A Parish Built on a Hopeless Cause
For nearly a century, St. Jude the Apostle Parish has stood on Glenview Avenue in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Permission for the new Catholic congregation was granted on March 1, 1928, after Irish Catholic families asked for a school for their children "without the danger of walking across railroad tracks." Articles of Incorporation for Saint Jude the Apostle Congregation were filed on March 21, 1928. The work seemed a "hopeless cause" to everyone but the founding families, who carried the same courage and vision attributed to the parish's patron, St. Jude, the saint venerated throughout the Church as the advocate of impossible causes.
The parish's mission statement names itself "an active, caring and engaged Catholic community of believers in Christ that promotes growth in faith through fellowship, ministry, education and service to those in need." Pastor Fr. Justin Weber, the ninth pastor in the parish's history, extends the welcome through the verse from Matthew 5:16: "let your light shine before others." The parish's work of prayer, education, evangelization, and service flows from that image.
Mass and the Rhythm of the Week
Weekend Masses begin on Saturday at the 5:00 PM Vigil and continue on Sunday at 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM. Weekday Masses follow a steady pattern: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6:45 AM; Tuesday and Thursday at 8:15 AM; and Saturday at 8:15 AM.
Tuesday evening carries its own devotional rhythm. Confessions are heard from 6:00 to 6:45 PM, and Eucharistic Adoration runs from 6:00 to 6:50 PM, followed by Benediction. The Rosary is prayed after the 8:15 AM Mass on Tuesdays. Saturday brings an opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation after the morning Mass.
The parish office at 734 Glenview Avenue is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM and on Friday from 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM. The parish office number is 414-258-8821.
Becoming Catholic and the Sacramental Life
Adults interested in joining the Catholic Church are invited into the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, a formation process that prepares them for the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and First Holy Communion. OCIA welcomes those never baptized, Christians baptized in another tradition, and baptized Catholics who have not yet received Confirmation and Eucharist. Deanna Muñoz, Director of Faith Formation, is the parish contact.
Infant baptism is celebrated for children under seven with at least one Catholic parent. Parents are asked to contact Deanna Muñoz, watch a formational video on FORMED, and complete an online questionnaire before attending a baptism class. Individuals beyond the age of discretion are normally baptized at the Easter Vigil after a catechumenate tailored to their age. Sponsors must be at least sixteen, practicing Catholics, and have received Baptism, Confirmation, and First Communion.
Marriage preparation at St. Jude normally spans six months or more. Couples meet with Fr. Weber for at least four sessions, complete a FOCCUS inventory, attend a Joy-Filled Marriage retreat (in person at the Schoenstatt Retreat Center in Waukesha or online), and study the In Perfect Union document. The total cost for preparation and the wedding liturgy ranges from $725 to $950, including a $100 stipend to the parish.
Music for weddings is provided by parish Director of Music and Liturgy Mark Konewko, who also helps couples plan the liturgy. Only liturgical music is permitted, and music must be played live. Couples and their wedding party are expected to dress modestly, and the wedding party must include an equal number of men and women paired throughout the liturgy.
Funerals are most often celebrated mid-morning on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and occasionally Wednesdays. Fr. Weber and Mark Konewko help families plan readings, music, and liturgy. Readings are drawn from the USCCB. The funeral planning process is meant to be an aid rather than a burden.
A School Built on Four Pillars
Saint Jude the Apostle School is a 3K through Grade 8 Catholic school serving about 410 students from up to eighteen communities. Catherine LaDien serves as President and Principal, with Mary Ferguson as Assistant Administrator. The school grounds itself in four pillars: faith, service, knowledge, and responsibility.
The school offers an all-day 3K program and a full K4 through Grade 8 program. Core subjects include religion, reading, writing, math, science, social studies, Spanish, physical education, music, art, library, and technology. Each middle school student is issued a Chromebook, and the campus is equipped with iPads, Chromebooks, and SmartBoards throughout the classrooms. All-school liturgies are celebrated on Wednesday mornings at 8:15 AM, and visitors are welcome to attend.
Saint Jude graduates regularly attend the area's top high schools, and many have been named valedictorians and salutatorians at their private high schools. Students participate each year in over twenty local, regional, and national competitions.
Elementary and Middle School Life
In the elementary years, students receive weekly teacher newsletters, study literature-based reading and language arts with phonics, take departmentalized science and social studies, and learn through readiness grouping in math. First graders partner with Grade 5 for weekly liturgies and present an all-school Advent liturgy. Second graders prepare for the Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Eucharist, while supporting the Coats for Kids or Mister Rogers Sweater Drive. Third graders are introduced to cursive writing and the IOWA Basics, and welcome San Camillus residents as pen pals. Fourth graders study Wisconsin in depth, host a Brown Bag Lunch career program with guest speakers, and run a used book drive. Fifth graders take altar-serving training and lead the Second Harvest Food Drive.
Middle School students in Grades 6 through 8 deepen academic rigor with Algebra, Pre-Algebra, General Math, Science, Language Arts, Social Studies, Business Education, Religion, Art, Music, Physical Education, Character Building, and Mindfulness. The middle school program centers on four goals: True Christians who witness the Gospel; Innovative Learners who use digital tools for growth; Goal Setters and Achievers who set and reach goals; and Effective Communicators who bring integrity and compassion to relationships.
Faith Formation from K4 through Confirmation
Faith Formation at St. Jude is a collaborative program that serves St. Jude the Apostle, St. Therese, and St. Vincent Pallotti parishes. The K4 through Grade 6 program uses the We Believe Sadlier Religion Series and follows the National Directory for Catechesis. The parish recognizes parents as the primary educators of their children in faith and offers support to strengthen that role.
