St. Jude giving hope, healing to the masses during Advent
This Advent season, thousands of Catholics are gathering hope through a relic of the saint of hopeless causes.
The relic — a bone from the arm of St. Jude, one of the most popular saints — is on tour at six parishes within the Archdiocese of Newark as part of the relic’s first U.S. tour. As of Dec. 12, the ancient bone, encased in a centuries-old wooden vessel carved in the form of an arm bestowing a blessing, has been venerated at the Church of the Assumption in Emerson, St. Joseph Church in Oradell, St. Helen Church in Westfield, St. Leo’s Church in Elmwood Park, and St. Stephen’s Church in Kearny.
All who are suffering or know someone experiencing challenges are especially encouraged to pray before the relic because St. Jude is associated with healing and other miracles. Over the last two weeks, thousands spent up to an hour in line to venerate the relic, pressing medals, rosaries, prayer cards, or photos of loved ones up to the glass. Pressing an object to the glass of a first-class relic makes that item a third-class relic and holding up a picture of a loved one against the glass symbolically entrusts them to the saint’s care.
The relic will be at Our Lady of the Lake Church in Verona on Dec. 18.
“Not only do we have an apostle here, but we also have family of Jesus Christ,” said Father Carlos Martins, director of Treasures of the Church, which has brought the bone to parishes in Chicago, New York City, and New Jersey.
Jude’s father Cleopas married Mary of Cleopas, sister of the Virgin Mary, which made the apostle and Jesus first cousins.
Father Martins said he has witnessed many miracles related to the relic. One was a man cured of cancer. Another was a newborn with pneumonia who was sent home 30 hours after Father Martins and the priest who baptized him prayed to St. Jude for his recovery.
Treasures of the Church, a Michigan-based ministry that partners with the Vatican to make relics accessible to Catholics worldwide, facilitated the bone’s trip to the U.S. The Holy See specifically asked Treasures of the Church to provide the St. Jude relic for its latest exposition, aiming to bring healing to those still struggling in the aftermath of COVID-19.
Becoming our favorite saint
St. Jude was not always as popular as he is today. Of the 7,000 official saints, people were reluctant to pray to him concerned their prayers would reach Judas instead. After prayers to other saints went unanswered, Jude was invoked as a last resort. Those prayers were answered, however.
People began praying a nine-day novena to Jude and it became common to then print a classifieds advert thanking St. Jude and reprinting the prayer for others in need.
Today statues of St. Jude are placed at churches, hospitals, and missionaries around the world giving hope to those suffering from adversity, affliction, and anxiety.
“St. Jude is special to many Catholics because he’s the Apostle of the Impossible — people turn to him when they most need help,” said Father Joe Mancini, pastor of St. Stephen’s Church in Kearny.
Following Christ’s crucifixion, Jude preached the gospel throughout Mesopotamia until his martyrdom in approximately 65 A.D.
The most reliable ancient records identify the place of Saint Jude’s martyrdom and burial to be the city of Beirut. Sometime later, his body was transferred to Rome and placed in a crypt within the original Saint Peter’s Basilica, completed by the Emperor Constantine (in 333 AD). Today, his remains are in the left transept of the current Basilica (completed in 1626), below the main altar of Saint Joseph, within a tomb also holding the remains of the Apostle Simon. This resting place has become a popular destination for pilgrims who have a devotion to the Apostle of the Impossible.
The reliquary
“But not everyone can travel to Europe to venerate his relics in person, so it’s exciting that his arm bone is visiting the Archdiocese. This is a great opportunity for local Catholics to come together and grow in their faith,” Father Mancini said.
The arm of the saint, which is making its way across North America as part of this tour, was separated from the greater portion of his remains several centuries ago and placed in the wooden reliquary carved in the shape of an upright arm.
The reliquary was last opened during the time of Cardinal Francesco Marchetti Selvaggiani, who served as Vicar General of His Holiness (Vicar General for the Archdiocese of Rome) from 1931-1951. His seals enclose it, ensuring provenance and authenticity.
Today, St. Jude is considered one of the Catholic Church’s most beloved saints, with numerous shrines and churches dedicated to him around the world. He is particularly popular among Americans due in part to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, which was created by actor Danny Thomas in gratitude for an intercession St. Jude made in his own life.
“For 2,000 years, one saint has symbolized the unstoppable power of heavenly intercession,” Father Martins said.
Father Paul A. Cannariato, pastor of the Church of the Assumption, the first church in New Jersey to have the relic, encouraged everyone in the Archdiocese to pray before it while it’s still in New Jersey.
“St. Jude is a very powerful intercessor. If they go in faith, hope, and love, and if they truly open their hearts and ask St. Jude to help them, I believe that he will.”
