Fr. Michail P. Ford, O.P. has served as the Director of the Dominican Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus on two separate occasions; from 2013 to 2018, and again since July of 2021 to the present. In addition to the Shrine’s weekly novena schedule and attention to the hundreds of prayers requests received monthly, Fr. Mike travels all over the United States teaching about Catholic devotions. His topics include veneration of relics and novenas. He has done presentations at parishes, universities, high schools, and numerous grade schools raising awareness of this wonderful and often overlooked part of our Catholic heritage. He also presents subjects ranging from general spirituality to more focused topics such as Dominican spirituality.
Ordained a priest in 2010, Fr. Ford has served the Aquinas Newman Center (Purdue University), St. Thomas More Newman Center (University of Missouri) and St. Vincent Ferrer Parish in River Forest, IL. He earned an MA in theology with concentrations on spirituality and Thomistic studies and a MDiv from our Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis in 2010. Prior to entering the Dominican Order, Fr. Mike enjoyed a successful 10-year career as a corporate training manager after earning a B.S.B.A. in management from the University of Central Missouri in 1992.
Gracie Alfaro has served patrons of the Shrine since 1990 and has undertaken just about every aspect of Shrine operation over the years. A local resident and bilingual, Gracie provides the kind voice at the other end of the phone when members call the Shrine office, processing the many requests for prayers, perpetual enrollments, masses, and St. Jude oil which the Shrine receives each day.
As a ministry of the Dominican Province of St. Albert the Great, the staff of the Dominican Shrine of St. Jude works in concert with several persons in the Province Office of Mission Advancement (OMA) as well as the Province Business Office. The Office of Mission Advancement includes Ms. Liz Leon, Ms. Linda Manering, and Fr. Andrew Carl Wisdom, O.P., all under the direction of Mr. Bob Dixon, Executive Director. The Shrine and OMA personnel have well over one hundred years of experience serving Dominicans ministries; over fifty years at the Dominican Shrine of St. Jude.