The City of St. Jude Parish

Welcome & Mission

The City of Saint Jude Parish describes itself as continuing the 1934 mission of Father Harold Purcell, proclaiming that "no-one is without hope who has a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ." The parish serves a multigenerational community of more than 400 families in west Montgomery and welcomes visitors to its weekend and weekday liturgies. The parish office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and the church is fully ADA accessible, with an elevator on the west side and a wheelchair ramp on the east.

Our History

Founded in 1934 by Father Harold Purcell in a remodeled house on Holt Street as a free dispensary, the City of St. Jude moved in 1938 to its present 36-acre campus between Hill and Oak Streets, where Bishop Thomas J. Toolen dedicated the parish church to Saint Jude Thaddeus. Over the following decades the campus grew to include a school, a free clinic, and the first fully integrated hospital in the southeastern United States. In 1965 it was the campsite of the Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights Marchers on the night before they reached the State Capitol.

• 1934 — Holt Street dispensary opens (June 2)
• 1938 — Church dedicated to Saint Jude Thaddeus by Bishop Toolen
• 1938–2014 — St. Jude Educational Institute (closed May 2014)
• 1951–1985 — St. Jude Catholic Hospital (165 beds, administered by Vincentian Sisters of Charity of Pittsburgh)
• 1965 — Stars for Freedom rally, March 24
• 1990 — Listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the City of St. Jude Historic District
• 1996 — Included in the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail
• 2015 — Interpretive Center and Garden opens for the 50th anniversary of the march
• 2024 — 90th anniversary of the parish

The Selma to Montgomery March & 'Stars for Freedom'

On the rainy night of March 24, 1965, more than 10,000 voting-rights marchers camped on the City of St. Jude's athletic field — the last camp before the march to the Alabama State Capitol the next morning. The 'Stars for Freedom' rally was organized by Harry Belafonte; performers on a makeshift stage of coffin shipping crates and plywood included Joan Baez, James Baldwin, Tony Bennett, Leonard Bernstein, Sammy Davis Jr., Billy Eckstine, Dick Gregory, Lena Horne, Mahalia Jackson, Alan King, Frankie Laine, William Marshall, Johnny Mathis, Pete Seeger, Nina Simone, Shelley Winters, Odetta, Pernell Roberts, Peter, Paul and Mary, and others. Activist Viola Gregg Liuzzo was rushed to the St. Jude Hospital after being shot by KKK members that night; doctors could not save her.

Interpretive Center & Garden

The Interpretive Center, opened in March 2015 on the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery March, is a museum of more than 100 photographs and artifacts drawn from several collections, telling the story of the parish and the march. It highlights the people on both sides of the conflict and aims to inspire a new generation of activists working for social justice. The adjacent Garden features a life-size bronze sculpture called 'Homeless Jesus' by Canadian sculptor Timothy P. Schmalz, depicting a shrouded Christ figure whose wounds on the feet are the only visible sign of his identity — a visual reference to Matthew 25 ("whatever you did for the least of these…").

• Open by appointment; call (334) 265-6791 to schedule a visit
• Group tours welcomed
• 'Homeless Jesus' bronze by Timothy P. Schmalz (36"H × 84"L × 24"D)

Sacraments

The parish celebrates all seven Catholic sacraments. The home page links to fuller catechetical material from the Archdiocese of Mobile on each. Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation (Penance), Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Holy Marriage are all listed on the parish Sacraments page.

• Reconciliation / Confession — Tue & Fri 5:00–5:20 pm; Thu 11:40 am–12:00 pm; Sat 3:30–4:30 pm; or by appointment ([email protected])
• First Confession and First Holy Communion typically at age 7 (children must be enrolled in religious education)
• Confirmation is administered by the Archbishop in a teen's junior year of high school; families should contact the parish when the teen enters freshman year
• Baptism, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick, and Holy Orders — contact the Parish Office

Becoming Catholic (OCIA)

The parish runs the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA, formerly called RCIA) each year for those discerning whether to enter full communion with the Catholic Church. The process formally begins with weekly meetings in early Fall and continues until a few weeks after Easter, with the sacraments of initiation received at the Easter Vigil. Inquirers are invited to contact the Parish Office by phone or email — the parish notes, "It is not too late or too early to reach out!"

Religious Education & Faith Formation

Faith formation is coordinated by Parish Catechetical Leader Jade Jones together with a team of trained, certified catechists. Children preparing for First Confession and First Holy Communion are normally enrolled at age 7; teens preparing for Confirmation should be on the parish's radar by freshman year of high school, since the Archbishop confers the sacrament in the junior year. All catechists are trained in the latest Archdiocese of Mobile child-protection curriculum.

• Parish Catechetical Leader: Jade Jones
• Children's religious education and Sacramental prep
• Confirmation prep for high-school teens (Archdiocese of Mobile)

Music & Liturgy

Sunday Mass at 9:00 a.m. is the parish's solemn sung liturgy, with hymns, piano accompaniment, choir, cantor, incense, and sung prayers. The Saturday Vigil at 5:00 p.m. uses hymns and piano without the choir; weekday Masses are recited without music. The First Friday Solemn Exposition includes music, the rosary, incense, and Benediction.

• Choir Director: Miss Lee McMinn
• Sunday sung Mass with choir, cantor, piano, incense
• First Friday Solemn Exposition with music, rosary, incense

Meet the Staff

The Parish staff — both clergy and lay — is listed on the About Us page, alongside the liturgy's musical and liturgical ministers.

• Rev. Andrew B. Jones — Pastor
• Rev. Francis V. Raj, HGN — Parochial Vicar
• Deacon Deo McMeans — Permanent Deacon
• Deacon Clarence Darrington — Permanent Deacon
• Mrs. Davetta Bishop — Parish Secretary
• Mrs. Dara Stephens — Parish Life Coordinator
• Miss Lee McMinn — Choir Director
• Jade Jones — Parish Catechetical Leader
• Maintenance staff (named on About Us page)

Visit the Parish

Visitors and groups can tour the campus and the Interpretive Center by calling the parish office to schedule. Dress modestly out of reverence for the Blessed Sacrament reserved in the church. The campus is wheelchair-accessible and the parish office is easily reached on the north (rear) side of the church.

• Phone: (334) 265-6791
• Email: [email protected]
• Office hours: Mon–Fri, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Free museum tours by appointment