Pastors of Saint Jude Parish, 1929 – Present
Father Jake Runyon – Eighth Pastor, 2013 – presentHello St. Jude, I’m Father Jake Runyon, and I am excited and humbled to be assigned as your new pastor. I am the oldest of 11 children. I was born and raised in the Fort Wayne area. In fact, I was baptized at St. Jude parish, so this is like a homecoming. I grew up in the parish of St. Louis Besancon just east of New Haven. I went to Heritage High School. After high school, I was a manager at Wendy’s in Decatur for a couple of years. I then worked at my uncle’s paintball gun company called Tippmann Pneumatics (yes I’m one of the Tippmann family). Several years ago now, my brother-in-law asked me to be his baptismal sponsor for the RCIA program. As a result of going to the classes every week with him, I started wondering about my life’s vocation. The more I thought and prayed about what God wanted me to do, the more I thought I should become a priest. I finally ended up talking to the diocese and Bishop D’Arcy, and I entered the seminary in 2001. I spent 2 years in Boston, 2 years in Minnesota, and 4 years in Columbus OH. I was ordained a priest on October 31, 2009. For the past 4 years I have been the associate pastor at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in South Bend and the chaplain of Marian High School in Mishawaka. This will be my first experience being a pastor, so I hope you are patient with me. But, I cannot tell you how excited I was to hear the Bishop say he wanted to send me to St. Jude. During my seminary years, I spent many hours in the adoration chapel with Ed Dahm. I attended many of the 6:15 masses before work. I would often make use of the sacrament of confession at St. Jude as well. All of these things made me who I am today. How blessed I am to be returning to a spiritual home. I know many people will want to know about my likes and interests. I play guitar (electric and acoustic, Van Halen, Dave Matthews Band, stuff like that). I love to play golf, ride my bike, play basketball and racquetball. I look forward to spending more time with my family, now that I will be closer. I like to cook and eat. But most of all, I’m a follower of Jesus. I think time spent hearing confessions, saying Mass, teaching, and all the other duties of the priesthood are the most important activities in my life. Fr. Bob and I have been friends for years, so I’m looking forward to working with him. Also, as a seminarian and priest, I have always looked up to the amazing example of Fr. Tom. I want to thank him for all his help and guidance over the years. I look forward to seeing you all in the first week of August. I’m writing to you from Washington D.C. Bishop Rhoades has asked me to pursue a degree in canon law. So, for 2 more years I will have to be in Washington during the months of June and July studying canon law. I’m looking forward to returning to Indiana, and settling into my new home at St. Jude. God bless you all, Father Jake |
Father Thomas Shoemaker – Seventh Pastor, 2001 – 2013
At age 27, I began to question the direction of my life and wondered if God might have other plans for me. After some time spent in prayer and talking to others, I decided to enter the seminary and see if God might be calling me to priesthood. I attended St. John’s Seminary in Boston, where I became convinced that priesthood was part of God’s plan for me. After four more years of study and a year as a deacon, I was ordained a priest in November of 1990. My first assignment was St. Matthew Cathedral in South Bend. There I spent 8 years, most of that time serving with Bishop Sheets, our auxiliary bishop. In 1998, I was made a pastor at Saint Henry’s in Fort Wayne. Three months later, I was asked to also serve as a pastor at Sacred Heart in Fort Wayne. For the past three years I have been honored to be a part of those parishes and their school, Benoit Academy. In July, 2001, I began my assignment at St. Jude’s. This is the largest parish I have known, and I follow a very gifted pastor here. Despite the challenges, I am excited about the friendliness and great organization I have found here and, more importantly, the beautiful spirit of prayer and service. |
Father William Schooler – Sixth Pastor, 1988 – 2001
Previous assignments include: In July 1988, Father Schooler was appointed the sixth Pastor of Saint Jude, succeeding Father Pfister.In July 2001, Father Schooler was appointed the Pastor of St. Pius X, Granger, Indiana. |
Father John Pfister – Fifth Pastor, 1980 – 1988
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Father Donald Isenbarger – Fourth Pastor, 1978 – 1980
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Monsignor William J. Lester – Third Pastor, 1970 – 1978
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Monsignor Charles F. Girardot – Second Pastor, 1946 – 1970
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Monsignor John A. Dapp – First Pastor, 1929 – 1946
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