All are invited to join Bishop Gregory Parkes for Mass on Friday, September 12th at 11 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle for the annual celebration to renew the memory of the day the Cathedral was dedicated as the “mother church” of the Diocese of Saint Petersburg, a sacred space where people come to worship God and gather as a spiritual family.  Participants will give thanks to God for the Cathedral, a monument to God’s glory and the unity of all peoples.

Originally a parish, St. Jude was elevated to a cathedral when the Diocese of Saint Petersburg was established in 1968. It was formally dedicated on September 12. 2013, following a 15-month renovation that included the addition of a new, permanent marble altar and an expansion of more then 7,000 square feet.

The Cathedral is a spiritual home to Catholics from all five counties of the Diocese, as many large celebrations are held there, including the Chrism Mass, the Rite of Election, and ordination Masses. The Cathedral has been designated a Place of Pilgrimage for the Jubilee Year of Hope. Thousands of pilgrims have already visited the Cathedral this year finding hope in the love and mercy of Jesus Christ.

The word cathedra means chair, a reference to the bishop’s chair, a symbol of his authority to teach, govern, and sanctify the local Church entrusted to him.  The cathedra makes the cathedral the physical and spiritual center of unity and communion for the diocesan presbyterate (the body of priests) and for all the holy People of God.

In 2025, the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle is also celebrating 75 years since it was established by Archbishop Joseph Hurley on December 12, 1950. Bishop Parkes will celebrate the 75th Anniversary Mass on Sunday, October 19th at 11:30 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle.