Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,
James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew,
Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,
Simon who was called a Zealot,
and Judas the son of James,
and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Luke 6:14-16
St. Jude is known as Jude Thaddeus and shares the same name as Judas the Iscariot. So why is St. Jude Thaddaeus the patron saint of desperate causes? One tradition: When one hears the name Judas (Latin and Greek) or even Jude (English), unfortunately, one immediately thinks of Judas Iscariot who betrayed our Lord. Not exactly the person I'd call on spiritually in a time of distress. Ah, but St. Jude (Thaddeus, son of James) is ready and waiting to hear the prayers of those who call upon him. Fortunately for us, he is a popular saint known to help the impossible causes.
There is a tradition which holds that after the resurrection, St. Jude Thaddaeus retrieved our Lord's burial cloth, which many believe to be the Shroud of Turin. He eventually brought it to an area in present day Turkey. St. Jude also preached the gospel in Mesopotamia where he was joined by St. Simon. From there, they did missionary work in Persia, where they suffered martyrdom. Their feast day is today October 28th.
