Relic of St. Jude the Apostle visits Baton Rouge during US pilgrimage
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - A relic of St. Jude the Apostle made a stop in Baton Rouge on Wednesday, March 13, as part of its first pilgrimage across the United States.
According to the Diocese of Baton Rouge, the relic is the arm of St. Jude Thaddeus, one of Christ’s original 12 apostles, and has been venerated in Rome since ancient times. This is the first time the arm has left Italy. Since September 2023, it has been on a pilgrimage across the U.S., and the tour will end with the relic having visited 100 cities.
The relic is available for veneration on Wednesday from 3:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at St. George Catholic Church. A special Mass in honor of the saint was held at 7 p.m. with free admission to the public.
If you missed today’s visit in Baton Rouge, you can click here to find the entire tour schedule.
Read the full statement from the Diocese of Baton Rouge below:
A relic of one of Christ’s 12 original apostles will be available for veneration on March 13, 2024, from 3:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., at St. George Catholic Church, 7808 St. George Drive. A special Mass in honor of St. Jude will be celebrated at 7:00 p.m., and admission is free and open to the public.
The arm of St. Jude Thaddeus, venerated in Rome from ancient times, has been on pilgrimage in the United States since September 2023 through May 2024, making stops in 100 cities under the stewardship of Fr. Carlos Martins, an ecclesiastically appointed curate of relics and director of Treasures of the Church, a Catholic evangelization ministry. It’s the first time the relic has left Italy.
St. Jude is one of the Church’s most beloved saints and known as the patron of hope and impossible causes. For this reason, Fr. Martins said he conceived of and planned the tour for a post-pandemic America. “Many still grieve a loved one claimed by the virus, numerous folks suffer the effects of long-Covid and other pandemic-related medical conditions, long-term isolation has led to depression for many and deterioration in mental health, there is widespread distrust of public policy and media reporting, and many face economic hardship due to closed businesses and inflation,” he said. “The Apostle’s visit is an effort by the Catholic Church to give comfort and hope to all who need it.”
Besides, noted St. George pastor Fr. Paul Yi, “saints choose us; we don’t choose them. In God’s providence, St. Jude the Apostle wants to visit Baton Rouge and share with us his faith and discipleship of Jesus.”
Relics are physical objects that have a direct association with the saints or with Our Lord. They are usually broken down into three classes. First-class relics are the body or body fragments of the body of a saint, such as pieces of bone or flesh. Second-class relics are something that a saint personally owned, such as a shirt or book (or fragments of those items). Third-class relics are those items that a saint touched or that have been touched to a first-, second- or another third-class relic of a saint.
The full schedule of the tour is available at apostleoftheimpossible.com.
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