Thousands waited in line at St. Jude’s Catholic Church in Ceres on Friday afternoon into evening seeking healing and hope through a relic.
The curiosity level was high for the rare display of a bone fragment from the arm of one of Jesus’ apostles, Jude Thaddeus. The relic, housed for 359 years inside of a wooden – some accounts say silver – replica of a man’s arm raised upward as a sign of blessing, is considered by the Catholic Church to facilitate hope for hopeless situations.
One by one parishioners were allowed up to 10 seconds to pray before the DNA of St. Jude, one of the Catholic Church’s most beloved saints, and the one to whom parishioners turn to when they are desperate and have tried everything else in seemingly hopeless situations. As many touched the glass case with one hand, the other held a cell phone camera to record the historical relic – which has been on a cross-country tour since September 2023.
Some showed great emotion and were awe of being in the presence of a tangible item that was once in the presence of Jesus Christ before his death in 33 A.D.
According to tradition, Jude was martyred in 65 A.D. in Beirut where he was originally buried. His remains – except for the arm bone – were taken to Rome and placed in a crypt in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City in 1665. The arm bone was placed inside of a metal carving of an upright arm in the gesture of giving a blessing.
The Catholic Church reveres relics which have a direct link with Jesus or his apostles. They include body fragments, items personally owned by a saint, such as garments or books or a fragment, or items said purportedly touched by a saint.
Those of the faith believe that touching the container holding the relic is “sufficient to bring about that transformation.”
According to the website apostleoftheimpossible.com, relics are not considered magic but “any good that comes about through a relic is God’s doing.”
“For me, my faith is the most important thing,” said Araceli Ramirez, who was helping to usher the handicapped and elderly into the sanctuary. “And then coming to talk to St. Jude – he’s the saint of impossible cases – I asked him, I said, ‘Hey, I would like to help disabled people when they come.’ And all of a sudden she (Maryann David) came up to me and said, ‘We need help for the disabled.’ So I’m helping them. But I asked St. Jude and he said, ‘Okay, you want to do that? I’m going to put you in charge of that.’”
Silvia Camarillo, a parishioner of the Ceres church, said another purpose of the tour is to collect donations for a repair of the shrine of St. Jude in Rome. She also heard that tour has been extended by the Pope due to its popularity.
The relic also became a point of education for young people brought to the church about the revered saint, said Camarillo.
The relic has been in the custody of Father Carlos Martins who has accompanied it all over the nation, making stops in approximately 100 cities, including Stockton, Modesto, Livingston, Vallejo and Sacramento.
Jude was the son of Mary of Clopas (Cleophas), the sister of the Virgin Mary and one of the “three Marys” who stood by Jesus during his crucifixion.
Opinion is divided on whether Jude the apostle was also Jude, brother of Jesus, the traditional author of the Epistle of Jude. Generally, Catholics believe the two Judes are the same person.
The largest children’s hospital in the country was named after St. Jude by entertainer Danny Thomas to give hope to children with severe medical conditions.
Also taking place during the eight-hour event were vendors selling books, rosaries, medallions and necklaces.
St. Jude’s has approximately 7,000 parishioners, making it the largest church in Ceres.
