From Six Families to 2,500: A Mansfield Parish Takes Shape
The Catholic presence in Mansfield, Texas, began the way many rural Catholic outposts in the South began: with a few families, a visiting priest, and a borrowed Mass. In the late 1890s, six families (the Moriartys, the Bartin Ballwegs, the Patrick Henry Days, the John Reitz family, and the John and Joseph Wisrock families) gathered in a private home once a week to celebrate the Eucharist. Father Thomas Hagerty, pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Waxahachie, traveled by train once a month to bring Mass to the small Mansfield flock.
By 1898 a small frame church had been erected and dedicated as St. Joseph Catholic Church. Father Joseph O'Donohoe of Waxahachie succeeded Father Hagerty in serving the small parish. The community had grown to 28 families by 1928, when a red brick church was dedicated on the present Dallas Street site as St. James Catholic Church by Bishop Joseph Lynch. Mass was still celebrated only once a month, with the priest continuing to come from Waxahachie.
Through the 1930s, 1940s, and into the early 1950s the parish grew moderately. Pastoral care was eventually transferred to St. Patrick's in Fort Worth, and by 1954 Mass was being celebrated weekly. The late 1950s brought an influx of Czech and German families, and the need for a larger church grew urgent. In 1969, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cartwright donated an acre of land. By 1970, $20,000 had been raised, and construction began. Bishop John Cassata dedicated the new building on March 14, 1971, as St. Jude Catholic Church, named for the patron saint of desperate and impossible causes, with seating for 300.
The Texas Historical Commission erected a State Historical Marker at the parish in 1998, commemorating the long history. By the mid-1980s approximately 350 families were registered; by 1995 to 1996 the number had grown to over 600. In 1994 the parish purchased four and a half acres east of the existing church in anticipation of further growth. A 1997 expansion plan was followed by a renovation completed in July 2000, and by 2003 registration had reached 1,700 families.
The 2014 Church: Stone, Wood, and Light
The current St. Jude Catholic Church was consecrated on April 12, 2014, by Bishop Michael F. Olson of the Diocese of Fort Worth, with seating for 1,762 in the main worship space and 126 in the chapel. More than 2,000 people filled the new building for the dedication Mass. The structure holds religious treasures gathered from around the world: a Carrara marble replica of Michelangelo's Pietà, more than seven feet tall, stands in the narthex, and a ten-foot wooden sculpture of Christ on the Cross rises above the altar, with the figure of Christ carved in Mexico and the cross constructed by a local parishioner.
Hand-carved wooden statues of the saints line the walls, each in a specially designed portico. Fourteen stained-glass windows give the nave a soft, varied light. Several of those windows have come to St. Jude from other churches around the world; one, depicting the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist, is 163 years old and was crafted by a stained-glass artist in England. Banners in both Spanish and English adorn the building, a quiet reminder of the parish's bilingual life and its 56 ministries.
A Bilingual Schedule of Masses
St. Jude celebrates Mass in English and Spanish throughout the week, with seven weekend Masses and daily morning Masses Monday through Saturday. The full schedule of weekend Masses includes Saturday at 5:00 PM in English (with radio broadcast), Saturday at 7:00 PM in Spanish, Sunday at 7:30 AM in English, Sunday at 10:00 AM in English, Sunday at 11:30 AM in English without music, Sunday at 1:00 PM in Spanish, and Sunday at 5:00 PM in English. The 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM Sunday Masses are livestreamed, and the 5:00 PM Saturday Mass is broadcast on the parish's own KYRE-FM 104.1. A daily Mass is celebrated Monday through Saturday at 8:30 AM in English, with an additional 6:30 PM Mass in Spanish on Thursdays. The Rosary is prayed thirty-five to forty minutes before each weekend Mass.
Reconciliation, Adoration, and a Radio Signal
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered every Saturday from 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM in the chapel, with penitents asked to use the chapel door and to maintain at least three feet of social distance from one another.
Eucharistic Adoration is held on Thursdays from after the 8:30 AM Mass until 6:25 PM, and on Fridays from after the 8:30 AM Mass until 5:00 PM. The parish's adoration ministry is one of its longest-running devotional commitments.
To reach Catholics beyond the walls of the church, the parish established KYRE-FM 104.1 in 2014, a licensed radio station operated from inside the sacristy and broadcast from an antenna atop the church's cross. The station reaches 90,000 people within a 25-mile radius and carries Masses, special events, and national Catholic programming. It is a direct continuation of the parish's long habit of using the new technology of each era, first the train, then radio, to bring the Gospel to the surrounding community.