Middle school students in Grades 7 and 8 use the Encounter: The Bible Timeline curriculum, meeting twice a month on Sundays from 10:00 to 11:00 AM and attending the 11:00 AM Mass. High school students in Grades 9 and 10 study Venture: The Bible Timeline, also meeting two Sundays a month. Two years of high school Christian formation are required for any young person not enrolled in a Catholic high school before beginning preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Youth Confirmation preparation begins in 11th grade and includes classes, Sunday Mass, a retreat, service projects, and a Candidate Questionnaire completed for the Bishop. Tuition for the 2026-27 catechetical year is $170 for one student, $240 for two, and $325 for three or more. The parish notes that no family is turned away for inability to pay, and financial assistance is available.
Youth Ministry and the Love Begins Here Mission
The parish Youth Ministry guides middle and high school students to "answer the call of personal discipleship, evangelization and leadership." Heather Warner coordinates the ministry, which offers open gym nights, game nights, rosary and ice cream socials for students in Grades 5-8, and other events throughout the year.
Each summer, students are invited to participate in Love Begins Here, a week-long local service mission inspired by the witness of St. (Mother) Teresa of Calcutta. Middle school youth serve at food pantries, paint fences, plant gardens, and gather for ice cream, swimming, prayer, and fellowship with teens from parishes across the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. High school youth participate in a similar mission in West Bend. Missionaries contribute $100 of the $175 (middle school) or $215 (high school) cost, with the balance raised through fundraising. Two preparation sessions are held in the St. Jude Activity Center, and a commissioning Mass is celebrated each June.
Adult Formation
Adults at St. Jude are invited into formation opportunities throughout the year. Recent offerings have included 33 Days to Merciful Love, a do-it-yourself retreat by Fr. Michael Gaitley; Living Joy by Chris Stefanick; Foundations of Faith: A Journey Through the Catechism of the Catholic Church; and Jeff Cavins' The Bible Timeline, offered both at St. Therese Parish in the Chapel and at St. Jude in the Activity Center.
The parish subscribes to FORMED, a Catholic streaming platform with award-winning studies, audio content, movies, e-books, and family programming from the Augustine Institute, Ignatius Press, and other content providers.
Women of St. Jude, Men of St. Jude, and J.O.Y.
The Women of St. Jude is open to all adult women of the parish and hosts events throughout the year. The annual Snowball Dance brings daughters together with fathers, grandfathers, or other male role models for an evening of dinner and dancing. The Women also host an Ash Wednesday morning of reflection, with a recent speaker being Fr. James Pribek, S.J., Acting Vice President for Mission and Ministry at Marquette University, who spoke on St. John Henry Cardinal Newman.
The Men of St. Jude gather for membership meetings, an annual fall cookout, Casino Night in March, and COR, a men's gathering for fraternity, faith, and prayer on the first and third Wednesdays of each month following Mass in the parish rectory. The Men of St. Jude partner with the Knights of Columbus on COR and Casino Night.
J.O.Y. (Just Older Youth) is a collaborative group for empty nesters, active middle-agers, and senior adults who gather on Thursdays for fellowship, education, and service.
Human Concerns and the Thrift Shop
The Human Concerns Committee coordinates St. Jude's outreach to those in need, supporting the Tosa Food Pantry, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, the MACCANNON Brown Homeless Sanctuary, and a twice-yearly blood drive. The committee is grounded in John 13:36: "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
The St. Jude Thrift Shop, located at 822 Glenview Avenue in the lower level of the north parish building, is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. The shop accepts gently used or new clothing, shoes, housewares, jewelry, books, and toys, and welcomes volunteers to serve as cashiers and stockers.
The parish also runs a Food Collection on the first weekend of each month, with collection baskets at the south entrance of the church.
Knights of Columbus and the Pastoral Council
The Knights of Columbus Council 3702 invite men of the parish to grow in faith, brotherhood, and service. The Council works alongside the Men of St. Jude on COR and Casino Night.
The St. Jude Pastoral Council meets ten times per year to advise Fr. Weber and the parish community. The current council is chaired by Andy Schmitt with Julie Barber as Vice-Chair, Steven Gorzek as Trustee-Secretary, and Tom Mullooly as Trustee-Treasurer. Members include Alvaro Garcia-Velez, Peter Benz, Greg Branson, Susie Cabrera, Liesl Larson, Andrew Meindl, Susan Ray, Annie Tower, and Jacob Voss. Meetings are held on Wednesdays from 7:00 to 8:30 PM in the Activity Center and are open to all parishioners.
Worship and Music
The Worship and Music ministry invites parishioners to serve as altar servers, Eucharistic ministers, sacristans, greeters, ushers, lectors, choir members, cantors, and instrumentalists. The Adult Choir, the Lazarus Resurrection Choir, and the Children's Choir provide music for Sunday and seasonal liturgies. The Arts and Environment committee decorates the church throughout the liturgical year.
Giving
St. Jude sustains its ministries through several giving options. Online giving is available through WeShare, and traditional envelopes may be placed in the collection basket during weekend Masses or returned to the parish office. The parish also accepts planned gifts, estate planning, stock or securities, and IRA distributions. Donations to the Purple Envelope Fund support major repairs and capital improvements on the parish campus. The Annual Report recounts the parish's stewardship of time, talent, and treasure each year.
Nearly a century after the founding families took their leap of faith, St. Jude the Apostle Parish continues to be a place of prayer, school, and service in the heart of Wauwatosa.