St. Jude Prayer for Hope in Difficult and Hopeless Cases

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St. Jude is the apostle Catholics turn to especially in difficult or seemingly hopeless situations. You can ask him to pray with you when you cannot see a way forward. Begin with the short prayer below, pausing to name the person or need you are bringing to God.

The prayers in the boxes on this page were composed for this guide. For the familiar prayer beginning “O glorious Apostle, St. Jude Thaddeus,” see the Prayer to St. Jude published by the Diocese of Saint Petersburg.

A short St. Jude prayer

Saint Jude, faithful apostle of Jesus,
pray for me in this difficult time.
I place before God the need that weighs on my heart:
(name your intention).
Ask the Lord to strengthen my hope,
guide my next step,
and help me receive the support I need.
Keep me close to Jesus when I am afraid,
patient when I must wait,
and attentive to the good I can do today.
Saint Jude, pray for me and for all who feel alone.
Amen.

A St. Jude prayer for urgent help

When a problem feels too large to carry, you do not need an elaborate prayer. Tell God what is happening and ask St. Jude to intercede for you.

Saint Jude, I am troubled by a situation I cannot resolve alone.
Pray for me as I bring this need to the Lord:
(pause and speak honestly).
Ask Jesus for the help that will lead me toward what is good,
the courage to take the next right step,
and the humility to accept help from others.
May fear never persuade me that I am beyond God’s love.
Stay with me in prayer as I entrust this need to him.
Amen.

After praying, choose one useful action you can take: ask someone trustworthy for help, make the call you have been postponing, or attend to the responsibility that is in front of you. You can continue praying while the situation remains unresolved.

A prayer for someone who is sick

You may name a loved one aloud or quietly. If you do not know what to ask for, begin with their name and leave room for silence.

Saint Jude, pray for N., who is sick,
and for everyone caring for them.
Ask the Lord to bring healing, comfort and strength,
to guide those responsible for their care,
and to give our family patience and tenderness.
Help us notice the needs we can meet today.
May N. know the nearness of Christ
through every anxious hour.
Amen.

You may also request a Mass intention for someone who is ill. A Mass intention is a different practice from a personal devotional prayer; our guide explains how to contact a parish.

How to pray to St. Jude

  1. Become still for a moment. Make the Sign of the Cross if you wish and remember that you are in God’s presence.
  2. Name your intention. Be specific about the person or difficulty. You can use the words above or your own words.
  3. Ask St. Jude to pray for you. His intercession directs your hope toward God.
  4. Allow some silence. There is no need to fill every moment with words or force a particular feeling.
  5. Entrust the outcome to God. Ask for help and also for the grace to respond faithfully while you wait.

Catholic prayer to a saint asks for that saint’s intercession. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2683, teaches that the saints continue to care for us and that we may ask them to intercede for us. St. Jude’s prayer belongs within this communion of love in Christ.

For prayers to use alongside this devotion, see our Catholic prayers guide, including the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

Who is St. Jude?

St. Jude Thaddeus is one of the Twelve Apostles. He is a different person from Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus. Because Jude and Judas are forms of the same name, the distinction can be confusing when reading the lists of the apostles.

Pope Benedict XVI’s audience on Simon and Jude explains the names used for Jude in the Gospels: Matthew and Mark name Thaddaeus, while Luke names Judas, son of James. Benedict also points to Jude’s question at the Last Supper in John 14:22. Jude asks Jesus how he will make himself known to the disciples rather than to the world.

We know relatively little about Jude’s life from the New Testament. His place among the apostles gives us something firmer than a detailed legend: he was called to follow Jesus. Asking his prayers can also remind us to follow Christ in the circumstances of our own lives.

Why is St. Jude the patron of hopeless cases?

Catholic devotion associates St. Jude with difficult and desperate needs. The Diocese of Saint Petersburg’s St. Jude prayer reflects this familiar patronage and asks for his prayers in suffering.

Calling a situation “hopeless” describes how it can feel to us. It does not mean that a person is beyond God’s love. You can ask for a particular outcome while also asking for perseverance, wise counsel, reconciliation, or the strength to face what you cannot control.

You do not have to wait until every other prayer has failed before asking St. Jude’s intercession.

When is St. Jude’s feast day?

In the Roman Catholic calendar, Saints Simon and Jude share a feast on October 28. In 2026, October 28 falls on a Wednesday. The USCCB readings for October 28, 2026 identify the celebration as the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles.

The Gospel for their feast is Luke 6:12–16, in which Jesus prays and then chooses the Twelve. You can read the passage, pray for the Church and its mission, and bring your own intention to God. You may ask St. Jude’s prayers on any day of the year.

Questions about St. Jude prayers

Is there one required St. Jude prayer?

For personal devotion, you can ask St. Jude to pray for you in your own words. The prayers on this page are original devotional prayers. If you are looking for a familiar shrine prayer, use the version published by the Diocese of Saint Petersburg, which credits the Saint Jude Shrine.

What is the difference between a St. Jude prayer and a novena?

A prayer can be offered once or become part of your daily routine. A novena is a devotion usually spread over nine days. The National Shrine of Saint Jude’s explanation of its novenas describes this nine-day pattern. A complete novena has its own schedule; the prayers here can be used whenever you need words for a personal intention.

Does a St. Jude prayer guarantee a miracle?

No particular wording, number of repetitions or deadline gives us control over God’s response. The Catechism, 2111, cautions against treating the external performance of prayer as something magical. Pray with confidence in God’s love and openness to his will.

Must I post or publish a prayer afterward?

You may freely share gratitude or a testimony, but publishing a prayer is not a condition that makes God hear you. Be wary of instructions claiming that a prayer will only work if you copy it, distribute it, or post it a certain number of times. The Church’s teaching on prayer and superstition points us toward trust in God rather than such conditions.

Can I pray for someone else?

Yes. Ask St. Jude to intercede for a family member, friend, a community facing hardship, or someone whose situation you do not fully understand. You can also pray for the people helping them. Leave space to listen to that person’s needs and offer the practical kindness you can.

Continue praying

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