56 Ministries, One Parish
The parish leadership likes to say that there are more than 50 ministries at St. Jude, and the directory lists them by the dozen: Altar Linen, Altar Servers (Monaguillos), Audio/Visuals, Baptismal Catechesis, Bienvenidos Cristo Renueva Su Parroquia, the Catholic Women's Organization, Development and Stewardship, the Festival Committee, the Finance Council, the Funeral Celebration team, Genesis (Hispanic Young Adult), Guadalupanas, the Guardian Ministry, Hispanic Dancers (Matachines), the Hispanic Ministry, Hospital and Homebound Outreach, Hospitality (Ushers), Liturgy and Music, Maintenance, Marriage Preparation and Weddings, the OCIA teams, the Ornamentation of Sacred Space, the Pastoral Council, Prison Outreach, Proclaimers (lectors), Quinceañera, the Quilting Bees and Prayer Shawl, the Rosary group, Sacristans, Safe Environment, the Senior Luncheon, Vacation Bible Adventure, Vivir en Cristo, the Welcome team (CRHP 2.0), the Young Adult Ministry, the African Community, Cursillo, ESL classes, the Faith Community Nursing Ministry, the Gabriel Project, the Giving Tree, Grief Share, the Knights of Columbus Council 7736, the St. Jude Food Pantry, and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Three umbrella groups organize the rest. Liturgical ministries include the Sacristans, the Ushers, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, the Music Ministry, and Altar Servers. Pastoral ministries reach out to the sick, the grieving, the imprisoned, and the homebound. Social ministries include the parish's food pantry, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic Women's Organization, the Faith Community Nursing Ministry, the African Community, the Gabriel Project, and ESL classes.
Faith Formation from Kindergarten Through Confirmation
The St. Jude Youth Organization, known as the SJYO, accompanies children and teenagers from kindergarten through the senior year of high school, with the explicit mission of affirming young people as daughters and sons of God and guiding them to recognize that they are the Church today.
Elementary Faith Formation, coordinated by Mariana Loarca, serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The two-year First Communion program begins in first grade. First-year students meet on Sundays from 8:30 to 9:30 AM, learning the faith in age-appropriate ways without yet receiving a sacrament. Second-year students, in grades 2 through 4, continue the same morning session and receive First Holy Communion in the spring. Students in kindergarten and grades 3 through 5 who are not preparing for a sacrament attend the ongoing faith formation classes, with kindergarteners in the 8:30 session and older students assigned to either 8:30 or 11:30 AM.
Children under fifth grade who need the sacraments of Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation move through a two-year Elementary OCIA track on Sundays from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM. They receive their sacraments in the spring of the second year.
Teen Faith Formation, coordinated by Jasmine Rodriguez, offers three programs for students in grades 6 through 12: Teen OCIA, Confirmation classes, and Into the Deep (formerly Ongoing Faith Formation). Teen OCIA meets on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:30 PM. Confirmation classes, for students fifteen and older, meet on Sundays from 7:00 to 8:30 PM, with Confirmation typically conferred in May. Into the Deep, for teens not currently preparing for a sacrament, meets on Sunday evenings from 6:00 to 7:30 PM, with dinner, a game, and a lesson built into each evening. Confirmed juniors and seniors are invited to serve as Peer Ministers, leading the younger teens through Sunday evenings from 5:00 PM Mass through an 8:30 PM formation and planning session.
The current high school curriculum uses the Be My Disciples textbook for the elementary program and the Life Teen and Edge movements for middle and high school, which teach teens to engage in the liturgy through inspiring music and challenging talks. The youth program serves roughly 500 elementary students and 400 junior and senior high students.
Adult OCIA: A Yearlong Journey Home
For adults seeking to enter the Church or to complete their sacraments of initiation, the parish offers the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. The process is led by Jennifer Boyer, Coordinator of Adult Faith Formation and Education, and Zory Rodriguez, Spanish OCIA Coordinator. The four stages, Inquiry, Catechumenate, Purification and Enlightenment, and Mystagogy, unfold over roughly a year, accompanied by sponsors and catechists who walk with each inquirer through prayer, study, and the discernment of God's call.
