Catholic Church Times

Saint Jude Thaddeus

Apostle

Feast Day
October 28
Born
Galilee

Saint Jude — also called Thaddeus, and in the Gospels 'Judas, the son (or brother) of James' — was one of the Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus. He is traditionally identified as the author of the Epistle of Jude in the New Testament, a short letter urging Christians to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints. He is not to be confused with Judas Iscariot, who betrayed the Lord.

According to ancient tradition, after Pentecost Jude preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Mesopotamia, and Persia, often together with the Apostle Simon, with whom he is said to have been martyred. For this reason the Church celebrates their feast together on 28 October.

Devotion to Saint Jude as the patron of desperate, hopeless, and impossible causes grew over the centuries. One traditional explanation is that, because his name so closely resembled that of Judas the betrayer, the faithful long hesitated to invoke him — so that he became the saint turned to only when every other recourse had failed, and thus a powerful intercessor for the most desperate situations.

His relics are venerated in Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, and shrines and novenas dedicated to him remain among the most popular in the Catholic world.

Saint Jude Thaddeus is the patron of desperate, hopeless, and impossible causes, and one of the most widely invoked of all the apostles. Catholics facing situations that seem beyond help — serious illness, financial ruin, broken relationships, or crises of faith — turn to him with great confidence, often through the traditional Saint Jude novena.

Patronages

desperate cases · hopeless causes · lost causes · impossible situations · hospitals

Catholic Churches Named After Saint Jude Thaddeus

20 parishes on Catholic Church Times share Saint Jude Thaddeus's name. Find their Mass times, confession schedules, and adoration hours:

Sources

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