For this reason, in the most commonly used modern St. Jude prayer,

the faithful who have received St. Jude's aid are asked to spread the word of the power of his intercession.

This most often comes in the form of a thank you, and perhaps a paragraph or two telling the

story of the difficulty and the help received.

St. Jude's feast day is celebrated on October 28th, the anniversary of the day of his martyrdom.

THE ST. JUDE CHAPLET

On the crucifix, make the sign of the cross.

On the first set of three beads, say one Our Father on each.

On the second set of three beads, say one Hail Mary on each.

On the third set of three beads, say one Glory Be on each.

On the St. Jude medal, say:

Most holy apostle St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus,

the Church honors and invokes you universally

as the patron of hopeless cases, of things almost despaired of.

Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone.

Make use I implore you, of that particular privilege given to you,

to bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of.

Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation

and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings,

particularly [make your specific request here],

that I may praise God with you and all the Elect forever.

I promise, O blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor,

to always honor you as my special and powerful patron,

and to gratefully encourage devotion to you.

Amen.

THE SAINT JUDE NOVENA:

On the crucifix: 

The sign of the cross + one Our Father +

Oh Holy St. Jude, Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in

miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all

who invoke your special help in time of need, to you I have recourse

from the depth of my heart and humbly request assistance. 

Help me in my present and urgent petition [name your request here]. 

In return, I promise to make your name known and cause you to be invoked.

On the first set of 3 beads, pray one Our Father on each.

On the second set of 3 beads, pray one Hail Mary on each.

On the third set of 3 beads, pray one Glory Be on each.

Conclude on the St. Jude medal with Psalm 143 + concluding prayer:

Hear my prayer, O God, give ear to my supplications!

In your faithfulness and righteousness, answer me!

Enter not into judgment with your servant for no one living is righteous before you.

For the enemy has pursued me, has crushed my life to the ground,

and has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.

Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled.

I remember the days of old, I meditate on all that you have done;

I muse on what your hands have wrought,

I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.

Make haste to answer me, O God, My spirit fails!

Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the Pit,.

Let me hear in the mourning of your steadfast love, for in you I put my trust.

Teach me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

Deliver me, O God, from my enemies. 

I have fled to you for refuge!

Teach me to do your will for you are my God.

Let your good spirit lead me on a level path!

St. Jude, you remained faithful to our Lord, even unto death.

You gave your life so that others might live.

You endured physical pain and emotional abandonment.

But you gladly joined your sufferings to those of our Savior, Jesus,

and thus shared in the redemption of the world.

I ask you now to intercede with Our Lord, Jesus Christ, on my behalf,

so that I too can find strength in the face of my suffering.

Help me to trust in God and put my life in His hands. Amen.

On a personal note, from Annie:

It's difficult to speak about the patron of desperate causes without speaking of desperation, which is not the lightest of subjects for a rosary website. But it is a very important thing to reach out in compassion to others who may be suffering, because pain can be an terribly isolating thing to go through.

I found St. Jude in an unlikely place: the ethnic food section of my grocery store. I was in a bad way at the time, and had been praying for some weeks for help, albeit it in a disorganized manner. One rainy morning, while getting my shopping errand done, my eye caught a red sticker on the top shelf above the Mexican food. Some different religious candles were on sale. For a dollar.

I saw one with a nice picture that said St. Jude Tadeo on the front, and I took it down and read the prayer on the back. I'd never seen that prayer before. I took it home.

The prayer speaks of visible and speedy help, and that is exactly what I experienced. St. Jude has since interceded for wonderful things in my life, the best of which was leading me to the rosary. For this reason, I chose to fulfill my promise to let others know about St. Jude by making rosaries (and adding his medal to my pieces), because, for me, the two are inextricably tied to one another.

If you are in pain, please don't abandon yourself to the hell of losing faith. Reach for God. Pray. Hold on to any small sign placed in front of you. It is an act of faith to keep the light of hope alive in the darkness.

If what you are asking from St. Jude is help in walking a better interior path rather than needing something external, you might try this original prayer which I wrote for that reason (Father Shields, S.J. checked it for me, to be sure I didn't say things the wrong way). The answers aren't always easy, but you will know they're right.

God bless you and keep you in His loving arms.