Devotion to the holy Apostles should be cherished because they were the first teachers of our Faith. During the Middle Ages the Apostles were held in high veneration, but in our materialistic age, this devotion has greatly declined, though veneration of St. Jude Thaddeus has been revived in recent years.

 St. Jude is called the Patron of Hopeless and Desperate Cases, owing to the singular help he has obtained for his followers in grave necessities. This holy Apostle bears the surname “Thaddeus” (meaning “amiable” or “loving”). Besides the Apostle James the Less, Jude had two other brothers who, together with himself, are called the “brethren” of Jesus, which in Hebrew signifies a near relationship. His father was Cleophas, who was probably a brother of St. Joseph. Because of his fearless confession of the Resurrection of Christ, Cleophas was put to death by the Jews and thus won the crown of martyrdom. The mother of our Apostle was Mary of Cleophas, possibly a cousin of the Blessed Virgin, who with Mary stood by the Cross of Jesus on Calvary. In his boyhood, Jude and his brothers must have been close companions of Jesus. No mention is made of Jude’s occupation before his call to the apostolate, but we may judge that he was a farmer, since he belonged to the tribe of Juda, which was devoted to farming. From the time Jude was chosen to be an Apostle, he labored with untiring zeal, particularly for the conversion of the Gentiles

 For many more years, St. Jude made missionary journeys, preaching, dispensing the Sacraments throughout Mesopotamia, Armenia, and even southern Russia.

  One day an enraged pagan mob fell upon the gentle and good man, and bludgeoned him to death. That is one reason why St.Jude is today pictured holding a club, in memory of his martyrdom. The bodies of St.Jude and St.Simon have laid in St. Peter's in Rome for many centuries. St.Jude was a tireless worker he tried, he dared to try the impossible; and he was successful. Steadfastly pure in body and soul, St.Jude gave of himself not only in life but in death as well.