
Saint Jude is pleased to announce the start of construction for our new parish rectory. You may have seen activity as site prep work began earlier this week.
Our current parish rectory, home to our priests, seminarians, and visiting clergy, was built in the early 1960s. For many years, we have made every effort to address various maintenance issues of this aging house, including serious mold and water damage. Several years ago, as our offertory allowed, we began setting aside funds to someday allow for the construction of a new rectory. With the development of the campus-wide master plan, that day is now here.
Our new rectory site, recently purchased, is just across the street on Spalding Drive – the lot on the corner of the 4-way stop.
The eventual removal next year of the old rectory will allow us to begin our multi-phase campus renewal plan. As we are a landlocked campus, freeing up this space provides the land for our new Parish Life Center. This new building is designed to be an active focal point for daily use by the church, school, preschool and ministries, and organizations.
As a residence for priests who are non-related individuals, a parish rectory is designed much differently than a single-family home. Our new rectory will accommodate four priest rooms (bedroom and den), a chapel, and two guest rooms to allow for visiting clergy such as mission speakers, a seminarian, or a potential retired priest who can provide sacramental assistance to our church and schools. The total cost is $2.2 million, which includes the purchase of land, all permitting, construction costs, landscaping, and furnishings. Again, these funds are already in place and not a part of our upcoming capital campaign. We anticipate construction will be complete by next summer. We will keep you updated as the work progresses.
