Slava Jesu Kristu,

Today is the Feast of St. Juse Thaddeus on the Ruthenian calendar. My family and I have a particular devotion to him

He has interceded for us on several occasion and I strongly appreciate his patronage.

The Roman novenas to him held in New Orleans are attended by half the city from many denominations.

However, I have yet to find an Akathise to him. Can anyone help?

Dmitri

Dear Dmitri,

Please anyone correct me if I'm wrong, but I've never heard of an Akathist to St Jude the Apostle.

He is commemorated together with all the Apostles in the Akathist that was published in 1893 at Lviv - but this is in Church Slavonic.

But I can write one to him, if you like

Devotion to St Jude is also a relatively new thing in RC circles - his name too closely resembled that of Judas Iscariot for comfort.

Your City of New Orleans is well-known for a number of great devotions - Our Lady of Prompt Succour, St Joseph and his Altars, St Jude - and also St Roch at the "Campo Santo."

That is a classic miraculous shrine to the healer of those suffering pestilential disease (like SARS).

I wanted to go there last time we were in New Orleans - but I was told to travel there only by cab for our safety's sake.

I want to place a picture of my father at the shrine since he was healed of the cholera at an early age through the intercession of St Roch.

Alex

Slava Jesu Kristu,

I would be honored if you could write one for me.

I suppose I could use a generic Moleben but I so prefer Akathists....

Dmitri

Dear Dmitri,

I'll get to work on one soon!

And I promise - no silly phrases like, "Hey Jude!"

Alex

Dear Alex:

Just don't let Dmitri down!

Amado

(I can hear the young ones scratching their heads!)

Just take a sad song, and make it better.

But, honestly, I even have his statue in front of my home and will place a candle there this evening (since I forgot to do it yesterday evening).

In Christ,
Andrew

this is a good 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, for I am 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 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. Amen

When I think of New Orleans I usually think of (other than Mardi Gras, and the N.O. Saints) Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, CSSR, that Redemptorist priest who seems to have made quite a name for himself as a miracle worker. I myself invoke him often. May we all experience the powerful intercession of the Holy Apostle Jude and Blessed Francis.
Silouan, old monk and Red Sox fan

Here is a link to a Novena for Saint Jude.

Novena to Saint Jude

Saint Jude – Patron of Desperate Causes

url: http://www.immaculateheart.com/Ave%20Maria/novena_to_St_Jude.htm



Start with:

St. Jude, glorious apostle, faithful servant and 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 hopeless cases, and of things despaired of. Pray for me who am so distressed. Make use, I implore you, of that particular privilege accorded you 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 succor of Heaven in all my necessities, tribulations and sufferings, particularly....(make request) and that I may bless God with you and all the elect throughout eternity. St. Jude, apostle, martyr, and relative of our Lord Jesus Christ, of Mary, and of Joseph, intercede for us! Amen.

DAY ONE

O blessed apostle St. Jude, who labored zealously among the Gentiles in many lands, and performed numerous miracles in needy and despairing cases, we invoke you to take special interest in us and our needs. We feel that you understand us in a particular way. Hear our prayers and our petitions and plead for us in all our necessities especially . . . .May we be patient in learning God’s holy will and courageous in carrying it out. Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us! My Jesus, mercy!

DAY TWO
O blessed apostle Jude, who has been instrumental in gathering us here together this day, grant that we may always serve Jesus Christ as he deserves to be served, giving of our best efforts in living as he wishes us to live. May we dispose our hearts and minds that god will always be inclined to listen to our prayers and petitions, especially those petitions which we entrust to your care and for which we as you to plead for us. . . .

Grant that we may be enlightened as to what is best for us, in the present and future, not forgetting the blessings we have received in the past. Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us! My Jesus, mercy!

---

See also at url Days 3 through 9

Peace in Christ,

BradM

Dear Friends,

The Eastern Churches traditionally call St Jude "St Thaddeus" without the "Jude" reference - and he is most prominent with respect to the healing of St Abgarus of Edessa - RC statues, I wonder of Reader Andrew's has this, depict him holding the mandylion of Christ.

The Feast of the "Third Saviour" of August celebrates the translation of the Holy Cloth from Edessa to Constantinople where St Jude Thaddeus is feted as well.

