Are you in a desperate situation? The Catholic Powerful Prayers To St. Jude (pictured at left) printed below serve as a reminder that nothing is impossible with God, including help when you’re at your wits’ end.
Given that thankfulness notes to this patron saint of desperate cases emerge in newspapers, praying to him must have some effect!
St. Jude, one of Jesus’ original twelve Apostles, is the Patron Saint of Hope and Impossible Causes.
He proclaimed the Gospel with zeal, often in the most trying of situations. He made a significant influence in people’s lives by offering them the Word of God via the power of the Holy Spirit.
According to the Gospel, St. Jude was a brother of St. James the Less, who was also an Apostle. They are referred to as Jesus’ “brethren” in Matthew’s Gospel, and are most likely cousins. St. Jude is often confused with Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus.
Table of Prayers
In Times of Suffering, Pray to St. Jude
In this trying time, most holy Apostle, St. Jude, devoted servant and friend of Jesus, I entrust myself in your hands.
Please help me to understand that I am not alone.
Please pray for me, asking God to give me comfort for my sorrows, courage for my anxieties, and healing for my pain.
Please ask our loving God to deepen my faith and provide me with the confidence to embrace His Will for my life.
Thank you, St. Jude, for providing hope to everyone who believe in you.
Amen.
Prayer for St. Simon and St. Jude, Apostles and Martyrs’ Feast
O God, Who has brought us to know Thy name through Thy glorious Apostles Simon and Jude, grant that we may celebrate their everlasting glory by advancing in good acts, and that we may advance in good works by celebrating their glory.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
St. Jude’s Prayer for Physical Healing
St. Jude, you observed our Lord Jesus’ healing power.
You witnessed His concern for the sick and dying.
You touched the sick, experienced the sufferings of the bereaved, and cheered the hopeless.
You were given the authority and healing power to perform miracles, cure the incurable, and make people whole.
We beg you to intercede with our brother, Jesus,\sto send His rescuing grace to heal the sickness\sand suffering of __________________,\sto uplift his/her dejected spirit,\sand to infuse hope in his/her heart.
Amen.
St. Jude’s Prayer – Desperate Situations and Hopeless Cases
The Church praises and invokes you globally, most holy Apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and companion of Jesus, as the patron of difficult cases, of things almost hopeless. Please pray for me since I am helpless and alone.
Intercede with God for me, that He provide visible and timely help where help is practically impossible to come by. Come to my aid in this tremendous need so that I may enjoy the comfort and help of heaven in all my requirements, sorrows, and sufferings, especially –
(Please enter your desire here)
– and that I may forever worship God alongside you and all the saints. I promise, O Blessed St. Jude, to constantly remember the tremendous favor bestowed upon me by God, to always revere you as my special and powerful patron, and to joyfully encourage devotion to you.
Amen
St. Jude is usually pictured holding a picture of Jesus in his hand.
This reminds me of one of his miracles while spreading the Word of God. King Abagar of Edessa requested that Jesus heal him of leprosy and dispatched an artist to send him a drawing of Jesus. Jesus, moved by Abagar’s faith, pushed His face on a garment, leaving an image of His face on it. He handed off the cloth to St. Jude, who carried the image to Abagar and cured him.
Following Jesus’ death and resurrection, St. Jude went throughout Mesopotamia, Libya, and Persia with St. Simon, preaching and laying the groundwork for the early Church.
St. Jude was a martyr for his unshakable faith. His remains was then transported to Rome and interred in a crypt beneath St. Peter’s Basilica.
History Of St. Jude:
Though he is sometimes referred to as “the Forgotten Saint,” St. Jude has never forgotten those who turn to him. Unlike other saints who have a limited and confined patronage, St. Jude Thaddeus is prayed in an infinite number of situations as the patron saint of all the most desperate, hopeless, and impossible conditions.
Little is known about the life of the apostle St. Jude. Despite being a disciple of Christ during His public ministry, St. Jude is only mentioned once in the gospels: During the Last Supper, St. Jude raised a question that prompted Christ to disclose the idea of the Holy Trinity’s indwelling.
