October 28 + Saint Jude and Saint Simon

Saints Jude and Simon are commemorated together in the Roman liturgy because, according to tradition, they were martyred together.

Simon was called both Zelotes and the Cananean, both of which which mean “the Zealous,” for the zeal with which he adhered to Jewish law before becoming Our Lord’s apostle. After Pentecost, Simon preached to the Egyptians and was later martyred with Jude in Persia. He was martyred by being cut in half with a saw, a tool he is often depicted with.

Jude, also called Thaddeus, was the brother of Saint James the Less and the author of one of the epistles in Holy Scripture. Tradition holds that after the Ascension, Jude went to Edessa, where he cured the king and established the Church there. He preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Idumea, Syria, Mesopotamia and Libya. According to Eusebius, he returned to Jerusalem in the year 62 and assisted at the election of his brother, Saint Simeon, as Bishop of Jerusalem.

Once during Simon and Jude’s travels together, a group of idolatrous priests brought them to the king to be condemned. The priests set serpents upon the apostles but, to their surprise, the serpents would not harm the apostles and instead, turned on the pagan priests.

Jude was beaten to death with a club, then beheaded post-mortem in Persia. His relics reside in Saint Peter's in Rome, and in Rheims and Toulouse, France.

Jude is invoked in desperate situations because his New Testament letter stresses that the faithful should persevere in the environment of harsh, difficult circumstances, just as their forefathers had done before them. Therefore, he is the Patron Saint of desperate situations, forgotten causes, hospital workers, hospitals, impossible and lost causes.

PRAYER TO SAINT JUDE

Saint Jude, glorious Apostle, faithful servant and beloved friend of Jesus, the name of the traitor has caused you to be forgotten by many, but the Church honors and invokes you universally as the patron of difficult and desperate cases. Pray for me who am so miserable. I implore you to make use of that particular privilege accorded to you by God to bring visible and speedy help where help was 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 bless God with you and all the elect throughout all eternity. I promise you, o blessed Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor, and I will never cease to honor you as my special and powerful patron and do all in my power to encourage devotion to you. Saint Jude, pray for us and all who honor and invoke thy aid.

Say the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be three times.

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See the Saint Jude Collection