Perhaps because he bears the same name as the apostle who betrayed Him, St. Jude Thaddeus has been forgotten by many people. Sadly, as a result there is not much information about the life and times of this great saint!

St. Jude Thaddeus= (his last name meaning amiable and loving) family belonged to the tribe of Juda. As such, they were most likely farmers. His father, Cleophas, is believed to have been a brother of Saint Joseph. Because of his fervent acceptance and acknowledgement of the Resurrection, Cleophas was killed by the Jews and thus became a martyr. Meanwhile, Saint Jude Thaddeus= mother, Mary of Cleophas, was not only the Blessed Virgin Mary’s cousin, but also stood with her at the foot of His cross on Calvary! Since her death, many miracles have been attributed to her. Saint Jude Thaddeus’ also had two brothers; Saint James the Less and Saint Simeon (the successor of Saint James as the head of the of Jerusalem).

As mentioned earlier, not very much is known about Saint Jude Thaddeus’ life… it is known that he was the first bishop of Jerusalem, and that after His death he travelled the world converting disbelievers and spreading the truth of the Holy Gospel. There is a legend that tells how during the reign of Abagaro, king of Edessa, Jesus’ miracles were known of throughout the globe. When the king fell ill with leprosy, he sent a messenger to beg Jesus for His help. Although He was unable to fulfill the king’s request, He replied that someone would come see the king as soon as possible. The king insisted on seeing Jesus, so he sent an artist to capture His image on canvas. Although the king’s artist, overcome by the splendour of His face, was unable to paint a picture, Jesus was so moved by the king’s faith that He pressed His image onto a cloth and asked Saint Jude Thaddeus to take it back to Edessa. The king’s disease was healed, and Saint Jude Thaddeus went on to convert the king, his entire household, and many of the inhabitants of Edessa.

After the Death and Resurrection, Saint Jude Thaddeus had established a strong church in Edessa. He then went on to convert people throughout Mesopotamia for about ten years. Upon his return to Jerusalem, Saint Jude served on the Council of the Apostles. He then travelled to Libya, where he teamed up with Saint Simon. They set out for Persia, where barbarity was the norm. But, the two holy men spread the news about our great Gospel and were able to successfully convert many Persians. However, two Persian magicians, Zaroes and Arfaxat, continually undid the hard work of Saint Jude Thaddeus and Saint Simon. They kept confronting the two apostles, and accused them of being impostors. Yet, the magicians’ own "gods" turned on them; when the two apostles were present, the demons inhabiting the idols refused to answer the incantations of the false priests. When the disciples of the True God asked the demons to speak, they obeyed. The evil spirits howled with rage, and shattered the images of the idols.

Still, the two magicians refused to give up! When Saint Jude Thaddeus and Saint Simon arrived at the of Verardach, the commander-in-chief of the Persian army, Zaroes and Arfaxat were there once again to taunt them. The Persians were preparing to march against an Indian army. Anxious to know how his troop would fare, Verardach asked all the men what the outcome of the attack would be. The demons revealed that a war would result and that many would die. However, the apostles challenged this prediction. They told the prince to rest assured that in exactly twenty-four hours, an ambassador from the Indian army would bring an offering of peace. Indeed, this revelation from the true God came true! Angered by the magicians’ false prophecies, Verardach ordered that the false priests and anyone who had spoken wrongly of the two apostles be burned alive. Simon and Jude pleaded the commander to have mercy on the men, however, and so their punishment was averted.

Verardach took the two apostles to the king of Persia, where the awesome power of God was once again proven to the Persians. The two disciples were condemned by other false priests when they were visiting the king of Persia. In an effort to disprove the True God, the wicked priests set charmed serpents loose upon the apostles. However, the snakes turned on their masters, and bit the magicians until Saint Jude Thaddeus and Saint Simon ordered them to cease. The apostles even picked up the serpents without being harmed. But, when the Persian priests did the same, the animals attacked them. Many people, including the king of Persia, were converted to Christianity after this miracle!

Saint Jude Thaddeus returned to Jerusalem from his final mission in the year 62 AD. In the next few years he wrote his Epistle of Saint Jude, which can be found preceding the Apocalypse of Saint John in the New Testament.

That is the last that is known of Saint Jude Thaddeus. The time and even the place of his death are uncertain! It is thought that he passed away in Persia, Libya or Beirut. He was possibly beaten with clubs, and/or his head cleft with a broad axe. Today, Saint Jude Thaddeus’ remains can be found in Rome, in a side chapel of Saint Peter’s Basilica. Devotion to him flourished in the Middle Ages, and to this day millions of devoted believers pray to him each and every day. Saint Jude Thaddeus shares his official feast day (October 28^th) with Saint Simon.