They came by the thousands, standing in long lines to pray before the first cousin and disciple of Christ, who is known as the “Apostle of the Impossible.” Venerated since ancient times, the arm of St. Jude is on a 100-city American pilgrimage, including four churches in the Arlington diocese, where the response was overwhelming.
Public veneration of the relic was held at St. Ambrose Church in Annandale Feb. 10. “The amount of people, the number of souls, is just awesome,” said Matthew Hill, who came with his family from Front Royal. “When people are coming together and laying down all their intentions before the saint of seemingly impossible tasks, there can’t be much negativity in the church,” said Hill.
“I was touched by the number of people who brought special intentions, literally placing photos of sick loved ones, soldiers on deployment, wedding rings, medical reports or handwritten notes” on the plexiglass surrounding the reliquary, said Father Andrew J. Fisher, pastor of St. Ambrose. “This saint’s visit to Virginia was a time of great prayer and blessings.”
According to tour director Father Carlos Martins, who estimated the crowd at St. Ambrose to be 2,800, there are more shrines to St. Jude worldwide than any other saint, except for Mary. But St. Jude is an obscure figure in the New Testament. He is also referred to as Thaddeus, Judas of James or brother of James — and was often confused with Judas Iscariot in early Christianity.
“He is the brother of St. James the apostle and his mother was Mary of Cleophas, who was one of the three Marys who stood at the foot of the cross at the crucifixion,” said Father Martins, who celebrated the Mass at St. Ambrose. “Jude is the first cousin of Jesus, so this arm many times embraced the body of the world’s savior.”
Many came to St. Ambrose seeking healing. “I’m here for a miraculous healing for my cancer,” said Alvin Sese, a parishioner of Sacred Heart Church in Manassas. “People are praying for my cancer to heal, and what a great opportunity to have a saint intercede.”
“It’s amazing that our diocese is able to have the relics come and bring healing and peace to people, especially in this broken society,” said Meg Williamson, student body president of Christendom College. “This was a chance to heal.”
Some came with canes, in wheelchairs, with tears of joy and sorrow, in lines extending beyond the parking lot at St. Ambrose. “As Catholics, we believe in the communion of saints, a bond of unity among all believers, both living and dead,” said Father Fisher. “We are joined in a supernatural union as members of Christ’s mystical body. Therefore, we can call upon the intercession of the saints in heaven, who stand before God.”
Just moments after venerating the relic with her son and father, Elizabeth Hirko, a parishioner of St. Agnes Church in Arlington, was emotional when describing her experience. “It was very powerful and spiritual to be here with these Catholics, to be blessed by the relic of St. Jude,” she said. “This is a historic moment to have this relic in our country.”
In his short biography of St. Jude, Father Martins credits entertainer Danny Thomas for helping popularize the saint in America. Thomas was struggling in his career and in desperate financial straits when he prayed to St. Jude, promising to build a shrine in his honor if he became successful. Thomas found success and fame, but instead of building a traditional shrine, he built a research hospital — St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis — dedicated to treating childhood cancer.
St. Ambrose parishioner Hector Bird said the enthusiastic response to the St. Jude tour demonstrates the strength of the church. “This shows that there’s something special about the Catholic Church,” he said. “It speaks to people in a very profound way, and, with events like this, you can see it. It’s overwhelming to see the amount of people that are here.”
“For several hours on Saturday, I saw the entire church in prayer — the young and old, teens, families, clergy, religious, the sick and the suffering,” said Father Fisher. “It was a testimony that Christ founded his church upon the apostles 2,000 years ago, and that same one, holy, Catholic and apostolic church is still alive and at work today.”
The relic, usually on display at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, also made stops at St. Agnes, Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Winchester, and Nativity Catholic Church in Burke. The tour continues in U.S. cities through May.
