I have much to thank God and Saint Jude Thaddeus for this season in my life. St. Jude is one of the 12 apostles of Christ and different from Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Christ. After a year of health struggles and dark times, I am very grateful to do this post on St. Jude. He is the saint for hopeless and impossible causes. He is also identified as an intercessor, as one who advocates for the devout. Orsi (1996) noted that at one point St. Jude was referred to as “saint of the whole world, Catholic or non-Catholic” (p.29). St. Jude was a powerful symbol of hope during my difficult seasons with fostering resilience and persistence in helping me move forward. I will not get into the details of my health struggles. All I will say is that it scared the living daylights out of me. Thus, my gratitude and appreciation to God and St. Jude.
I am very honored to present the interview on Saint Jude by Dr. Andrew Chesnut, professor of religious studies and Bishop Walter F. Sullivan Chair at Virginia Commonwealth University. I love his enthusiasm and depth of knowledge on St. Jude. A Big Thank you to Dr. Chesnut. Hope readers view the interview, especially as Dr. Chesnut outlines the history and current popularity of St. Jude in the Americas: North, Central and South.
In the United States, we have the famous National Shrine of Saint Jude in Chicago, maintained by the Claretian order. The shrine of Saint Jude is housed in Our Lady of Guadalupe church. Martin (2025) writes about St. Jude as a symbol of hope as countless devotees visit the shrine or send prayer petitions through mail or online. Martin (2025) noted that hundreds of thousands of prayer requests each month are read, placed at the shrine and prayed over by the Claretians. I have also sent prayer requests over mail to the National Shrine of Saint Jude.
Additionally, in the United States, the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospitals originated with the entertainer, Danny Thomas. Thomas built the first hospital in Memphis, Tennessee to honor St. Jude after his success in his show business career. Thomas prayed so that he can support his family. According to Martin (2025), Thomas found a St. Jude card at a pew in St. Clement church in Lincoln Park, which initiated his devotion to St. Jude.
PLEASE SEE LINK BELOW FOR INTERVIEW:
ST. JUDE THADDEUS: INTERVIEW WITH DR. CHESNUT
Hope all of you enjoyed the interview. I pasted links to Saint Jude National Shrine and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospitals if people want to donate. I also added links where Dr. Chesnut can be contacted.
CONTACT INFO BELOW FOR ST. JUDE organizations:
THE ST. JUDE CHILDREN’S RESEARCH HOSPITALS
Dr. Chesnut can be contacted at the following:
Academia:
https://vcu.academia.edu/AndrewChesnut
https://globalreligions.vcu.edu/directory/chesnut.html
Blog
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/theglobalcatholicreview/
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