Saint Jude Novena

Today begins the Saint Jude Novena, worldwide of course but locally at Saint Michael’s Church, (252 Ninth Street) – where they hold a “perpetual” novena to Saint Jude every Tuesday. Novena is Latin for nine. There will be nine days of consecutive prayer for intercession from Saint Jude, culminating in a special mass on his feast day. October 28th.

 This novena has been going in Jersey City since the depression first at Saint Lucy’s, then moving to Saint Michael’s when that church closed. People still talk about the controversy when the Novena moved, which I blogged about here.

 

Other Saint Jude Blogs here, here, here and here.  

 

Saint Jude – one of the 12 apostles, a cousin to Jesus Christ and the author of a short doxological epistles, the last epistle in the New Testament, appearing just before the Book of Revelation.

 Unlike many Saints, Saint Jude is not “owned” a single nationality. There are shrines and churches dedicated to Saint Jude in nearly every country in the world, including Italy, India, and the Philippines and throughout Latin America. Devotion to Jude crosses boundaries of culture, country and ethnicity.

 

 Here’s an excerpt About Aaron Neville’s devotion to Saint Jude from “A Sunday Vistior, 1997”:

 

Neville recalls how, during this difficult period, his mother told him about Saint Jude, the saint of hopeless cases. She also told him that she enlisted Saint Jude in her prayers for him.

 "My mother turned me on to Saint Jude. She was, like, devout to him. See my earring?" He points to his left ear. He looks down, clasping his hands. "I was going through changes in life. My mother saw me going through these changes, and she taught me Saint Jude's Novena and she

brought me to Saint Ann's shrine. She was always praying for us, you know, but I had to learn to pray for me, too."

Following his mother's death, Neville sought solace in New Orleans' spirit-filled churches. He visited Saint Ann's shrine daily, a cave like place where visitors climb the steps on their knees.

 

"It was a good feeling going up those steps, praying for a miracle," he says. "One day, I remembered my mother telling me about Saint Jude, and I started going wherever I heard they were having a Saint Jude Novena."

 Neville has dedicated each of his record-selling albums to Saint Jude. And he ends each with a hymn. "I think things happened the way they did for a reason," he says. "The best prayer in the world is 'Let thy will be done,' because God knows what you want. So say, 'Don't give me what I want; give me what I need.' There's a purpose for you being here, foreach of us being here."

 

 

 

 Saint Jude is the patron saint of lost causes and desperate situations. People pray for his intercession when there’s no other hope. There are plenty of websites dedicate to Devotions to Saint Jude. Pre-internet, in classified sections of newspapers, devotees to Devotions to Saint Jude would print their testimonials when their prayers were answered. Now you can find these honest and moving pieces online.

 

 

 

 Here’s a selection of some.

 

 

 

...My daughter had run away from home with one of her friends. Both girls are 16 years old and out there without I knowing what going on with them or where they were. I was advised to pray to Saint Jude for help and I did. I asked for them to come home safely. In 10 days my prayers had answered and I am thankful. Thanks to God....Thanks again for making it all possible for my daughter to return home safely. I remain, yours respectfully,

 

-- Brooklyn, NY

 

 

 

Dear Fathers or Sisters,

 

...Saint Jude has performed a miracle. My daughter was diagnosed with cancer on January 14, 1997. She underwent chemotherapy and now is having radiation. She was sent a letter from the hospital showing no cancer. I am devoted to Saint Jude for many years. To me this is a miracle. I have prayed to him for many years. Devotee yours I am,

 

--Northridge, California

 

 

 I promised Saint Jude to publish a miracle if my two sons

 

were out of jail, and they are now out of it thanks to

 

his intervention. Could you publish it please?

 

Thank you,

 

--Orlando, FL.

 

 

 

Last year my son in law Daniel Riordan was diagnosed with an

esophagus malignant tumor. He also had a major heart attack, open heart surgery and a major stroke in a period of six weeks. We sent in for Novena's and masses to Saint Jude. His tumor is in remission and heart is good. He had another stroke but seems to be doing well. The doctors gave him six months to live and can't believe how well he is. We give most of the credit for this to Saint Jude and your prayers. Thank you so much. Please keep praying for him. You are always in our prayers.

 

Thank you again.

 

God and Saint Jude bless you.

 

--Buffalo, NY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ice Encrustation

Freezing rain is better than sleet I guess. This morning our fair city was encrusted with ice. Icicles are gruesome things, temporary stalactites, tributes to the dripping water is inclined towards. Dripping is by definition a form of slow motion—if it was fast it would be flowing—now its one long drop. The tips are so pointy. Yet, the way the freezing rain fell, it encrusted the rails, like icing on a cake, a glaze. Frozen damp, can’t get comfortable no matter what, you are aware of your skin, slush surrounds your shoes, you look at the icicles, they could stab, impale. Always happens though, weather like this, inevitable ice storm. It’s been 39 days since the season’s first blizzard. Nothing is melted, now it’s all ice encrusted. Slip and Slide but try not to fall.

Winter Fountain

It was the evening mid-story, winter mix fell most of the day but got heavier at night. Fountain basin filled with ice, the base overflowing with snow, days old most of it. Once, a warm blooded civilization lived here. Children frolicked in this fountain water. Festivals were held and the entire village danced and sang. Then the Nordic races invaded, the war lasted until ultimate choices had to be made. Only one season now, Nuclear Winter, it’s always night now around Ice and Snow Fountain.

Statue Carrying Dead Flowers Through Snow

Lots of snow talk, lots of weather discussion, lots of snow pictures and blogs. Saw this fine fellow, the statue is part of the 9-11 Memorial down there by Exchange Place way. What is he holding you wonder? On closer inspection you will see the are boquets of flowers, maybe put there for Christmas? I can’t imagine they’ve been there since September. Actually, this statue might be unrelated to the memorial, maybe it’s one of them faux commuter sculptures, I think that is a brief case, the hard hat is plastic and obviously not intended to be part of the work. I simply have never noticed it before. There’s a lot of humor at work here, both intended and unintended. Snow conceals some truth but in this case fiction may be stranger.

Un-shoveled Truck

Time to shovel the flat bed tow truck! When I saw this, I wonder if the flat bed was left in a tilt position when it snowed, hoping the incline would prevent accumulation or was it put in that position after the snow fell so the shoveling of the truck could be avoided. Either case lack the intended effectiveness, but it’s besides the point—all the cars are too snowed in to be towed anywhere anyway.

Man of Snow in Snow

The man of snow emerged out of this mountain of snow that was formed by the plows and shoveling clearing the sidewalks and street. The hands of children resulted in this Mr. Frosty. The weather turns warmer, rain is expected. The mountain and the man will melt away as one.