“Each of the
Twelve is depicted at the base, carved in marble.” -Fr.
James Hudgins, Pastor,
St. Jude Catholic Church
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 12, 2018
FREDERICKSBURG, Va.
– After fifteen years of planning, the new St. Jude Catholic Church on
Lee Hill School Drive in Fredericksburg is ready for worship. The Most Reverend
Michael F. Burbidge, Bishop of Arlington, will celebrate the Rite Dedication on
Saturday, July 14.
Details
When: Saturday, July 14, 5 p.m.
Where: St. Jude Catholic Church, 3501 Lee Hill
School Drive, Fredericksburg
After many years of prayer, sacrifice, and hard work, Fr.
James Hudgins, Pastor of St. Jude, is thrilled with the new building. He says countless
hundreds of people
have sacrificed their time and savings to bring St. Jude from dream to reality.
“Above all
else, I am deeply grateful. For fifteen years, the people of St Jude have
prayed, worked, and sacrificed to make this church a reality. I’m grateful to
our parishioners for their patience, perseverance, and generosity, and I am
grateful to God for his ceaseless care and providence.”
Architecture
and Relics
St.
Jude Church was designed in a cruciform, or cross shape, following the ancient
practice of associating the floorplan of church buildings with the Body of
Christ on the Cross.
The architecture demonstrates principles of design that
convey the sanctity of the Catholic rites, helping us build our spiritual
relationship with God, our sense of community with our fellow Christians, and
the feeling of sacredness. The building is imbued with symbolism from its
grandest to most minute architectural details.
Four indoor statues depicting Jesus, Mary, St. Joseph, and
St. Jude were hand-carved by master craftsmen in Austria. They are carved in lindenwood,
full round, and antiqued with traditional colors and gilded accents.
“Our altar was designed to house the relics of the Twelve
Apostles,” says Fr. Hudgins. “Each of the Twelve is depicted at the base,
carved in marble,” he says. The cloistered sisters of the Church of Santa Lucia
in Selci, who have the honor of caring for and distributing relics for the
Diocese of Rome, have entrusted to St. Jude Church the sacred relic containing
a sample of the bones of each of the twelve apostles. It will be visible to
everyone through a small window in the rear of the altar.
Apostles within the relic at the altar
• Saint Peter
• Saint Jude Thaddeus
• Saint John
• Saint Matthew
• Saint Philip
• Saint Thomas
• Saint James, Son of Zebedee
• Saint James the Less
• Saint Andrew
• Saint Bartholomew
• Saint Simon
•
Saint Matthias (in place of Judas Iscariot)
The drawing below is the altar. Behind the image of Jesus
depicted in this drawing is a window with a shelf where the relics will be
stored for anyone to see. The media may
photograph the relics after the dedication Mass. The relics will be stored
in this box on the back side of the altar.
The
architect for this project is James O’Brien of O’Brien and Keane Architecture.
This award-winning firm is based in Arlington, VA and is prominently known for
its timeless and traditional designs woven into many churches, schools, and
sacred spaces through the Commonwealth.
For
more information about the new church, e.g., crucifix, statutes, rose window,
the cornerstone, stations of the cross, etc., see the dedication ceremony program
attached.
History
The
following is a chronology of notable dates in the history of the parish of St.
Jude Catholic Church:
2003: Most Reverend Paul S.
Loverde, Bishop of Arlington, forms St. Jude as a mission of the St. Mary of
the Immaculate Conception; Fr. David Martin is Parochial Administrator.
September,
2003: The first Mass is held
in Covenant Funeral Home
November,
2003: St. Jude moves to 10800B Courthouse Road
2005: The Diocese of Arlington
purchases 25 acres of land, with a portion designated for the building of St.
Jude Church
Fall, 2010: Fundraising begins for new church
December,
2010: St. Jude moves to 10725 Courthouse Road
June, 2011: Bishop Loverde names Reverend James Hudgins Pastor
of St. Jude
October 9,
2016: Official groundbreaking ceremony
July 14, 2018: Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge, Bishop of Arlington,
dedicates the new St. Jude Church
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