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St. Jude Church marking 50th anniversary
By LINDA M. LINONIS
COLUMBIANA
When the first Mass was celebrated Nov. 6, 1960, for what was to become St. Jude Church, it was a historic occasion. At the time, that Mass was the first to be said in what then was the 157-year history of the village of Columbiana.
When ground was broken in 1969 for the church, it meant more than a new house of worship. It broke ground in a symbolic way, too, by bringing a Catholic presence to the village.
The church is celebrating its 50th year, having been established March 4, 1966.
Recently, the Rev. Christopher Cicero, pastor; Sarah Tipton, charter member; and Laura Hammond, youth group coordinator, talked about the church and its anniversary.
St. Jude Church started out as St. Patrick Mission. “Catholics here went over to St. Patrick in Leetonia,” Tipton recalled. The original name might have been a nod to the hospitality of that church. “I remember there was discussion about a name ... St. Francis or St. Jude,” she said.
Maybe because the founders faced challenges in organizing the church they decided on St. Jude. In the Catholic Church, St. Jude is known as “The Saint for the Hopeless and the Despaired” and “The Patron Saint of the Impossible.” In St. Jude’s New Testament letter, he stresses that the faithful should persevere in the environment of harsh, difficult circumstances.
Father Cicero said the charter members are admired for their perseverance and dedication to getting the church started. Deacon Lou Cosentino, 93, was a proponent from the beginning.
Property was acquired at the end of Seventh Street, which dead-ends. There, a one-level church with sanctuary, parish activity center, offices and classrooms was built. The center is used for a variety of congregational activities and also is rented to the public.
The church offers a range of activities for youths to seniors. Hammond said organized classes are offered for children in kindergarten through 12th grades, with sessions generally taking place Sundays. Classes are grouped by grade levels. Second-graders preparing to receive the sacrament of Holy Communion participate in a Jesus Day retreat. Eighth-graders looking forward to Confirmation attend a daylong retreat.
“It’s about positive peer pressure and builds a sense of community among the older students,” Hammond said.
Father Cicero noted that youths from Our Lady of Lourdes Church in East Palestine, St. Jude’s sister parish, participate in classes after the 8:30 a.m. and before the 11 a.m. Masses on Sundays. Religious education involves about 137 students in kindergarten through eighth grades and 20 high school students. The youth activities are a combination of religious and social events.
Hammond said youths volunteer at Rescue Mission of Mahoning Valley and the Whispering Pines assisted and independent living center. Team-building activities are navigating a corn maze and a ropes course along with game nights.
Father Cicero said Caritas of St. Jude is a charity group; caritas is a Latin term for charity. The church offers a monthly free community dinner from 4:30 to 6 p.m. the third Tuesday of the month. It has monthly food drives to be able to offer food and other emergency assistance.
The pastor continued Caritas volunteers are involved with providing meals at the Dorothy Day House in Youngstown, a facility that helps those in need. For The Way Station, a ministry that helps the less fortunate, the group gives out food baskets in November and distributes Christmas gifts, food baskets and a luncheon for patrons.
Father Cicero said these charitable activities were initiated to help the need and respond to a need in the community.
He emphasized, “These are lay-led activities with enthusiastic involvement.”
The pastor also said the church is offering a Lenten program, Oremu, from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays in the parish center with a soup and bread meal before the program that usually includes a video and discussion. Oremus is a Catholic prayer study program.
Tipton said there is a women’s guild, which works to meet needs of the church. Among its projects was a church cookbook.
St. Jude Dudes is a group for those 55 years and older, men and women. “It’s mostly a social ministry ... we take trips,” Tipton said, adding members do what they can to help the parish.
There also is a Knights of Columbus council, which sponsors an annual steak fry. The council also helps financially with youth trips that include the January outing to Washington, D.C., for pro-life; an Appalachian mission trip; and every other year national youth convention.
Deacon Chris Evans heads the bereavement ministry, which meets at 3 p.m. Sundays. There also is a church cancer support group. Church members also participate in a prayer chain.
Father Cicero said the church is planning its first-ever festival to take place June 24-26 with food and rides. The fundraiser also serves a way to be active in the community. Other fundraisers are a super bingo four times a year and craft show.
Tipton said she would describe St. Jude as a “friendly and welcoming” place.
Hammond, the mother of four young sons, said she appreciates the congregation’s “awareness and concern” for its members.
“The members also are willing to try new things,” she said.