Saint Jude Thaddaeus

About Saint Jude Thaddaeus

Jude Thaddeus was one of the twelve apostles and a relative of Jesus. The gospels call him Thaddeus precisely to avoid confusing him with Judas Iscariot — and for centuries that confusion of names meant almost nobody prayed to him. Tradition says this is why he became especially attentive to those who do come to him: he received few requests, and answered them quickly.

His is the shortest letter in the New Testament, a note of twenty-five verses written to Christians surrounded by false teachers, ending with a plea for firmness to people already worn out. He preached in Mesopotamia and Persia and died a martyr.

He is the saint of desperate causes: turned to when the deadline has passed, when the diagnosis came back badly, when the job never materialises and hope is running short. In Brazil his devotion is enormous — novenas on the 28th of each month fill churches, and the feast on 28 October brings crowds into the streets.

A message from Saint Jude is sent for birthdays, on the 28th, and above all to someone facing a situation that looks like a dead end.

How it works