The parish commemorated its diamond anniversary with a year-long celebration

On a day not unlike the morning of St. Jude Catholic Church's first Mass, hundreds of parishioners gathered Dec. 20 to celebrate the church's 75th anniversary.

From that first Mass held on Christmas morning in 1934 in a small, one-story frame house on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Cedar Road in New Lenox to a Catholic community of 4,000-plus families, St. Jude's has seen many changes.

Since 1934, the parish has been located in four different buildings, has had twelve pastors, dozens of priests, brothers and deacons to serve the needs of the ever-increasing number of families.

St. Jude has a rich history that dates back prior to the village's incorporation. The parish commemorated its diamond anniversary with a year-long celebration that began in January and culminated with the special Mass. Dec. 20 also marked the Rev. Don Lewandowski's 40th anniversary in the priesthood and Bishop James Peter Sartain of the Diocese of Joliet led the service.

Bishop James Peter Sartain of the Diocese of Joliet leads Mass Dec. 20 at St. Jude Catholic Church in New Lenox. The special service marked the end of St. Jude’s year-long 75th anniversary celebration. photo: Megan Holba/22nd Century Media.
Lewandowski said he tried to keep his own anniversary quiet so as not to distract people from St. Jude's milestone, but Bishop Sartain did give the priest a special mention at the end of the service.

"It was a great honor," Lewandowski said of having his anniversary recognized with St. Jude's. "It's been 40 years of doing what I want to do — serving the people — and I'm happy to do that."

Lewandowski was ordained in 1969 and has been part of the Diocese of Joliet for more than 20 years. He's been with St. Jude since 2006 and said the work parishioners did to celebrate the parish's 75th year is what deserves recognition.

"We had a group of people who stepped up and I'm very happy for the work they did," Lewandowski said.

A reception was held after Mass in the school gym, and the church organized a multitude of events throughout 2009 to celebrate the anniversary. Among them was a 75th Anniversary Dinner in November which brought nearly 300 parishioners out for an afternoon of reminiscing. The Franciscans who founded St. Jude's, its previous Augustinian priests, as well as those who were instrumental in the life of the parish and school since 1934, were acknowledged during the presentation given by Lewandowski.

Priests and deacons of the Diocese of Joliet gather Dec. 20 at St. Jude Catholic Church in New Lenox for the church’s 75th anniversary ceremony. Front row, left to right: Fr. Chuck Faso, OFM, Fr. Raymond Ryan, OSA, Bishop James Peter Sartain, Fr. Donald Lewandowski, OSA, pastor of St. Jude Parish, Fr. William Lego, OSA, Deacon William Ciston; (back) Fr. Greg Skowron, Fr. Bill Burton, OFM, Fr. Don Bates, OSA, Fr. Michael Slattery, OSA, Deacon Dennis Theriault, Deacon Robert Fitt and Fr. William Sullivan, OSA. photo: Megan Holba/22nd Century Media.
An anniversary picnic was also held in August, and St. Jude participated in New Lenox's annual Loyalty Day Parade in May. Earlier in the year the St. Jude Parent's Club held its dinner dance entitled "Diamonds Are Forever" to honor the anniversary.

A series of three anniversary banners also commemorated the year and were created by parishioners Judy Mudore, Mary Lee Gustafson, Dorothea Hanna and Julie Tillman, along with Fr. Don Bates. The first depicts the St. Jude logo — the outline of four people from the four directions from which parishioners are drawn, all reaching into the heart of Jesus. The number 75 is in the background. A second banner was hung at Easter and tells the story of each parishioners' journey through baptism to the eucharist. The third, revealed on Pentecost Sunday, shows the anniversary theme, "Soaring at 75."

"The priests, deacons, school and parish staff and parishioners of St. Jude look forward to beginning the next 75 years of serving God through serving his people," said Communications Coordinator Marcy Anderson.

A 75th Anniversary prayer was written by Fr. Michael Schweifler, who was an associate pastor at the church and passed away in July.