St. Jude is a figure from the New Testament, he was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus of Nazareth, and is traditionally called Jude Thaddaeus. He's traditionally regarded as the Patron Saint of those without Hope, and the Patron Saint of the Impossible. His feast day is October 28th.
A story to explain this devotion is that because his name his similar to Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus, people would avoid praying to St. Jude so as to not confuse the two figures from the Bible. Because he was ignored the Saint was eager to help anyone who prayed to him, even those who were in the most impossible situations.
Although I haven't really written much about this, St. Jude is a Saint that I have an extremely deep connection with and a fairly long history.
When I was 16 years old and starting to become more interested in Spiritualism and was also starting to read and research more about Folk Catholicism as a way to learn more about my family's traditions.
One day I was in a used bookstore looking at spiritual books, I opened an old tattered Bible and a prayer card literally jumped out of the book at me. It was a fairly new prayer card for such an old book, and it was a St. Jude prayer card with a prayer to him on the back. I kept the card and put the Bible back on the shelf.
At the time I had no idea who St. Jude was but I remember feeling that this was some kind of sign, even if I wasn't exactly sure of what. I started praying reading more about St. Jude, and also praying to him regularly. I eventually started wearing a small bracelet with his picture on it pretty much constantly, and after a conversation with my grandma, eventually was given a statue of St. Jude as a gift that I put on an altar I had in my room.
All of this cumulated in one day going on an errand and seeing a statue of St. Jude and Our Lady of Guadalupe in a store window one summer afternoon. I walked into the first Botanica that I had ever visited, and that event would pretty much set the entire direction that my life would take from that day onward.
Years later after moving to back to Rochester, NY I went to my grandma's house only to discover that there had been a St. Jude statue on the shelf that overlooked the bed I slept in as a child when I stayed with my grandparents. I'd seen that statue on that shelf my entire life, but I never really gave it much of a thought. He'd apparently known about me much longer than I even knew about him.
So I suppose I just wanted to write this as a tribute in honor of St. Jude, who has always been there with me by my side.
St. Jude Prayer
Most holy Apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally, as the patron of difficult cases, of things almost despaired of, Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone.
Intercede with God for me that He bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly
-(make your request here)-
and that I may praise God with you and all the saints forever. I promise, O Blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor granted me by God and to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you.
St. Jude, Hope of the Hopeless, pray for me.
Amen
