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St Jude: apostle whose namesake storm is about to batter Britain St Jude: apostle whose namesake storm is about to batter Britain
(35 minutes later)
Not to be confused with Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, Jude Thaddeus was one of the earliest of Christ's 12 apostles and is the patron saint of lost causes.Not to be confused with Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, Jude Thaddeus was one of the earliest of Christ's 12 apostles and is the patron saint of lost causes.
Yet it's not for the ominous overtones that a Met Office clerk named the incoming storm forecast to batter the southern half of Britain but for the fact that 28 October – the day when the weather system is expected to be at its height – is also St Jude's feast day.Yet it's not for the ominous overtones that a Met Office clerk named the incoming storm forecast to batter the southern half of Britain but for the fact that 28 October – the day when the weather system is expected to be at its height – is also St Jude's feast day.
Hacked to death in Armenia, Jude, believed to be a blood relative of Jesus, is often depicted with the instrument of his martyrdom, an axe or halberd.Hacked to death in Armenia, Jude, believed to be a blood relative of Jesus, is often depicted with the instrument of his martyrdom, an axe or halberd.
While St Peter is shown holding the keys to the kingdom and St Sebastian shown pierced full of arrows, Jude can also be seen carrying an image of Jesus, known as the Mandylion of Edessa, close to his chest. The apostle is said to have cured the king of Edessa (in modern-day Turkey) of leprosy after bringing him a cloth bearing Jesus's face. While St Peter is shown holding the keys to the kingdom and St Sebastian shown pierced BY arrows, Jude can also be seen carrying an image of Jesus, known as the Mandylion of Edessa, close to his chest. The apostle is said to have cured the king of Edessa (in modern-day Turkey) of leprosy after bringing him a cloth bearing Jesus's face.
His association with lost causes is derived from his letter to his brother, James, bishop of Jerusalem, which advised him to keep his faith during trying times.His association with lost causes is derived from his letter to his brother, James, bishop of Jerusalem, which advised him to keep his faith during trying times.
As winds of 80mph are expected to tear across southern counties, one place in in Kent might be expected to pray a little harder – the Carmelite monastery in Faversham where they hold a a bone fragment of St Jude, a first-class relic in the Catholic faith. As winds of 80mph are expected to tear across the south of England, one place in in Kent might be expected to pray a little harder – the Carmelite monastery in Faversham where they hold a a bone fragment of St Jude, a first-class relic in the Catholic faith.
The St Jude shrine manager, Matthew Betts, says they are still expecting up to a thousand pilgrims to attend the feast day service on Monday and their relic will be on display for pilgrims to touch. The St Jude shrine manager, Matthew Betts, said they were expecting up to 1,000 pilgrims to attend the feast day service on Monday and their relic will be on display for pilgrims to touch.
Being in the target zone of the storm will not stop the festivities. "We're carrying on as normal. We have so many pilgrims coming down to Faversham we don't want to let them down."Being in the target zone of the storm will not stop the festivities. "We're carrying on as normal. We have so many pilgrims coming down to Faversham we don't want to let them down."
Betts, 33, admits it is a slight spin but says they describe St Jude as patron saint of "difficult cases" rather than "lost causes". Betts, 33, admitted it is a slight spin but said St Jude was described as patron saint of "difficult cases" rather than "lost causes".
"There's a lot of people suffering with illnesses, they can't find a cure, who want to just pray [at the shrine] to see if St Jude can help them in some way. There are also people who are worried about things in their lives and feel that they need to go to St Jude. He's a saint who helps a lot of people."There's a lot of people suffering with illnesses, they can't find a cure, who want to just pray [at the shrine] to see if St Jude can help them in some way. There are also people who are worried about things in their lives and feel that they need to go to St Jude. He's a saint who helps a lot of people.
"There's a lady who spoke to me only yesterday who said she was having trouble with her family, that she'd fallen out with her children" and they hadn't spoken for 10 years," he says. "There's a lady who spoke to me only yesterday who said she was having trouble with her family, that she'd fallen out with her children and they hadn't spoken for 10 years," he said.
"She prayed to St Jude they could get together again and that happened. And now they're back on track. St Jude helped her to realise where she'd gone wrong.""She prayed to St Jude they could get together again and that happened. And now they're back on track. St Jude helped her to realise where she'd gone wrong."
However, if it is specifically storm protection you are after, St Vitus – the patron saint of tempests – is your man. Fearing the effects of excessive rain? St Geneviève is your woman.However, if it is specifically storm protection you are after, St Vitus – the patron saint of tempests – is your man. Fearing the effects of excessive rain? St Geneviève is your woman.
"The beauty of the Catholic faith is, there's a patron saint for everything." "The beauty of the Catholic faith is, there's a patron saint for everything," Betts said.
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