By Katie Vasquez
Catholics in Brooklyn are having moment of prayer and reflection before one of the first followers of Christ.
The relic which comes from one of the original 12 apostles, St .Jude Thaddeus, is a piece of his arm bone brought to the Diocese of Brooklyn by Father Mike Ford of the Dominican Shrine of St. Jude.
“To allow us to enter more deeply into the graces that we received at our baptism” is one of the the main missions he seeks to fulfill.
The stop at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Williamsburg is part of a nationwide tour by the Shrine in honor of the 2025 Jubilee.
“As we begin Lent and in this holy year, maybe we need to be touched by one of the apostles in a very special way,” the pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello, told Currents News Feb. 25.
In the pews of Mount Carmel were dozens of stories of faithful hoping to find healing through St Jude.
It was the first time friends Lois Moore and Lisa Mirando had ever touched a relic.
“We’ve been struggling a lot. And I just think, you know, you just try to reach out to believe in something and hopefully somebody out there is listening to you,” said Moore who venerated the relic.
“I’m very spiritual. I love all the saints, and Saint Jude is for the impossible, Which I need right now in my life.” said Mirando.
Terriann Kava lost her husband Billy suddenly in February 2024.
“He wasn’t sick or anything, and then all of a sudden he was gone,” she explained.
The last year has been difficult, and she hoped the patron saint of lost causes and desperate situations could help.
“The holidays were the worst. I never thought I wouldn’t even want the holidays to come, because they were really such great times and fun. But I just couldn’t wait for them to pass,” Kava told Currents News. “It was very hard, just going through it without him not being there.”
Whatever the reason for their prayers, those in the pews of the Williamsburg church are finding hope in the patron saint of lost causes.
“We want to really emphasize that we need hope in our lives. And we need hope, we receive hope through faith,” said Monsignor Gigantiello.
“I have to stick with him, I have to lean on him. I know he’s going to help me,” said Kava of St. Jude.
And while the piece of the apostle may not be staying in the Diocese of Brooklyn, his influence will stay in their hearts, providing peace wherever it is needed.