Apostle of Jesus
A martyr Saint of old,
The cousin of our Saviour
Of whom thy love hath told.
A writer of the Scriptures
With tongues of fire aflame
The worker of great wonders
In Jesus' holy name.
St. Jude tho' oft forgotten,
Thou shall remembered be,
We hail thee now in glory
And have resource to thee.
Your help for the despairing
When hopeless seems the task,
And from the heart of Jesus
Thro' thee our favours ask:
In sickness, strife and sorrow,
When fierce the tempest proves,
Our confidence now strengthen
And fear leads to despair,
Then list to our petitions,
St. Jude, O hear our prayer.
Oh! Holy Jude, oh! Saint of love,
With grace bestowed by Heav'n above
To soothe man's cares, his griefs allay,
Oh! Pray for us, oh! Pray.
Oh! Saintly Jude, of Christ's dear kin
Who saved the Persian land from sin,
And drove the raging Ghouls away,
Oh! Pray for us, oh! Pray,
A martyr's death by Heav'n decreed
Endured for God and four our Creed.
Bedecks thy crown in bright aray,
Oh! pray for us, Oh! pray.
O! Gentile Jude, with heart so meek,
To aid we crave, thy help we seek
In our distress and our dismay,
Oh! Pray for us, oh! Pray,
We humbly ask with trustful heart,
That thou to us God's Grace impart,
And grant the boon we beg this day,
And pray for us, Oh! pray.
St. Jude the Patron of desperate cases
Through his miraculous powers renowned
His drawn countless devotees
To sleepy Jhansi town.
Although about him
Not much is known
But yet the fact remains
He was the cousin of the Saviour
And as a Saint in Heaven now reigns.
A quiet learned man was he
The scriptures he did write
And for the cause of those in need
With the Almighty he does plead.
Pilgrims flock throughout the year
His hallowed Shrine to visit
They invoke the blessings of this Saint
With religious fervour in it.
Impressive is the sturcture
Of this now famous shrine
Were pilgrims come far and wide
And for his solace pine.
There is no bar to caste or creed
The doors are open wide
St. Jude the mighty saint gives ear
To those who in him confide.
As the auspicious day draws nigh
Jhansi comes alive
And in numbers large do people flock
To attend the Novena in time.
Prayers go on for nine days of grace
Then the 28th October dawns
A miracle transforms an empty heart
And brightens a saddened face.
The clergy and the residents all eagerly unite
To make the pilgrims stay
A period of delight
The last three days are special ones.
They bring a note of cheer
A cultural programme - a song and dance affair
A Biblical fancy dress
That brings out ideas rare.
Towards evening people of all line
To carry in procession
The sacred statue of St. Jude
In prayers and veneration.
A special blessing of the sick
As a befitting conclusion
It heals the body, the soul the mind
Brings peace to all mankind.
-------Thelma & Tresa
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Novena to St. Jude