Immaculate Conception to host relic of St. Jude Thaddeus for veneration
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A relic belonging to St. Jude Thaddeus will soon be available for veneration at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Midtown, Memphis.
The relic is the arm bone of St. Jude Thaddeus. It will be made available for veneration at Immaculate Conception between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on March 9. A special 5 p.m. mass in honor of St. Jude Thaddeus will also take place on March 9.
Also called "dulia," a Latin term for veneration of angels and saints, is a category of prayer Catholics practice. It sits below "latria," the Latin term for the category of worship of the monotheistic religion's God.
St. Jude Thaddeus, or simply St. Jude for many, is the patron saint of lost causes, and the namesake of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Also known as the Apostle of The Impossible, the saint's name is synonymous with Memphis.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital founder, Danny Thomas, vowed to build a shrine to honor the saint, whom he prayed to as a young, struggling actor in Michigan with a pregnant wife.
After some desperate prayers to St. Jude, opportunities for Thomas started popping up; Thomas then became one of the most recognized entertainers in radio, television, and film during the '50s and '60s.
Thomas never forgot his vow to St. Jude Thaddeus, and the idea for a children's hospital was born as a result of his gratitude.
After years of fundraising with both Memphis' business community and the Arab-American community that formed the hospital's fundraising arm, ALSAC, the hospital opened it's doors in 1962 and Memphis' affiliation with the hospital's namesake began.
The relic has been venerated in Rome since St. Jude's death in the first century. The saint was clubbed to death in the historical region of Mesopotamia after spending a decade in the region preaching and converting many to Christianity.
Fr. Carlos Martins, a Vatican representative, is traveling with the relic and will be present for the veneration.
Micaela Watts is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal and can be reached at micaela.watts@commercialappeal.com.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: St. Jude Thaddeus relic made available for veneration at Immaculate Conception in Memphis
