The relic of Saint Jude tours Southern California

Still shaken after exiting St. Joseph Catholic Church in Pomona, Rosa Flores said she couldn’t hold back tears of joy and gratitude when she touched the relic of Saint Jude Thaddeus on Tuesday. Flores waited in line for about five hours to see and touch the relic believed to perform miracles. In a line that seemed to have no end, thousands of parishioners and believers waited. Their faith was strong, and their time was devoted to that special visit. 

Saint Jude is known as the Patron Saint of Hope and impossible Causes. According to representatives of the Vatican Pilgrimage, the reliquary, which holds a bone fragment of St. Jude’s arm, left Rome for the first time in 1,700 years. It started touring the United States in September 2023, stopping in 100 cities and will make its last stop on May 30 in Southern California.

Flores has always believed in God and the Virgin of Guadalupe, but about 18 years ago, she became a follower of Saint Jude after experiencing what she claims is a miracle. She was facing a challenging moment in her life, and one day, she found a small piece of paper on her patio. She thought it was strange because no one had come into her house.

“When I picked it up, it was the image of St. Jude,” she said in Spanish. “The image is not very good, but I prayed, and St. Jude helped me.”

Flores said her problems were solved, and since then, she has kept the paper with the image with her. When she is facing difficulty, she prays to Saint Jude. When she heard the relic would be in Pomona, she didn’t hesitate to stop by. Once she made it inside the church, Flores was live streaming to her family and friends, but as she was getting closer to the relic, she couldn’t hold back her tears, and her body started to shake. 

“The lady behind me told me to calm down because I was very emotional to see the relic,” she said, assuring that this is a great moment that she will cherish for life. 

An unforgettable visit

Saint Jude was one of Jesus Christ’s 12 Apostles, whose mission was to carry the Christian message to the world with unique authority, states the official page of St Jude, the apostle of the impossible. The website explains that St. Jude’s body was placed in a crypt in Rome within the original Saint Peter’s Basilica. His remains are in the left transept of the current basilica, which was completed in 1626, below the main altar of Saint Joseph.

The Cardinal Archpriest Emeritus of Saint Peter’s Basilica, Angelo Cardinal Comastri, said in a letter last year that after receiving the necessary authorizations, the relic of Saint Jude was permitted to start the pilgrimage in September 2023. The objective is “to bring the Catholic community of the United States of America a breath of fervor and a renewed will to follow the missionary zeal of the Apostles,” said Comastri.  

For many people, it is a unique experience to be so close to the saint who preached next to Jesus Christ. Thousands of people of different ethnicities and all ages, from newborns to older adults in wheelchairs, patiently waited in line. 

Outside the church, Paz Landero had a small image of Saint Jude and said she was still emotional due to the unforgettable experience. She was also very impressed with the image she carried because she had found it on the floor before entering the church. She tried to return it to the person selling images on a small table, thinking it belonged to her, but the seller refused to accept it. 

“She said. ‘If it went your way, it’s because it belongs to you. I will give it to you,’” said Landero. “It was very emotional because we came from San Bernardino with my husband, who is blind, and we really wanted to see the relic. Now I’m taking home an image that has been blessed by the presence of Saint Jude.”

Upcoming visits

Comastri stated that the pilgrimage of the relic is expected to bring a new, much-needed, and urgent evangelization.“because society has become distant from Jesus and it suffers as a consequence of distance,” he said in the letter.  

The relic of Saint Jude will be touring Southern California for two more weeks. It will visit a few more cities, including Orange, Los Angeles, San Gabriel, West Covina, Claremont, Diamond Bar and Camarillo. To see the complete schedule, visit: https://apostleoftheimpossible.com/tour-schedule/