A group of 20 devout Catholic women, eager to start a Bible study group in Burkburnett in the spring of 1958, set in motion the eventual creation of a new house of God in their community.

The original Saint Boniface Club Members were:

Monsignor Anthony Daly, pastor of Sacred Heart in Wichita Falls, moderated the study group and named it the Saint Boniface Study Club, in honor of an 8^th Century missionary and teacher who brought Christianity to the vast pagan region of Germania in North Central Europe.

The club met regularly at various locations in Burkburnett and established a Confraternity of Christian Doctrine group to provide religious education for children, youth, and adults. With the assistance of chaplains from Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, classes were held in private homes and at the local American Legion hall.
 
Burkburnett’s growing number of faithful eventually became a Catholic community. On October 15, 1965, Monsignor Vincent P. Micola celebrated the first Mass at the Burkburnett Town Hall. Attending the Mass were 350 people, including the mayor and his wife.

Catholics of the new St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic community continued to meet at the town hall over the next three years, and the women of the early study group formed the St. Jude Altar Society. This society also became affiliated with the National Conference of Catholic Women — a federation of several thousand organizations representing millions of Catholic women throughout the United States.

Through many creative fund-raisers, the St. Jude Altar Society helped raise needed money for the construction of a new church. One of those activities, a fall Thanksgiving dinner, continues to this day.
 
With additional funds donated by parishioners, the local community, and the Catholic Church Extension Society, the community had the financial means to build a church.
 
On January 10, 1968, parishioners broke ground for their church the old-fashioned way — by a mule-drawn plow. The event was attended by Catholic clergy, parishioners, members of the community and elected officials.
 
By October 28, 1969, the Feast of St Jude Thaddeus, the completed church was consecrated by Bishop John J. Cassata — shepherd of the new Diocese of Fort Worth, created only a few months earlier. As a gift to the new church, the bishop donated the Stations of the Cross.
 
In June 2023, under the leadership and vision of our pastor, Fr. Joseph Moreno, we added a beautiful Marian shrine to the parish campus, featuring a 6-ft tall statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, crafted from white Italian marble. The shrine incorporates a stone bench for the faithful to pray, and a small plaza on which parishioners can gather. The shrine is lighted at night.

What began in 1958 as a Bible-study group started by a small group of Catholic women has grown into St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church — an active house of worship today for about 150 families, including nearly 200 parishioners in Burkburnett.

Photo by Everett Ivey

• Gerald Savage made our first altar and lectern for the Town Hall.
• First Death/Funeral: JR (Jingle) Hayes (He always said he would be the first.)
• First Wedding: Patricia Simons and David Keith (December 1968)
• First Mass at Burkburnett Town Hall in the fall of 1965.  V.P. Micola – celebrant…full hall.  Honored guest – Mayor and Mrs. Frye and the Brothers of Notre Dame.
• Midnight Mass: 1965 – Town Hall with first organized choir

Generous Donations To Original Parish Plant

• Permian Oil
• Walt and Velma Bohner
• The Catholic Church Extension Society – Wm Lewis Family

Gifts to the Original Church

• Vigil Light: Duffy Family
• Baptismal Font: The Otto Family
• Pews: Saint Pius X Church, Dallas – Msgr. Weinzpafel
• Stations: Bishop Cassatta.  At the dedication the Bishop remarked that we had none, so he sent them.
• Christus: Maude Bohner, in honor of Fred Bohner
• St. Jude Thaddeus Statue: Jacobi Family in honor of Father Bender, life-long pastor at Mt. Carmel.
• Processional Cross: Lena Cools
• Monstrance: Edward and Lillie Simons
• Missal and Stand: Jaromila (Amelia) Slama
• Blessed Virgin Mary Statue: Alden Smith in honor of his grandmother Mary Blanar who was our oldest parishioner at the beginning of the parish.
• St. Joseph Statue: Alden Smith in honor of Sidney Abbot
• Much of the woodwork and finishing by Edward Michna