About Sts. Brendan & Jude (St. Jude Worship Site, Alfred) · Alfred, New York
SS. Brendan & Jude Parish was a Catholic community in the Diocese of Buffalo that served the villages of Alfred and Almond, New York, with a distinctive apostolate to college students at Alfred University and Alfred State College. Founded from two predecessor parishes — St. Brendan in Almond (1949) and St. Jude in Alfred (1959) — the two were merged in 1992 into a single parish that worshiped at both sites. As part of the Diocese of Buffalo's 'Road to Renewal' reorganization in 2025, SS. Brendan & Jude was merged into Immaculate Conception Parish in Wellsville, with St. Jude Chapel retained as a worship site of the new 'Christ Our Light Family.'
- Established
- 1992 (SS. Brendan & Jude); 1959 (St. Jude Chapel); 1949 (St. Brendan Parish, Almond)
- Patron
- Sts. Brendan the Navigator and Jude (Thaddaeus)
- Rector
- Rev. Sean E. DiMaria (pastor of SS. Brendan & Jude 2008–2025; now pastor of merged Immaculate Conception Parish / Christ Our Light Family)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Buffalo
Why belong here
SS. Brendan & Jude has long welcomed students and residents alike to a Eucharistic community dedicated to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The parish offers weekend and student Masses, weekday Masses, Eucharistic Adoration on First Fridays (and Wednesday evenings at St. Jude when college is in session), Bible Study, youth ministry, Faith Formation K-12, a Children's Church program for Pre-K and elementary, a Pastoral Council, and an active Catholic Campus Ministry at Alfred University and Alfred State College — making it both a small-town parish and a lively Newman-style center for college life.
Mass times at Sts. Brendan & Jude (St. Jude Worship Site, Alfred)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- St. Jude Chapel — Saturdays 4:15–4:50 PM
- St. Brendan Church — Mon/Wed/Fri before 9:00 AM Mass; Saturday 4:00 PM
- Also by appointment (call rectory 607-276-5304)
Adoration times
- St. Brendan Church — First Fridays, one hour immediately following 9:00 AM Mass
- St. Jude Chapel — Wednesdays 6:00–7:00 PM Adoration with Confession and Vespers (when college is in session)
Parish History & Heritage
St. Brendan Parish was established in 1949 in Almond, NY under the Rural Missionary Apostolate, and ten years later opened a chapel on Lower College Drive in Alfred to serve the students of Alfred University and Alfred State College — St. Jude Chapel. The Alfred community grew to the point that St. Brendan received its first resident pastor in 1970, and in 1992 the two worship sites were formally merged into SS. Brendan & Jude Parish. The combined parish continued to use St. Brendan Church in Almond and St. Jude Chapel in Alfred for worship, and through the 2010s partnered with neighboring Blessed Sacrament Church in Andover. In 2025, as part of the Diocese of Buffalo's 'Road to Renewal,' SS. Brendan & Jude was merged into Immaculate Conception Parish in Wellsville; St. Brendan Church was closed and St. Jude Chapel was retained as a worship site of the new Christ Our Light Family.
- St. Brendan, Almond — founded 1949
- St. Jude Chapel, Alfred — founded 1959
- First resident pastor at St. Brendan — 1970
- Merged into SS. Brendan & Jude Parish — 1992
- Merged into Immaculate Conception Parish (Christ Our Light Family) — 2025
Clergy, Staff & Pastoral Council
Rev. Sean E. DiMaria served as pastor of SS. Brendan & Jude from 2008 until the 2025 merger into Immaculate Conception Parish; he was ordained in 2005 and previously served at SS. Peter and Paul Parish in Hamburg, NY. He is a former firefighter and an avid sports fan. Chris Yarnal joined the parish in 2006 and serves as Campus Minister and Director of Catholic Campus Ministry. The parish is supported by a Pastoral Council, trustees, directors of Religious Education, Music, Youth Ministry, Children's Church, and a Building Manager.