Sponsors and godparents must be practicing Catholics in good standing, at least 16 years of age, and confirmed; married sponsors must be in a marriage recognized by the Catholic Church. The parish helps match inquirers with a sponsor when one is not already chosen. Adult Confirmation classes are also offered for baptized Catholics who have not yet received the Sacrament of Confirmation.
The parish complements OCIA with retreats, Bible studies, and a curated list of recommended Catholic content creators and apologists for ongoing formation. Gary Morgan serves as the Adult Faith Formation Coordinator.
The Hispanic Community and the Wider Cultural Family
St. Jude describes itself as a diverse community united through Baptism in one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic faith, serving many nationalities of believers, including English-speaking, Spanish, Vietnamese, Nigerian, Filipino, and others. Masses are celebrated in two principal languages, English and Spanish, and the parish's ministries carry both English and Spanish names.
The Hispanic Ministry is led by Sister Inés Díaz of the SSMN. Bienvenidos Cristo Renueva Su Parroquia, the parish's Spanish-language Christ Renews His Parish retreat, is led by Gerardo Gómez; Vivir en Cristo, the Spanish-speaking version of the same retreat, is led by Saul Dominguez. Genesis is the parish's Hispanic young adult group, under Esmeralda Valle. The Guadalupanas, the Matachines (Hispanic dancers), and a Spanish-language Marriage Preparation team all support the life of the Spanish-speaking community.
The parish also has an African Community under Obi Idemudia, a Cursillo movement, ESL classes led by Julie Cosby, and a Quilting Bees and Prayer Shawl Ministry that meets on Mondays from 9:00 AM to noon, with the prayer shawl group meeting every other Thursday from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. Marriage enrichment has been offered through a series featuring Dr. Allen Hunt of Dynamic Catholic, and the Hispanic community has experienced ongoing spiritual renewal through Christ Renews His Parish.
The St. James Center and the Capital Campaign
In 2023, St. Jude launched a three-year, $5 million capital campaign called "Embracing Our Past, Connecting Our Future." The campaign preserves the historic St. James Hall, the red brick 1928 church on the Dallas Street site, and connects it to the present-day church by way of a new Parish Hall complex. The Atrium in the St. James Parish Center has opened as part of the campaign.
The new building includes a commercial-grade kitchen, a flexible event and gathering space that seats up to 416, ADA-compliant public restrooms, and additional meeting areas for ministries. It also creates a revenue-generating event space, an outdoor kitchen and patio, and a more prominent Catholic gift shop. The campaign has established a building maintenance and restoration endowment. A dedication wall in the new Parish Hall will honor all donors.
The leadership team for the campaign included Campaign Chairman Carlos Coll, Stewardship Committee leader Don Rodrigues, Communications Committee leader Greg Hladik, Building Committee leader Greg Winston, and Events Committee leaders Mary Jo Miller and Julie Cosby. Approximately $600,000 remains to be raised, with 905 of the parish's 3,800 families having contributed to date. The campaign prayer, written for the project, asks the Lord to guide the parish as it expands its campus, inspire generosity in the congregation, and create a place where all are welcomed, cared for, and loved.
St. Vincent de Paul and the Food Pantry
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Conference at St. Jude is led by Conference President Lora Logan. In the 2023 to 2024 fiscal year, the SVdP Financial Assistance program served 199 families (616 individuals) with rent, utilities, and other essential needs, while the St. Jude Food Pantry distributed food supplies to 3,598 families (15,376 individuals). In November, 70 families also received Thanksgiving food boxes. During the school year, the pantry partnered with Common Ground's Backpack Program to provide weekend meals for 40 designated Mansfield ISD students, and during the summer it provided 512 bags of food, each containing seven to eight meals, to MISD students through the Feed the Kids program.
The St. Jude Food Pantry is open from 9:00 to 11:00 AM on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The SVdP Help Line (817-595-6511) serves St. Jude parishioners and residents of the 76063 ZIP code. Volunteers are needed to distribute food, drive pickup trucks to the Tarrant Area Food Bank in Fort Worth, conduct home visits in pairs, and assist with the backpack and summer food programs.
Other outreach ministries at the parish include the Gabriel Project, which supports expectant mothers; the Giving Tree, which provides Christmas gifts to families in need; Grief Share; the Faith Community Nursing Ministry; Hospital and Homebound Outreach; and the Prison Outreach ministry led by Gary Marcucci. ESL classes are offered for adults in the surrounding community.
