St Jude: 10 things you need to know about the patron saint of lost causes - Mirror Online
St Jude: 10 things you need to know about the patron saint of lost causes
The hurricane-strength storm heading to Britain has been named after him. But who exactly was St Jude?
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Saint Jude: Patron saint of lost causes and desperate cases (Photo: Alamy)
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Weather forecasters are warning us that tomorrow's storm could be the worst for decades .
And the fact that it has been named after St Jude - the patron saint of lost causes - isn't exactly reassuring.
We've been told to expect winds of up to 90mph, torrential rain, travel chaos and possible disruptions to the power supply , so perhaps we should start to despair.
But Monday also happens to be the feast day for this particular saint, so it might not be all bad news.
So who was St Jude? Here are the 10 things you need to know about the patron saint of lost causes and desperate cases...
1. St Jude was one of Jesus' 12 apostles, chosen to spread the word of the gospel.
2. He was also known as Thaddeus or Thaddaeus - said to be a surname for the name Labbaeus which means "heart" or courageous".
3. He is believed to have written the book of Jude. Religious scholars say it contains some of the finest expressions of praise to God in the Bible's New Testament.
4. Jude became associated with desperate situations because of a letter he wrote to the Churches of the East. In it he says that the faithful must keep going even in harsh or difficult circumstances.
5. He is thought to have been martyred in Beirut in around 65 AD, along with fellow apostle Simon the Zealot. He is often depicted showing a club or axe, symbolising the way he died.
6. He is also sometimes pictured with a flame above his head. This refers to the Pentecost, where he and the other apostles received the Holy Spirit.
7. The personal ads sections of some newspapers occasionally include messages from people calling on St Jude for help in times of need, or thanking him for his support and guidance.
8. Some choose to carry the image of St Jude on a medal or as a pendant on a necklace to provide comfort.
9. The Shrine of St Jude can be found at the parish church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Faversham, Kent. It was set up in the 1950s by the church's friars, who noticed they were getting an increasing number of requests for St Jude prayer cards. Donations to "The Shrine of St Jude" began to come in, but one didn't exist - so Friar Elias Lynch set one up. The shrine is visited all year round, but particularly on St Jude's feast day - October 28.
10. St Jude is not to be confused with Judas Iscariot - another of the 12 apostles, but the one who betrayed Jesus.