St. Jude church was established in 1943 in the northeast corner of Elyria with Fr. John A. Carrabine as its first pastor.  In 1948 a 21-acre site on Poplar Street was chosen as the parish center.  The combination of a church and school became a reality in 1951.

The original church and school consisted of six classrooms.  The fist graduating class consisted of 11 boys and nine girls who graduated in June of 1951.  By the time of Fr. Carrabine's death in 1957, the school had grown to 540 students, 10 classrooms and teachers and a convent for the Sisters of Notre Dame who taught in the school.