Prayer for kids

Prayer to Saint Jude

The prayer to Saint Jude asks the apostle, patron of difficult and desperate cases, to pray for us when almost all hope seems lost. Many families pray it as a novena, nine days in a row, often ending on his feast, October 28.

Saint Jude Thaddeus in a green robe with a staff and a small flame above his head, on a hill at sunset

Prayer to Saint Jude

Pray together

O most glorious Apostle Saint Jude! Faithful servant and friend of Jesus. The name of the traitor who delivered your beloved Master into the hands of His enemies has been the cause that many have forgotten you, but the Church honors and invokes you universally as the patron of difficult and desperate cases. Pray for me who am so miserable and use, I beseech you, that special privilege granted to you to help visibly and promptly when almost all hope has been lost. Come to my aid in this great necessity, so that I may receive the consolations and help of heaven in all my needs, tribulations and sufferings, particularly (let each one make here their special petitions), and so that I may bless God with you and with all the elect for all eternity.

I promise you, glorious Saint Jude, to remember always this great favor and never to cease honoring you as my special and powerful protector and to do all I can to promote your devotion. Amen.

The traditional prayer, as EWTN publishes it in its Novena to Saint Jude Thaddeus.

Pray it with Clara at bedtime, in the Little Prayer Stories app.Get the app →

How to pray the novena to Saint Jude

A novena is nine days of prayer in a row. The word comes from the Latin for nine, and it recalls Mary and the apostles, Jude among them, praying together in the days before Pentecost.

The long form adds an act of contrition, the litany of Saint Jude and a short reading for each day. With children, this short form is enough:

Choose your nine daysAny nine days work. To finish on his feast, October 28, begin on October 20.
Begin with the Sign of the CrossIn the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Pray the prayer to Saint JudeThe prayer above, with your petition in the middle.
Add an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory BePray at the same time each day. Bedtime is easiest with children.

How to pray it with your child

1
Name the need together
Where the prayer leaves room for your petition, let your child name the person or the problem in their own words.
2
Little ones: the first line
For small children, “Saint Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, pray for us” is a whole prayer. Read the rest yourself while they listen.
3
Say thank you
The prayer ends with a promise to remember the favor. When a prayer is answered, thank God and Saint Jude together, out loud.

Questions parents ask

Why does the prayer mention a traitor?

Because Jude shares his name with Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Jesus. The prayer says the name made many people forget the faithful Jude. They are two different apostles.

When is the novena to Saint Jude prayed?

Any time of year, whenever there is a need. Many people pray it from October 20 to 28, so it ends on his feast.

Can children pray to Saint Jude?

Yes. Children can ask any saint to pray for them, the way they would ask a friend. Saint Jude is a good friend to call on when something feels too hard.

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Prayer to Saint Jude