Beacon of Hope, the Arm of Saint Jude the Apostle.

Blessed as it is with an abundance of saints’ relics, the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe is accustomed to joyfully making veneration of these relics available to pilgrims throughout the year. However, on Friday, September 15, the Shrine will be privileged to host a truly exceptional relic: the forearm of St. Jude, reportedly the largest relic of an Apostle outside Europe. Pilgrims may venerate the relic in the Shrine Crypt from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., when the doors will close. At 6 p.m. there will be a votive Mass of St. Jude in the Shrine Church.

Beacon of Hope

Many are drawn to St. Jude as a beacon of hope, since he has long been venerated as patron of hopeless causes. Rev. Patrick Tobin, OP, of the St. Jude Shrine describes how much this devotion can mean to pilgrims: “It is a continuous source of amazement for me, to see people’s reaction. People are willing to travel great distances to view and touch the relic.” He adds that what especially moves him “is when they come up to me and say what St. Jude has done in their life and how St. Jude has been an advocate in their lives in times of need.” The origins of this devotion are unsure, but as Renata Sedmakova explains on Aleteia, countless miracles have been attributed to his intercession and various saints have had revelations concerning his intercessory power.

As a saint of hope for the hopeless, St. Jude is a particular friend and helper for our time, when so many are tempted to regard their own lives or the world’s future with anxiety, cynicism, or even despair. For some, his relics make this hope more vivid: This saint is a real person, who truly lived on earth, lives now in eternity, and, by God’s grace, offers real help to the many who call on him.