It is the Armenian Church that venerates the "Correspondence between our Lord and King Abgar."

These are letters, including one from Christ Himself, where Abgar, suffering from a debilitating disease, invites Jesus to come and heal him - and then to be his guest in his kingdom.

Christ responds by telling the king He can not come to him because He must fulfill the prophecies concerning Him - but that he would send a disciple to heal the king afterwards.

And that disciple was Jude Thaddeus who brought with him a cloth with an image of Christ's Face.

Some say this was the Shroud of Turin, folded four times to expose only the Face of Christ.

Others saw that our Lord placed water on His Face and then wiped it off with a towel - leaving the image of His countenance on it (the Akathist to the Image not made by human hands).

Jude Thaddeus touched the image to King Abgar who was thereupon immediately healed.

That correspondence is honoured in the Armenian Church as deuterocanonical scripture.

For years, Anglicans enshrined copies of the letters in frames in their homes beside pictures of the Holy Mandylion. They even, in the 19th century, petitioned the Archbishop of Canterbury to include it in the canon of the King James New Testament!

Alex

By the way, the American Byzantine Metropolia has a parish in western Pennsylvania, "St. Jude Thaddeus". I don't think there are any icons in the church of him, though. (Actually, I don't think there are icons in that church at all except perhaps on the tetrapod.)

Dear Lemko,

Yes, and our Ukies refer to him as "St Jude" period.

We brought over the Latin devotion to him, hook, line and sinker.

He is the patron of hopeless cases.

No wonder . . .

Have a great day, Scion of the Lemko People!

Alex

Dear Alex and other knowledgable parties,

Yes, the mandalyion of Christ he (my statue of St. Jude Thaddeos) wears! And we understand that he is carrying a book of scripture, since he wrote one himself, but for what on earth is the studded club that he weilds?

I have to admit, that the image of our apostles and bishops carrying a studded club is quite appealing to me, personally. I can imagine its various uses for keeping the bride of Christ pure and on the straight and narrow. ["Shall I come to you with a rod?"] But what exactly is the significance of the club in the Western tradition.

The statue belonged to the previous owners of our home, Irish-American Roman Catholics, but I've never seen another statue of St. Jude with same, even in the local St. Jude's Religious Shop.

In Christ,
Andrew

Growing up in my Roman parish, our entire family would sit on the side of the Church where the statue of St Jude was and one of my brother would say "There is St Jude with his "killing stick!"

Dear Knowledgeable Parties,

The club is a form of a primitive staff one carried when on pilgrimage.

One interpretation of the double snakes on an episcopal staff is that the two snakes represent the "evil we know and the evil we don't know."

The staff is the symbol of victory over both - people killed snakes that tried to bite them in their travels with staffs.

Many sacerdotal vestments in our Church are derived from Roman military wear and have a military significance that is spirituall reinterpreted.

Alex

Dear Brian S:


Back then, you must have died laughing at your little brother and his wise observation!

(How's the Big-O weather?)


Amado

O Ye Veritable Foutains of Knowledge,

And, so, now I understand. The club is simultaneously a sign of his authority as an apostle and his travells as an evangelist! This is why St Jude Thaddeus is asked to intercede on behalf of travellers.

Of course, he could still use it to keep the Bride of Christ in line, or any rambunctious little boy in Church, if absolutely necessary.

Fear of the club is the beginning of wisdom?

In Christ,
Andrew

Info for you:

National Shrine of St. Jude/St. Jude League
Claretian Missionaries

http://www.stjudeleague.org




Peace,

BradM

Slava Jesu Kristu,

I was told that the club represents his martyrdom. He was supposedly killed by an angry pagan mob carrying clubs. He was bludgeoned to dealth.

Dmitri

I grew up about 8 city blocks from the St. Jude Shrine in Chicago.The League was synonymous with the Chicago Police Dept. when I was growing up. Maybe that has something to do with the club.

Nicky's Baba

Dear Friends,

I see that anyone wishing to write an Akathist to this saint has his work cut out for him!

Dear Brad - have a look see on the Byzantine Faith and Worship threads - I've posted a link to an English language Akathist to King David of Israel you might want to have a look at.

Alex