History of the

Cathedral Parish of St. Jude

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

Lamentations 3:22-23

In the summer of 1996, Fr. Julius Licata, a Roman Catholic Priest that had been away from the RC Church for some time was looking for a way to continue his ministry. He heard about the Old Catholic Church and began to look into this possibility.  He was referred to the North American Old Catholic Church and, after some preliminary check and balances, was accepted.  He immediately began plans to open a parish in Bethlehem, PA. where Fr. Julius resided.  Letters were sent to many of the churches in the area and he heard from a few of them. He was especially moved by a phone call he received from the Pastor of The Church of the Manger, United Church of Christ.  He met with Rev. Sharon Joseph, whom he found to be a wonderful and caring Pastor and someone he would love to work with.  He soon met with Parish Counsel and plans were set to begin the parish the beginning of January 2007 with a 5:30 Mass on Saturday evenings.   As in most cases it took a while to grow but after an article appeared in the local newspaper, the parish was on it's way.  After about a year, the parish had grown and today is made up of about 40 to 50 people.

Fr. Julius took the parish to the Old Catholic Apostolic Church of the Americas and was soon asked by the Founder and Patriarch, Archbishop Ignatius Alexander I, to assume the role of Primate of North America and become bishop.  After some thought and guidance from this saintly man, Fr. Julius accepted and was consecrated Bishop on October 24, 2009 by the laying on of hands of 7 bishops, all with valid apostolic succession. The following year, His Beatitude, Archbishop Ignatius Alexander I, decided to retire and named Archbishop Julius as Patriarch of the Old Catholic Apostolic Church of the Americas. 

Archbishop Julius has continued to serve as Pastor of the Cathedral Parish. Together with the Pastor of the Church of the Manger, Rev. Sharon Harfman, (Rev. Sharon had been widowed and remarried in this time), many shared services have taken place and the parishioners of both parishes enjoy the friendship and discipleship they share. They join in prayer to increase their numbers so that their parishes may continue to grow. 

As Catholics, we encourage all Christians to enhance their own lives by reclaiming our shared heritage and becoming active participants in the building of a future of deep ecumenism and a truly integral spiritual life.

Old Catholicism knows that Catholic Tradition is a living thing, rooted in the revelation of Jesus Christ and growing in the experience of the Church.


We strive to look beyond the sectarian details and seek in a deliberative fashion to understand what it means to be a committed Christian today, grounded in perceiving the Scriptures in the light of the experience of Reason and Apostolic Tradition. It is therefore embracing of the Church as a whole. It holds a vision for a grown-up Christianity, which reconciles genuine faith and commitment with intelligence and experience.


Old Catholicism was born not in Alexandria, Constantinople, or Rome, but out of ancient churches of Caesarea, Glastonbury, and Utrecht.


It was influenced by the great spiritual and transcendental movements of the 19th century, and was infused with greater vigor by the liberation of the Catholic Apostolic Church of Brazil.


Old Catholicism carries forward catholic Christianity's perpetual process of renewal.


Egalitarian, sacramental, and service-oriented in nature, the movement maintains focus and continues the Church's ministry of episkope and historic lineage through an apostolic succession of bishops, which reaches directly back to the apostles of Jesus of Nazareth.


Old Catholicism seeks to bring historical connectivity, creativity, relevance, joy, and an all-embracing awareness to spiritual practice, as a path to healing our hearts and finding balance and wholeness.


Old Catholicism acts to fully include all Christians and to respect all peoples. The movement helps to heal the world by promoting justice, freedom, responsibility, caring for all life and for the Earth that sustains our life.