St. Simon and St. Jude, Apostles

St. Simon is also known as Simon the Zealot or Simeon. Not much is known about him. It is thought that he and St. Jude traveled to Persia to preach the gospel there.

St. Jude is called the saint of lost causes. He gained this patronage because his name was similar to Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Jesus, so few people asked for his intercession. He is called Jude in the Gospel of Luke. In the Gospels of Matthew and Mark he is called Thaddeus. He is the author of the Epistle of Jude.

Both of these saints were eventually martyred.

Patron Saint of …

Simon the Zealot is the patron saint of leather craftsmen and tanners. Jude is the saint of hopeless causes (see above).

Daily Mass Readings for the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

• First Reading – Ephesians 2:19-22: “You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God”
• Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 19: “Their message goes out through all the earth.”
• Gospel – Luke 6:12-16: “When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles”

A Student’s Prayer to St. Jude Thaddeus

Feeling overwhelmed at school? This prayer for students invokes the intercession of the saint of impossible causes. Nothing in our lives is too big for God to handle.

Shrine of the Apostle Jude Thaddeus

This Dominican shrine in Chicago has a relic of the saint from his arm. This is the largest relic of any Apostle outside of Rome. Their site has lots of information about him.