After the resurrection, St. Jude carried out the commission entrusted to him and the other apostles: “Go, make disciples of all nations… instructing them to observe all the laws which I have given you” (Matthew 28:19-20).
St. Jude is said to have preached in Judea, Samaria, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Libya. He was later martyred, though sources differ; some claim he was martyred in Persia, while others believe he was martyred in Syria (modern Beirut).
He could have been beaten to death or attacked with an axe, which is why he is sometimes shown with those implements in art. His relics were eventually brought to Rome, where he is buried in the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica.
His tomb became a renowned pilgrimage site, and devotion to St. Jude was extremely strong during the Middle Ages. In one of St. Bridget of Sweden’s visions from the 14th century, the Lord specifically advised her to invoke St. Jude with the words, “In accordance with his surname, Thaddeus, the agreeable or loving, he would manifest himself most willing to give help.”
However, devotion to the saint waned, virtually vanishing, because the saint was frequently confused with Judas Iscariot due to their similar sounding names. Fortunately, St. Jude devotion was revived in the United States at a time when it was greatly needed, at the outset of the Great Depression and throughout World War II. St. Jude Thaddeus soon gained fame as a result of his tremendous intercession and the astounding number of answered prayers. He quickly became a favorite and one of the most loved saints.
St. Jude is the patron saint of hopeless cases and is best known for the name of a children’s hospital that bears his name. The tale of St. Jude, one of the twelve apostles called by Jesus during His public ministry, is much less well-known. For many years, Catholics overlooked this remarkable saint’s narrative, which serves as a lesson to remain hopeful and trusting in God at all times.
The details of St. Jude’s early life remain unknown. He is mentioned for the first time when Jesus summons the twelve apostles. St. Jude is also known as “Thaddeus,” and is sometimes referred to as “St. Jude Thaddeus.” He was the younger brother of St. James the Lesser, another apostle. He was referred to as one of Jesus’ “brethren,” and it is thought he was also Jesus’ cousin. According to Bible scholars, his father was Clopas, and his mother was Mary, a relative of the Virgin Mary.
St. Jude was present at Pentecost after Christ’s death and resurrection. He then went forth to preach the Gospel in several countries. Mesopotamia, Libya, and Persia were among the places to which he traveled to spread the Good News. He journeyed with St. Simon, helping to establish the early Church in these countries.
St. Jude penned an epistle that was included in the New Testament. It was written to counteract heresies that were at the time disputing the Truth. The letter was addressed to the Church in the East, with a special emphasis on Christians who had converted from Judaism.
St. Jude died as a martyr for his unwavering devotion to Jesus. His remains was sent to Rome and buried beneath St. Peter’s Basilica. St. Bridget of Sweden had a vision after his death in which Jesus told her to travel to St. Jude with confidence and faith. She was also informed that St. Jude will show himself to be willing to help her in a loving manner. Another saint, St. Bernard, had a vision of St. Jude in which he was taught that St. Jude is to be sought after in difficult times and is to be known as the “Patron Saint of the Impossible.”
The name of St. Jude was widely misunderstood during the Middle Ages. St. Jude’s Latin name (“Judas”) led to this great saint being connected with Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Christ. The once-popular devotion to St. Jude has suffered significantly as a result of this misunderstanding. He faded into obscurity over time. It wasn’t until the early twentieth century that St. Jude made a comeback among Catholics. In 1929, a priest in Chicago promoted St. Jude devotion by constructing what is now known as the “National Shrine of St. Jude.”
St. Jude’s popularity grew rapidly after he was reintroduced to the globe. The destruction of the Great Depression and World War II would come later in history. Many Catholics were facing extremely terrible conditions, and having a patron saint of “lost causes” offered them enormous hope. St. Jude’s devotion lasted for decades, and he is still a popular intercessor today.
Are you in a dire situation? The petitions to St. Jude (shown at left) printed here serve as a reminder that nothing is impossible with God, even help when you’re at your wits’ end. Given that thankfulness notes to this patron saint of desperate cases emerge in newspapers, praying to him must have some effect!
