At the request of
Father Leonard Callahan, O.P., Fourth Provincial of
the Province of The Holy Name, Father William Thomas
Lewis, O.P., began the Shrine devotion in October
1935. Father Thomas McElhatton, O.P., in 1953, moved
the actual shrine from the entrance to Our Lady's
Chapel to its present site. Mrs. James C. Jackman
purchased the statue of St. Jude under Father T. Wm.
Lewis and later Rose and Marcia King donated the
marble altar upon which the statue of St. Jude rests.
The windows were given by the Shipstads and Johnson
Ice Follies in memory of Father Louis Clark. The
present altar of Sacrifice, facing the people, was
donated by Mrs. Charles Harney.
Under the
Provincialate of Father Joseph Fulton, O.P., Father
Patrick D. Kane, O.P., P.G., was appointed director.
Through his initiative, the Shrine expanded rapidly,
and due to his foresight, it is what it is today.
The Shrine of
Saint Jude is a form of preaching through the mail.
This type of preaching has been very much neglected.
The Shrine office sends out letters initially to
names which have been submitted by the devotees of
Saint Jude. The letter which is sent out takes under
consideration some existing problem or need of the
day, and requests those receiving this letter join
with the Dominican Fathers in offering a Novena of
Prayer for this particular cause. Prepaid replies
received at the office clearly indicate a deep and a
growing interest in devotion to Saint Jude.
Once contact is
established, many of these people correspond
regularly, or at least frequently, with the Shrine
office. Most of their requests can be handled by the
office staff. Letters of a personal nature indicating
a family or a moral problem, or from people who state
that they do not want to approach a Priest
personally, or ring the doorbell of the Priest's
residence, are directly handled and answered by the
Priest Director.
