Every year, on October 28, the Church celebrates the feast of Saints Jude and Simon. Countless faithful turn to St. Jude, the patron saint of hopeless and desperate cases, seeking strength in life’s darkest moments.
In this account, two parishioners from St. Jude’s Church in Rawang, Malaysia, share how his intercession has transformed their struggles into stories of faith and hope.
“My devotion to St. Jude is both a legacy and a lifeline,” Mercy Stellus tells Radio Veritas Asia.
Friend & Comfort
Mercy, a schoolteacher, has been part of the Rawang St. Jude’s Parish community in the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for 59 years and is still actively involved in the life of the Church.
“My late father, Stellus Almeida, helped build this church by sourcing building materials and workers. And I began to build a special devotion to the saint within the walls of St. Jude, Rawang.
“St. Jude has been my friend, my comfort, and my hope in every impossible moment, from being blessed with my ‘miracle daughter’ to surviving a near-fatal infectious vector-borne illness. I’ve learned that faith isn’t about surrender, it’s about holding on to that last thread of hope and trusting that God will weave it into something beautiful.”
For Mercy, and for many who turn to the patron saint of impossible causes, devotion to him is not an act of surrender but one of desperate, tenacious hope. “When life feels impossible, even a tiny thread of faith becomes everything,” she says.
To her, St. Jude represents that final piece of string believers cling to when all else fails, a saint for the desperate, yet deeply hopeful. Prayer to him, she says, is never passive but an active, courageous choice to believe in a future that still matters, even when it seems out of reach.
Referring to the annual St. Jude feast, Mercy says it is more than a celebration; it is the very heart of her faith journey. The novenas, Holy Hour, Mass, and especially the procession create a rich and unifying experience that brings faith into the streets and strengthens the bonds of a community built on gratitude, devotion, and enduring hope.
Closer to Jesus
For Cynthia Junavence, a line from the St. Jude novena prayer holds special meaning: “O God, who through Thy blessed apostle Jude, hast brought us unto the knowledge of Thy name.” The words remind her that faith is both a gift and a calling to know Jesus more deeply through life’s trials and blessings.
Having grown up in the Church of St. Jude, Rawang, she admits that, like many cradle Catholics, she once took her faith for granted. But her late grandfather’s constant reminder that St. Jude would never let her down became her anchor during one of her darkest moments.
When she failed her CLP exams on her first attempt, she was devastated. Watching her friends move on while she struggled to try again left her feeling helpless. At her lowest point, she turned to the patron saint of hopeless cases in prayer. What followed, she believes, was nothing short of a miracle, passing her CLP on the second attempt despite her self-doubt. That moment deepened her faith and revealed the power of St. Jude’s intercession.
Throughout her legal career, Cynthia has continued to seek St. Jude’s guidance in times of stress and uncertainty. Though now attending another parish, she returns to Rawang every October for the novena, grateful for the graces that have shaped her journey.
“No matter where life takes me,” she says softly, “I will always return to thank St. Jude, not just for the miracles I received, but for teaching me that even in hopelessness, there is always hope.”
For Mercy and Cynthia, St. Jude is more than a patron of lost causes, he is a friend who walks with them through life’s uncertainties, a quiet witness to faith born out of struggle.
Yet beyond their personal stories, the devotion to St. Jude at Rawang speaks to something greater: the steadfast faith of ordinary people who continue to believe even when the odds seem impossible.
Every candle lit, every novena whispered, every step in the procession tells a story of hearts refusing to give up. In the Church of St. Jude, Rawang, the devotion has become not merely a tradition but a lifeline, a reminder that miracles often begin where human hope ends, and that even the smallest prayer offered in faith can move mountains.