Music, Altar Servers, and Liturgical Arts
The Music Ministry, under Gabriella Fresquez, is the heart of the parish's sung prayer. Adult and teen choir members, cantors, and instrumentalists (piano, guitar, drums, strings, winds) are welcome. The English choir rehearses on Thursdays from 7:00 to 8:30 PM; the Spanish choir rehearses on Wednesdays from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. Each weekend Mass is paired with a warmup time before the liturgy: Saturday 5:00 PM (English, 4:00 PM warmup), Saturday 7:00 PM (Spanish, 6:00 PM warmup), Sunday 7:30 AM (English, 7:00 AM warmup), Sunday 10:00 AM (English, 9:00 AM warmup), Sunday 1:00 PM (Spanish, 12:00 PM warmup), and Sunday 5:00 PM (English, 4:00 PM warmup).
The Altar Server ministry invites all children of the parish from third grade through twelfth grade to take part. Servers must have made their First Communion, attend training, and attend CCD regularly. The English-language coordinator is Chichi Akpan; the Spanish-language coordinator is Estela Olvera. Cyndi Bracetti serves as Director of Liturgical Ministry and Sacristan coordinator, overseeing all liturgical ministries of the parish.
The Sacristan Ministry, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, the Ornamentation of Sacred Space team (which dresses the church for the seasons), the Proclaimers (lectors), and the Audio/Visual team round out the liturgical life of the parish. The Catholic Women's Organization keeps a Traveling Mary statue that circulates among parish homes, and the parish's annual Fall Festival brings the wider Mansfield community onto the grounds each autumn.
The People Who Walk the Halls
Father Daniel Kelley has been pastor of St. Jude since 2021. A native of Dallas, Texas, the son of Catholic converts, and a Bishop Lynch High School graduate, he served in the U.S. Air Force before entering the seminary for the Diocese of Fort Worth. He earned his undergraduate degree from the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, in 1990, and his Master of Divinity from Assumption Seminary and the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio in 1995. He was ordained on December 9, 1995, by Bishop Joseph P. Delaney, and has since served in parishes in North Richland Hills, Denton, Clifton, Morgan, Fort Worth, and Arlington. He also served as Chancellor of the Diocese of Fort Worth.
Father Norbert Alfred Mukabwa, SAC, serves as Parochial Vicar. A Catholic missionary priest born in western Kenya, he was raised in a close-knit Catholic family of seven children and joined St. Jude after his missionary assignment.
Three deacons assist at the parish. Deacon Jose Aragon was born in Mexico and raised in El Paso from early childhood, and was ordained for the Diocese of Fort Worth on September 26, 2009. Deacon Kelly Canelo was ordained a deacon on January 13, 2007, in the Diocese of Fresno, California, and moved to Mansfield with his wife, Liz, and family after a career as a steel fabricator. Deacon Joel Rodriguez rounds out the diaconate.
The lay staff includes Jennifer Boyer (Adult Faith Formation), Gabriella Fresquez (Liturgical Music), Cyndi Bracetti (Liturgical Ministry), Mariana Loarca (Elementary Faith Formation), Jasmine Rodriguez (Teen Faith Formation), Delayne Fierro (Youth Minister), and Zory Rodriguez (Spanish OCIA and Marriage). Sister Inés Díaz, SSMN, serves as the Hispanic Coordinator. Ed Haidusek oversees Calvary Cemetery, which is the parish's own burial ground. The parish also has a Knights of Columbus Council (No. 7736), a Catholic Women's Organization, a finance council chaired by Don Rodrigues, and a pastoral council chaired by Rick Franceschi.
Welcoming Newcomers
St. Jude's parish mission is to share the message of Jesus Christ with the parish and the surrounding community, empowering them to carry that message into the world. The parish office is open Monday from 1:00 to 5:00 PM, Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Sunday from 8:00 AM to 12:30 PM. The parish is closed on Saturday. The parish office phone is 817-473-6709, and the SVdP Help Line is 817-595-6511. Online giving, Mass intentions, and sacramental record requests are all handled through the office or its online portal. A myParish app for iOS and Android carries the bulletin, calendar, and announcements, and the parish also partners with Hallow, the Catholic prayer app, with subscription discounts available to parishioners.
St. Jude began with six families praying in a private home. It now worships in two principal languages across seven weekend Masses, runs more than fifty ministries, broadcasts on its own radio station, and serves the wider Mansfield community through its food pantry, faith formation, and sacramental life. The mission remains: to share the message of Jesus Christ and to carry that message into the world.