Relic of St. Jude makes stop in Utah during tour of U.S.

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SALT LAKE CITY — Catholics in the Diocese of Salt Lake City will have the opportunity to venerate a relic of one of the 12 apostles on Oct. 19, when the Arm of Saint Jude Thaddeus will visit St. Ambrose Catholic Church. That day is the only time the relic is scheduled to be in Utah as part of a tour that is traveling to more than 100 cities in the United States.

The remains of St. Jude have been housed in Rome since 355, when they were brought there by Constantine, the first Christian emperor. Originally the remains were buried under the Old St. Peter’s Basilica. Today they are in the left transept of the current basilica, which was completed in 1626. The remains are entombed below the main altar of Saint Joseph; the tomb also holds the remains of the Apostle Simon.

The Arm of St. Jude was separated from the rest of his remains several centuries ago and placed in a wooden reliquary carved in the shape of an upright arm in the gesture of imparting a blessing. This is the relic that will visit Utah.

This is the first time any of St. Jude’s remains have left that resting place. The tour has been organized by Treasures of the Church, “a Catholic Ministry of evangelization that uses the relics of the saints to give people an experience of the living God,” according to the organization’s mission statement.

The tour’s organizer, Father Carlos Martins, is friends with St. Ambrose pastor Father Erik Richtsteig. When an unexpected opening occurred in the tour schedule, Fr. Martins offered to bring the relic to St. Ambrose. Fr. Richtsteig eagerly accepted this opportunity for his parishioners and other Utah Catholics to have this blessing, said Sarah Maland, the parish’s RCIA director, who is helping organize the event.

“This is an opportunity for us to help provide a chance for people to come and venerate this relic,” Maland said. “St. Jude is considered the apostle of the impossible, so when people have no one else to turn to or have kind of exhausted all of the possibilities in terms of looking for healing and an answer, they tend to turn to prayer, and St. Jude has a track record of healing and of providing that hope for people.”

The veneration will open with a Mass; afterward, the faithful will have an opportunity to briefly touch the reliquary.

“It’s actually encouraged that people touch the reliquary, that they bring devotional items to touch to the reliquary itself,” Maland said. “Then those items will then become third-class relics.”

 These encounters will be limited to 10 seconds per person to allow all those who would like to touch the reliquary to do so, Maland said.

The Vatican has issued a plenary indulgence for those who venerate St. Jude’s relics. Those who wish to receive the indulgence should venerate the relic, pray for the pope, and go to Confession and receive the Eucharist within 20 days.

There is no cost to participate in the veneration, but donations will be accepted and devotional items will be for sale. All proceeds will go towards restoration of the shrine. No photography is permitted at the veneration.

“If you are in a state of needing healing, mentally, physically, this is an excellent opportunity to approach this relic and approach St. Jude in prayer and really ask him for his help,” Maland said.  “For people that are inquiring about the Catholic Church, the people that I work with through RCIA, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When are you going to see a relic of an apostle in essentially your hometown? It’s an incredible opportunity for people to come and venerate and have that experience.”

WHAT: Veneration of St. Jude relic

WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 19; Mass at 1 p.m. followed by veneration of the relic  until 9 p.m.

WHERE: St. Ambrose Catholic Church, 1975 South 2300 East, SLC