Seeking the Impossible

Saint Jude stands as a beacon of faith for those facing seemingly insurmountable challenges. Bonnie Drury shares how she learned to lean on Saint Jude’s support.

I first heard about Saint Jude as the “patron saint of the impossible” when I was a young mother. You know how helpless we feel sometimes, especially when our children face overwhelming situations. We have an ally in Saint Jude, whose feast day is October 28th.

I remember asking my patron saint to pray for our 16-year-old son when he was arrested for a DUI. I didn’t see how he could overcome the stigma, the loss of his license, and still return to the boy we knew. I prayed and asked Saint Jude to pray with me.

The solution was one I least expected. We had been considering moving back to California, and the opportunity opened up. We made the move. Our son was away from his drinking buddies, joined the high school football team, and met the girl who would become the mother of his children.

Time and time again, God proves to us that His solutions are more powerful than our anxieties.

Saint Jude’s Background

Jude was known as a close relative to Jesus. His mother, also called Mary, was referred to as a cousin of Jesus’ mother, and his father was Saint Joseph’s brother. He was often called Jude Thaddeus, to differentiate from Judas Iscariot, the Betrayer. He is believed to have written the Letter of Jude in the New Testament. His message is to remain steadfast in the face of adversity. There’s only one quote in the Gospels from Saint Jude.

“Then Judas (not Iscariot) said, ‘Master, [then] what happened that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?’” (John 14:22)

Learn more about his background in the EWTN article, "Why Is Saint Jude the Patron of Lost Causes?"

After the Ascension, Jude’s missionary journeys took him through Mesopotamia, Libya, Turkey, and Persia with Saint Simon. According to the ancient historian, Eusebius, Saint Jude traveled to Edessa to see King Abgar, who was suffering from an incurable disease. With God’s help, Saint Jude performed a miracle of healing by giving the king a cloth bearing the image of Christ’s face. After he was cured, the king converted to Christianity.

Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)

There are no limitations, and Saint Jude was granted the power to intercede for us, when we feel that all is hopeless.

Tradition tells us that the Apostle was martyred in Beirut around 65 A.D. He is often shown with a club or axe, symbolizing the way he was killed. His body was returned to Rome and placed in a crypt beneath St. Peter’s Basilica.

A Well-Known Miracle

One of the most well-known miracles associated with Saint Jude’s intercession was the case of Jaime and Nicolas Charbonneau. Each of Jaime’s six babies were breach up until at least the 37th week of pregnancy. The doctor was recommending C-sections each time. Jaime said, “We prayed to Saint Jude and each one of them flipped head down by the time I was ready to give birth.”

Many of my Protestant friends say that we should only pray to God, and that’s true. In the Catholic faith, we have the beautiful tradition of asking others who have gone before us, to pray for and with us. This practice does not diminish our direct relationship with God, but enriches it by acknowledging the Communion of Saints.

I have often asked for Saint Jude’s prayers for my loved ones, be it divorce, addiction, pain, suffering, or loss of faith. Some of these prayers have been answered, though rarely in the way I expected. I have faith that the ones yet to be answered, will be in God’s own time.

Worship Is for God Alone

Veneration (respect) is shown to saints as a way of honoring their example and seeking their help. I remember when people would place ads in the local newspaper saying, “Thank you, Saint Jude.” There aren’t many print newspapers these days, so this article is my way of saying “thank you” to my patron saint for always having my back.

Get to know Saint Jude, if you haven’t already, and feel at peace with your prayer partner. Our Church is one Body, and we are united in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Nothing is impossible.

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Copyright 2026 Bonnie Drury
Images: iStockPhoto.com, licensed for use by Holy Cross Family Ministries