28th October: St Jude's Day

Also known as St Jude Thaddeus, or Jude the Zealot, he was one of the 12 apostles of Christ and the author of the New Testament book of Jude.

1. His book is the shortest New Testament book and is said to contain some of the finest expressions of praise to God in the Bible.
2. He is not to be confused with Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Jesus, although both names, Jude and Judas, come from the same root, the name Judah, a common Jewish name of the time. Some scholars think that Jude was actually called Judas, but because that name was tainted by Mr Iscariot, the name was shortened to Jude.
3. He may have been a brother or cousin of Jesus, and it has been speculated that he was the bridegroom at the wedding where Jesus turned water into wine.
4. Whether he was a relative of Jesus or not, he was certainly devoted to the cause of Christianity and preached the gospel widely, as far away as Syria, Libya and Armenia.
5. He was martyred in Beirut in about 65AD, killed with an axe. Some time after this, his body was moved to Rome and his bones now lie in St Peter's Basilica, although some traditions maintain he was buried in Armenia or Kyrgystan.
6. In art, Jude is usually shown holding an image of Christ close to his heart, often with a flame above his head to signify receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and/or holding a club, an oar or an axe.
7. His grave was popular with pilgrims who went there to pray, and the results were often so powerful that Jude gained a reputation as the Patron Saint of the Impossible, or of Lost Causes. This could also have been because of a letter he wrote to Eastern churches, encouraging disciples of Christ to keep going no matter how hard things get.
8. He is also the patron of the Chicago Police Department and a soccer team in Rio de Janeiro.
9. Today, newspapers sometimes carry classified ads from people seeking Saint Jude's help in some situation, or expressing gratitude for a favour received. Some people wear Saint Jude Pendants for protection.
10. The feast day of Saint Jude is 28 October. On this date in 2013 a severe storm hit the United Kingdom, and the storm was nicknamed Saint Jude.