Dominican Shrine of St. Jude Welcomes New Shrine Director

The Dominican Province of St. Albert the Great, USA is pleased to announce Fr. Mike Ford, OP, is the new Spiritual Director of the Dominican Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus located within the Chicago parish of St. Pius V beginning July 1, 2021. Fr. Mike is replacing Fr. Patrick Tobin, OP, who has served the Shrine in the same capacity since July 1, 2018.  Fr. Patrick is moving on to serve as the parochial vicar of St. Dominic Parish in Denver, Colorado where Fr. Luke Barder, OP, serves as pastor. 

This new assignment is a homecoming of sorts for Fr. Mike since he previously served as the Spiritual Director of the Shrine from 2013 to 2018.  Fr. Mike is looking forward to rekindling his relationships with all the wonderful supporters of the St. Jude ministries he met during his first tenure at the Shrine, getting to know all the new friends of the Shrine, and developing new relationships with parishes and groups all over the country. 

Fr. Mike entered the Dominican Order aka the Order of Preachers as a novice in 2003, was solemnly professed 2009, and ordained a priest in 2010.  He has served as a parochial vicar at St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center at Purdue University for four years, as the Spiritual Director of the Dominican Shrine of St. Jude in Chicago for five years from 2013 to 2018, as a parochial vicar at St. Vincent Ferrer Parish in River Forest for a year, and as parochial vicar at the St. Thomas More Newman Center at the University of Missouri for a year. We are happy to announce that he has returned to the Shrine of St. Jude in Chicago as of June 1, 2021.   

Fr. Patrick also entered the Dominican Order as a novice in 2003 as a classmate of Fr. Mike. Upon his ordination in 2010, Fr. Patrick served two years as parochial vicar at the St. Thomas More Newman Center at the University of Missouri (2010-2012) followed by six years at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota in the dual capacity of a priest in the Office for Campus Ministry and an adjunct instructor of the Department of Chemistry (2012-2018). 

Although the COVID situation remains dynamic throughout the United States and the world, many areas in the United States have opened up and lifted their Covid safety requirements. Combined with the lifting of travel restrictions, this means that the Shrine may resume its missionary impulse to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ following the example of its patron and Apostle St. Jude Thaddeus. Devotion to St. Jude, long known to be the special refuge and help of those who are desperate and experiencing impossible situations, also encourages the practice of intercessory prayer or prayer on behalf of others.  In addition to promoting devotion to St. Jude and intercessory prayer, the Dominican Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus is unique among all other shrines in possessing the largest relic of St. Jude located outside of the Vatican. 

Interested in having Fr. Mike and the Arm Relic of St. Jude visit your Parish or organization? Please contact us at the Dominican Shrine of St. Jude in Chicago at The-Shrine.org for more information!