St. Jude was one of the twelve apostles (not to be confused with Judas) and was likely a cousin of Jesus. During the desperate times of the Great Depression and World War II, devotion to this “patron saint of impossible causes” led to the establishment of the National Shrine of St. Jude in Chicago. Word spread throughout the United States, and to this day St. Jude is a source of strength for many people when all hope is dwindling.

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