The following comes from a January 1 Simi Valley Acorn article by Hector Gonzalez:
Catholics in Ventura County and around Southern California will be celebrating next month when one of the church’s most venerated relics makes a visit to St. Rose of Lima in Simi Valley for three days of healing masses.
It will be the first time the arm of St. Jude, which is normally kept in the Dominican Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus in Chicago, is displayed on the West Coast, according to the Father Joseph Shea of St. Rose of Lima.
“It’s never traveled this far west,” he said.
Accompanying the relic will be the Father Michail Forde of the Dominican Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus, who will lead the special masses at the church at 1305 Royal Ave. The services will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 11 to 13.
On Jan. 13, the St. Jude Blessing Mass will take place at the Simi Valley church, Shea said.
Known as the saint of the impossible, St. Jude, who was also called Thaddeus, was a brother of St. James the Less and a relative of Jesus, according to Catholic tradition.
“We’re inviting everyone, but especially people who are ill or facing difficulties,” Father Shea said.
For more information about the St. Jude relic event, call St. Rose of Lima Church at (805) 526-1732 or visit the-shrine.org.
Who cut off St Jude’s arm and placed it in an encasement so it could be taken around for worship? Seems a bit sicko to me.
Totally agree. Surely there must be less morbid ways of venerating a Saint than this.
Maria M. and Caritas, according to Tradition, St. Jude was beheaded by those who killed him. Perhaps this was all that was left of his remains after many years. You will find in the Old Testament, 2Kings 13:20-21NAB, that a man was restored to life after his body touched the bones of the dead prophet Elisha. Also, see Acts 5:15-16 and Acts 19:11-12 in the New Testament for miraculous healing involving the shadow of St. Peter and the touch of cloths from St. Paul.
Correction: St. Jude was killed with a club.
I think only the Modern Mind would find something like this to be “sicko” or “morbid”. And no, relics are not “worshiped”, they are VENERATED. Man in centuries past would be puzzled by these expressions of repulsion. When St. Anthony of Padua’s body was exhumed by the Franciscan Friars 32 years after his death, all of his body had been reduced to dust and bones, EXCEPT for his tongue, which remained perfectly intact. St. Bonaventure, who was present as minister general of the Friars Minor, took the tongue reverently into his hands and exclaimed, “O blessed tongue, which has always blessed God and caused others to bless Him, now it appears evident how great were your merits before God!” And a special reliquary was constructed for…
What a privilege to be able to attend a healing mass !! Venerating the arm of a saint!!