St. Jude, Glen Dale

St. Jude Parish was established in 1968, but the first Catholic families had settled in Glen Dale nearly one hundred years before. Immigrants, many from eastern Europe, came to work in the local coal mines. The pastor of St. Francis Xavier, Moundsville, started to visit the families at this time. By the late 1950s the community wanted its own parish. The St. Jude Club was formed to raise funds for a church. On September 3, 1968, Bishop Hodges appointed Rev. James Myles pastor. Within two years parishioners had raised enough money for a multipurpose hall to serve as both church and rectory, making what was once labeled “the impossible parish” a reality. The first church was built and dedicated in 1987.