This prayer, provided by the Dominican Shrine of Saint Jude Dominican Friars, is incredibly simple:
Most holy Apostle, Saint Jude Thaddeus, Jesus’ companion, I entrust myself to your protection during this trying time. Please let me know that I don’t have to confront my problems alone. Please join me in praying for God to grant me comfort in my sadness, courage in my fear, and healing in the midst of my pain. Please fill me with the grace to accept whatever is ahead for me and my loved ones, as well as to deepen my confidence in God’s healing powers. Thank you, Saint Jude Thaddeus, for the promise of hope you hold out to those who believe, and for inspiring me to offer this gift of hope to others as you have given it to me.
V. Saint Jude, the Apostle of Hope
R. Please pray for us!
One of the twelve Apostles was St. Jude. The gospels of Mark (3:18) and Matthew (10:3) refer to him as Thaddeus (a surname meaning “amiable or “friendly”), probably to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot, our Lord’s betrayer! In the Last Supper, John’s account refers to him as “Judas… not the Iscariot” (14:22).
The evangelist most likely wished to avoid being confused with the man Jesus Himself referred to as the “son of perdition” in John 17:11!
This prayer to St. Jude addresses it:
Oh wonderful apostle St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, many have forgotten the name of the traitor who gave thy loving Master into the hands of His adversaries, yet the Church honors and invokes thee everywhere as the patron of hopeless cases—of things despaired of. Pray for me, who am in such distress; make use, I beseech thee, of the special prerogative bestowed upon thee of bringing visible and prompt assistance when it is almost impossible to find it. Come to my aid in this grave need, that I may enjoy the consolation and succor of heaven in all my necessities, trials, and sufferings, especially (name your wish), and that I may bless God with thee and all the elect for all eternity. I promise thee, O blessed St. Jude, that I will always remember this great kindness, and that I will never cease to adore thee as my special and powerful patron, and that I will do everything in my ability to foster devotion to thee. Amen
St. Jude is known as Saint James the Lesser’s brother. According to tradition, he also wrote the epistle that bears his name in the New Testament, though this is not confirmed.
In his letter, he emphasized the importance of maintaining faith in apostolic doctrines in the face of heresies via fraternal charity, prayer, and loving obedience to God. According to the historian Eusebius, he participated in the election of his brother St. Simeon as Bishop of Jerusalem in 62 A.D.
St. Jude is supposed to have preached the gospel in Judea, Samaria, Libya, and Mesopotamia before being martyred in Armenia, which was part of Persia at the time. According to one narrative, he cured the King of Edessa’s leprosy in Mesopotamia with an image of Jesus’ face pressed on a cloth by our Lord.
The king was so pleased that he, along with much of his family and realm, converted to Christianity. What a picture is worth a thousand words! St. Jude also converted a large number of people to Christianity.
In illustrations, such as the one above, he is commonly depicted carrying a picture of Jesus in one hand and a club (a sign of his martyrdom) in the other. The Holy Spirit is frequently seen over his head as a tongue of fire (in remembrance of Pentecost when He came upon the apostles).
These two St. Jude prayers, like the preceding ones, can be combined to form a novena (a prayer said for nine consecutive days).
Check: Prayers To St. Christopher
Short Prayer To St. Jude
St. Jude, Holy One!
Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, close relative of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor for all who invoke you, special patron in time of need; to you I have recourse from the depths of my heart, and humbly beg you, to whom God has given such great power, to come to my assistance; help me now in my urgent need and grant my earnest petition.
I will never forget the graces and favors you have obtained for me, and I will do everything in my power to promote devotion to you. Amen.
St. Jude, pray for us and all those who adore thee and seek thy help.
(After this, say three Our Fathers, three Hail Marys, and three Glory Bes.)
It is worth noting that, in addition to praying to St. Jude, we can seek his assistance by celebrating Holy Masses and Communions in his honor. We can also do charitable activity in his honor.
“Prayer has the greatest power to seek graces from God when it is reinforced by actions of kindness,” St. Leo once observed. Don’t forget to aid someone in need as part of your St. Jude prayer.