Jude Thaddeus offers a small-community Catholic home on the William Penn Highway in Mifflintown, where parishioners gather around weekly Sunday Mass, Monday and Wednesday daily Mass, and regular Sunday and Wednesday confessions. The parish pairs a quiet, rural setting with a strong Eucharistic devotional life — including annual 40 Hours Devotions and Blessed Sacrament adoration — and a visible pro-life witness through its on-site Cemetery of Innocence displays held during Respect Life month each October.
Mass times at St. Jude Thaddeus
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 8:30 AM
- Wednesday: 6:00 PM
- Anytime by appointment — call the parish office at (717) 242-2781
Adoration times
- 1st Friday: 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM at Sacred Heart, Lewistown (clustered with St. Jude Thaddeus)
About St. Jude Thaddeus Parish
St. Jude Thaddeus is a parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg, situated in the Juniata River Valley community of Mifflintown, Pennsylvania. While the church itself sits on the William Penn Highway in Mifflintown, the parish's administrative offices are operated jointly with sister parish Sacred Heart of Jesus in Lewistown. A community rooted in 1959 and shaped by decades of rural Juniata life, the parish is known locally for its Eucharistic devotion, its pro-life witness, and its warm welcome to traveling Catholics along the old Route 22 corridor.
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg
- Mifflintown, Mifflin County, PA
- Clustered with Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, Lewistown
History
The parish dates its visible history to 1959, when the first St. Jude Thaddeus Church was dedicated — a building that still stands on the property and now serves as the social hall. The current, larger church replaced it as the parish grew, and the new altars installed in 2023 reflect that continuity: the old altar of sacrifice became the Shrine of St. Jude at the rear of the worship space, and the old altar of repose was moved to serve as a credence table in the sacristy.
- First church dedicated 1959
- Original church now used as the social hall
- Shrine of St. Jude (former altar of sacrifice) at the rear of the church
The 2023 Altar Consecration
On Friday evening, October 6, 2023, Bishop Ronald Gainer presided at the solemn Rite of Dedication of an Altar — a liturgy he described as 'rare but magnificent.' The new Carrara marble altar of sacrifice and altar of repose replaced those originally placed in 1959. Bishop Gainer anointed the altar with Sacred Chrism, incensed it, and sealed into its mensa relics of St. Jude Thaddeus, St. Felix, St. Peter Chanel, and Pope St. Pius X. The event kicked off three days of round-the-clock 40 Hours Devotions and was framed by then-pastor Father William Weary as a moment of spiritual revival during the National Eucharistic Revival.
- Bishop Ronald Gainer, consecrating bishop
- Father William Weary, then-pastor of St. Jude Thaddeus and Sacred Heart of Jesus, Lewistown
- Altars of Carrara marble, fabricated locally by Shade Mountain Granite
- Relics of St. Jude Thaddeus, St. Felix, St. Peter Chanel, Pope St. Pius X sealed into the altar
- 40 Hours Devotions launched immediately after the consecration Mass
Leadership and Staff
The parish is led by Rev. Kevin J. Coyle, who also serves as pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Lewistown. The parish office is staffed by Office Administrator Adrienne Zannino and is housed at 9 N. Brown Street, Lewistown. Recent clergy assignments (Diocese of Harrisburg, effective June 26, 2023) installed Rev. Richard A. Groff as Parochial Vicar for both parishes; previously, Fr. Peter K. Rettig (now at St. Joseph Parish, York) and Fr. Jayaseelan Amalanathan (a priest of the Archdiocese of Madras and Mylapore who has returned to ministry in India) served as parochial vicars.
- Rev. Kevin J. Coyle, Pastor
- Rev. Richard A. Groff, Parochial Vicar (since 2023)
- Adrienne Zannino, Office Administrator
- Parish Office: 9 N. Brown Street, Lewistown, PA 17044
Parish Life and Outreach
In addition to its sacramental schedule, St. Jude Thaddeus is visibly active in local Catholic life — most publicly through its Cemetery of Innocence pro-life displays on the church grounds each October for Respect Life month. The parish also shares support for Sacred Heart of Jesus School in Lewistown, a parish-affiliated elementary school serving the broader cluster of Catholic families in the Juniata River Valley.
- Cemetery of Innocence pro-life display (annual, October)
- Sacred Heart of Jesus School, Lewistown — Ashley Henry, Director of Advancement
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. William Weary
Pastor at the time of the October 2023 consecration of the new altar; also pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, Lewistown.
- Rev. Kevin J. Coyle
Current pastor (Diocese of Harrisburg directory); also pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, Lewistown; joined the Juniata River Valley Chamber as the parish contact in 2025.