- Rev. Sean E. DiMaria — Pastor (2008–)
- Chris Yarnal — Campus Minister (2006–)
- Cathy Johnson — Director, Children's Church (Pre-K–Elementary)
- Carol Prigmore — Director, Religious Education K-12
- Dave Prete — Director, Youth Ministry
- Mary Hoffman — Director of Music
- Michael Crandall — Building Manager
- Peggy Axtell — Secretary
- Trustees: Patricia LaCourse, Walt Czworka
- Pastoral Council: Kert Decker, Anthony Galeazzo (President), Peter Reynolds, Pat Quackenbush, Ron VanScoter, John Williams, Chris Yarnal, Fr. Sean DiMaria
Catholic Campus Ministry at Alfred University & Alfred State
The parish has always described itself as 'a community of faith in Jesus with a mission to College and University students.' St. Jude Chapel, located on Lower College Drive on the Alfred State College campus, hosts a Sunday evening Mass (and a Sunday morning Mass) when the colleges are in session, as well as weekly Bible Study and Wednesday evening Adoration, Confession, and Vespers during the academic year. The campus minister coordinates outreach to students at both Alfred University and Alfred State College, including the Newman Club.
- Sunday 9:45 AM Mass and 7:00 PM student Mass (during college session)
- Wednesday 12:05 PM Mass and 6:00 PM Adoration/Confession/Vespers
- Bible Study — Sundays 5:00 PM in St. Jude's Lounge
- Newman Club activities for Alfred University and Alfred State students
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith Formation for parish children and youth is organized through three programs: Children's Church for Pre-K through elementary, the K-12 Religious Education program, and a Youth Ministry for teens. Baptismal preparation for parents is held on the third Monday of each month at 7:00 PM at St. Jude's Chapel. VIRTUS safe-environment training is coordinated through the pastor.
- Children's Church (Pre-K–Elementary) — Cathy Johnson
- Religious Education K-12 — Carol Prigmore
- Youth Ministry — Dave Prete
- Baptismal training — third Monday, 7:00 PM, St. Jude's Chapel
- VIRTUS Training — Fr. Sean DiMaria
Sacraments
The parish celebrates all the usual sacraments. Baptisms are scheduled with the pastor, and parents attend a monthly preparation session. Weddings require at least six months' notice under Diocesan policy and a Pre-Cana conference. The Anointing of the Sick and Holy Communion are brought to the homebound, hospitalized, and those in nursing facilities at the family's request. Letters of Recommendation (sponsorship letters) are issued only to registered, confirmed parishioners who regularly receive the sacraments.
- Baptism — arrange with Fr. Sean; parent training third Monday, 7 PM
- Marriage — 6 months notice; Pre-Cana required; schedule with Fr. Sean
- Anointing of the Sick / Viaticum — notify parish office or rectory
- Reconciliation — see Confession schedule
- Letters of Recommendation — registered, confirmed, practicing parishioners only
Music & Liturgy
Music for parish liturgies is coordinated by Mary Hoffman, Director of Music. The parish offers a weekend Mass at each worship site, a Sunday evening student Mass at St. Jude during the academic year, and a small but devoted music ministry supporting the Eucharist, weddings, funerals, holy days, and devotional services.
- Director of Music — Mary Hoffman
- Music for weekend Masses, holy days, weddings, funerals
- Student Mass at 6:30/7:00 PM Sunday during college session
Becoming a Parishioner & Pastoral Council
New parishioners are asked to register. Registration forms are available from the parish offices. Letters of Recommendation are only issued to registered parishioners. The parish is led pastorally by Fr. Sean DiMaria together with a Pastoral Council drawn from across the worship communities; trustees and a full staff of directors support parish life.
- New parishioner registration forms available at parish offices
- Pastoral Council — Kert Decker, Anthony Galeazzo (President), Peter Reynolds, Pat Quackenbush, Ron VanScoter, John Williams, Chris Yarnal, Fr. Sean DiMaria
- Trustees — Patricia LaCourse, Walt Czworka
- Parish office hours — Mon–Thu 9 AM–3 PM at St. Jude; Fri 10 AM–5 PM at Blessed Sacrament
- Urgent/emergency matters — call rectory at 607-276-5304 any time
Neighbors & the Christ Our Light Family (2025)
For many years SS. Brendan & Jude worked closely with Blessed Sacrament Church in Andover as 'The Roman Catholic Faith Communities of Alfred-Almond and Andover.' Following the 2025 Diocese of Buffalo 'Road to Renewal,' that network expanded into the broader Christ Our Light Family under Immaculate Conception Parish, Wellsville, with worship sites at St. Jude (Alfred), Holy Family (Belmont), and Our Lady of the Angels (Cuba).
- Immaculate Conception — Wellsville
- St. Jude Chapel — Alfred
- Holy Family — Belmont
- Our Lady of the Angels — Cuba
- Prior partner: Blessed Sacrament — Andover