Visit ‘an opportunity for individuals to experience intimacy with someone who dwells in heaven and beholds God face-to-face’
By Daniel Payne
Catholic News Agency
The arm of St. Jude, a relic of “one of Jesus Christ’s closest collaborators,” will tour the U.S. for several months beginning in September, a Catholic evangelization ministry announced.
The tour will include stops at St. Michael Church in Lincoln Wednesday, Sept. 27, and churches in Omaha and Fremont Sept. 28-30.
Father Carlos Martins, the director of the ministry Treasures of the Church, told “EWTN News Nightly” host Tracy Sabol the relic “is coming to America for a nine-month tour,” with its first stop scheduled for St. John Cantius Church in Chicago Sept. 9.
“It will be hosted in various churches, schools, prisons, across different states, from now until May 2024,” Father Martins told Sabol. 
“It’s the first time the arm of the saint — the major relic of [St. Jude] — has left Italy,” he said.
In a press release Aug. 28, Treasures of the Church said the tour “offers a unique opportunity for devotees and the curious alike to experience a connection with one of the most venerated figures in Christian history.”
“Regarded as the patron saint of lost causes and desperate situations,” Father Martins said in the release, “the visit provides an opportunity for individuals to experience intimacy with someone who dwells in heaven and beholds God face-to-face. It allows devotees to receive his blessing and entrust him with their petitions.”
The tour, Father Martins said, comes amid “the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic,” offering the faithful a unique opportunity for healing during a time of continued suffering.
“Many still grieve a loved one claimed by the virus, numerous folks suffer the effects of long COVID and other pandemic-related medical conditions; long-term isolation has led to depression for many and deterioration in mental health; there is widespread distrust of public policy and media reporting; and many face economic hardship due to closed businesses and inflation,” Father Martins said.
“The apostle’s visit is an effort by the Catholic Church to give comfort and hope to all who need it.”
Jude is identified as “the Lord’s first cousin,” according to Treasures of the Church; he was one of Christ’s Twelve Apostles and is believed to have been martyred in Beirut several decades after Christ’s death and resurrection.
History records his body as having been transferred to a tomb in St. Peter’s Basilica centuries after his death; his arm was subsequently removed and placed in a reliquary in the shape of a priest’s hand giving a blessing.
Treasures of the Church notes in its press release that the long-standing Catholic tradition of relic veneration “is not worship but a way to honor and draw near to the saints and to petition for their prayers since they are with God.”
About Saint Jude
As the son of Mary of Clopas (Cleophas), the sister of the Blessed Virgin Mary and one of the “three Marys” who stood by Jesus during His Crucifixion, Jude is the Lord’s first cousin. He is also a brother of St. James the Lesser.
Saint Jude’s visit offers a unique opportunity for devotees and the curious alike to experience a connection with one of the most venerated figures in Christian history.
About the relics
Saint Jude’s body was buried in the place of his martyrdom but was transferred to Rome during the time of Emperor Constantine. His tomb rests directly below the main altar of the left transept of St. Peter’s Basilica. Several centuries ago, his arm was removed and placed in a simple wooden reliquary carved in the shape of a priestly arm, imparting a blessing. They reside within the same today.
The tour includes stops in numerous Catholic dioceses spanning most of the country. Hosts of the body will include parishes, schools, and prisons. The schedule, continually being expanded, can be found on the tour website at www.ApostleOfTheImpossible.com.
The Southern Nebraska Register and Spirit Catholic Radio contributed to this report.
