How to Pray a St Jude Novena: Hope When Words Are Difficult
A St Jude novena is a period of prayer, usually kept over nine days, asking God for help through the intercession of Saint Jude. It can be prayed for your own intention or for someone else. You do not have to find perfect words before you begin.
At Paisley Honey, a devotional gift can involve a very short inscription: a name, a date, a few words of care. The available space is small, while the feeling behind it may be considerable. That relationship between a simple object and something difficult to say offers a human way into devotion to St Jude.
When someone we love is struggling, we may have little power to change their circumstances. Prayer gives us a way to bring that person before God and to remain attentive to them.
Who was Saint Jude?
Saint Jude, often called Jude Thaddaeus, is one of the Twelve Apostles. He is distinct from Judas Iscariot. The similar names can cause confusion, but Christian tradition remembers them as different people.
The Gospels give us little biographical detail about Jude. In John 14:22, Judas “not Iscariot” asks Jesus a question about how he will reveal himself to the disciples. Later Christian traditions tell more about Jude’s missionary work; those accounts should be distinguished from what the New Testament directly records.
His feast is shared with Saint Simon on 28 October. Remembering that shared day places Jude within the company of the apostles, rather than treating him only as the answer to a particular kind of problem.
Benedict XVI’s audience on Simon and Jude explains the names and the scriptural background.
Why do people turn to St Jude in difficult situations?
Catholic devotion honours Jude as a patron of difficult or seemingly hopeless causes. The St Jude Shrine in Baltimore also speaks of him as a patron of hope.
That language needs tenderness. A person is never a “lost cause”. The expression concerns circumstances that seem beyond our ability to resolve. It should not become a label for someone who is ill, grieving, isolated or frightened.
Asking Jude to intercede means asking him to pray with and for us before God. It is not a way of purchasing an outcome or forcing God’s hand. Christian hope can sustain us while a situation remains unresolved.
If the language of intercession is unfamiliar, our guide to prayer and the saints offers more context.
What is a novena?
A novena is a sustained period of prayer traditionally associated with nine days. The word comes from the Latin for nine. There are many forms: some use the same prayer daily; others add different readings or intentions.
You can follow an established St Jude novena through a shrine or parish. The National Shrine of St Jude in Faversham offers a novena running from 20 to 28 October 2026, concluding on the feast day. Other communities may begin on different dates.
The structure below is a suggested personal practice. Its short prayer is written for this guide, rather than presented as an official liturgical text.
How to pray a simple St Jude novena
Choose one intention
Name the person or situation you want to bring before God. It may help to write a sentence in a notebook. Keep it honest and plain: “For my friend during a difficult time,” or “For patience and guidance while I wait.”
You can ask for a particular need while also leaving room for God’s wisdom and for help you cannot yet imagine.
Set aside a little time each day
Choose nine consecutive days and a manageable time. A few attentive minutes are a sensible beginning. A novena can be prayed at home, in church or with someone else.
If you want to finish on 28 October, begin on 20 October. You can also pray a novena at another time of year.
Begin with God
Make the sign of the cross if it is part of your practice. Become still for a moment and name your intention.
You may read John 14:22–23 from your own Bible. Let the passage remind you that Jude belongs within the Gospel story and that the prayer is directed towards God.
Ask for Jude’s prayers
You can use these words or your own:
God of mercy, receive the person and the need I bring before you. Saint Jude, pray with me for courage, wisdom and hope. Help me to recognise the care I can offer today, and to trust what I cannot yet understand. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Remain quiet briefly. Then pray the Our Father and finish with thanks.
Return tomorrow
Repeat the practice for nine days. You may keep the same intention or add a particular aspect of it: support for a family, clear judgement, kindness from others, or strength for the day ahead.
A short daily note can help you remember whom you are praying for and whether there is some practical help you could offer.
If you miss a day
Resume the prayer when you can. There is no need to treat an interrupted personal novena as a spiritual failure. If you are following a particular community’s devotional form, follow its guidance.
The purpose is faithful prayer. Turning the calendar into a source of fear would obscure that purpose. Our introduction to rosary novenas explains how different forms can fit different circumstances.
Giving a reminder of prayer
A devotional gift can express willingness to remember someone. A Saint Jude engraved rosary pouch can keep their prayer beads together, while a Saint Jude medal necklace offers a small, portable reminder of the saint.
Choose something that suits the recipient’s own faith and preferences. A gift should not ask them to display hope for the giver’s reassurance, or imply that they would recover or resolve a difficulty if they prayed hard enough.
Sometimes the most helpful accompaniment is a short note: “I am thinking of you and remembering you in prayer.” Then keep in touch after the parcel has arrived.
Let prayer become care
The nine days can also be a time to listen. Ask whether a meal, a lift, help with an errand or an undemanding message would be welcome. When the difficulty is beyond your ability to solve, a dependable presence still has value.
That is the connection between a small devotional object and a much larger intention. It gives care somewhere tangible to begin.
Paisley Honey is a Scottish handmade devotional gift business based in Paisley, with 32,000+ orders fulfilled across platforms and thousands of five-star reviews from customers around the world. Read why customers trust Paisley Honey for more about our work and customer care.
Questions about a St Jude novena
Can I pray it for someone else?
Yes. You can bring another person’s needs before God, while respecting their privacy and wishes.
Do I need a special St Jude rosary?
No. You can pray without beads. If you include the rosary, an ordinary Catholic rosary is suitable; a St Jude image or medal is optional.
Is a novena a promise that my request will be granted?
No. It is a practice of petition, trust and perseverance, not a guarantee of a particular result.
Can Anglicans take part?
Anglican approaches to asking saints for intercession vary. Someone who does not practise it can keep nine days of prayer addressed directly to God, using the Our Father and their own intentions.
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