St. Jude Novena: 9 Days of Prayer When All Seems Lost

When a cause seems truly lost, generations of Christians have turned to Saint Jude Thaddeus, the apostle and friend of Jesus honoured as the patron of hopeless and impossible cases. This page gathers the prayers of his devotion in one place: the complete nine-day Saint Jude novena, the beloved traditional prayer, a prayer for financial help, and a short daily prayer. If you want to know who Jude was, why the forgotten apostle became the saint of the impossible, and how to recognise him in art, read his full story in our article on Saint Jude Thaddeus, patron of hope and impossible causes.

The St. Jude Novena (9 Days)

A novena is nine consecutive days of prayer, in imitation of the nine days the apostles spent in prayer between the Ascension and Pentecost. How to pray it: each day, begin with the Opening Prayer, read the prayer of the day, then close with one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be. The novena is traditionally prayed from October 19 to 27, the nine days before his feast, but it may be prayed at any time of need.

Opening Prayer (every day)

O God, You made Your apostle Jude Thaddeus a faithful witness of Your Son and a helper of those who have lost all other hope. Through his intercession, hear the prayer I bring before You in this novena, and grant it according to Your will. Amen.

Day 1: Bring Him Your Impossible Cause

Saint Jude, the Church calls you the patron of impossible causes. Today I name mine before God: (mention your intention). I have carried it long enough alone; now I place it in your hands. Saint Jude, pray for us.

Day 2: Hope Against Hope

Saint Jude, apostle of hope, when everything in me says “it is too late” or “it is too much”, obtain for me the stubborn hope of the saints, the hope that does not disappoint, because it rests not on odds but on God. Saint Jude, pray for us.

Day 3: Faith Like the Apostles

Saint Jude, you left everything to follow Jesus. Strengthen my faith when it wavers, that I may believe not only when prayers are answered quickly, but also when heaven seems silent. Saint Jude, pray for us.

Day 4: Kinsman of Jesus

Saint Jude, relative of the Lord according to the flesh, you knew Jesus in the ordinariness of family life. Teach me to find Him in my own ordinary days, in my own family, in the people I am tempted to overlook. Saint Jude, pray for us.

Day 5: Bearer of the Holy Image

Saint Jude, tradition tells that you carried the image of Christ’s face to the sick king of Edessa, and that he was healed. Carry the face of Christ into my situation as well; let His light fall on what I cannot fix. Saint Jude, pray for us.

Day 6: Perseverance in Prayer

Saint Jude, I confess I grow tired of asking. Renew my perseverance, as the Lord taught: to ask, to seek, to knock, and not to lose heart. Saint Jude, pray for us.

Day 7: Peace in Waiting

Saint Jude, while I wait for God’s answer, obtain for me peace: the grace to do today’s duties, to love the people in front of me, and to leave tomorrow in God’s keeping. Saint Jude, pray for us.

Day 8: Gratitude Promised

Saint Jude, the faithful have always promised to make your name known in thanksgiving for favours received. I promise the same: if God grants my request through your prayers, I will honour you and encourage devotion to you. Saint Jude, pray for us.

Day 9: Total Trust

Saint Jude, on this final day I surrender my intention entirely. (Mention your intention.) Whether the answer is yes, not yet, or a different gift than the one I asked, I trust in the goodness of God, to whom nothing is impossible. Saint Jude Thaddeus, apostle and martyr, patron of hopeless causes, pray for us. Amen.

 

Free printable prayer card:

• Prayer card, PDF, A4
• Prayer card, PDF, US Letter
• Pocket prayer cards, 4 per sheet, PDF

These files are free for personal use, for your parish, or for a friend in need of hope.

The Traditional Prayer to St. Jude

This is the classic prayer of the devotion, prayed wherever Saint Jude is honoured, and the one on the printable card and poster above.

Most holy Apostle, Saint 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 (here make your request) and that I may praise God with you and all the saints forever.
I promise, O blessed Saint 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.

Prayer to St. Jude for Financial Help

Many turn to Saint Jude in times of real financial distress. This prayer asks his intercession for honest work and daily bread.

O blessed Saint Jude Thaddeus, apostle of hope, I come to you in a time of real and pressing need. Money is short, the bills are long, and I do not see the way forward.
You are the patron of causes that seem impossible: intercede for me before our Lord, that doors may open, that honest work and daily bread may not be lacking to me and to those who depend on me.
Keep me from despair, from envy, and from any dishonest path. Teach me to trust in God’s providence one day at a time, as the birds of the air and the lilies of the field.
Saint Jude, helper of the desperate, pray for me. Amen.

A Short Daily Prayer to St. Jude

Saint Jude, apostle of hope and friend of Jesus, walk with me through this day.
When my cause seems lost, remind me that with God nothing is impossible.
Saint Jude Thaddeus, pray for me. Amen.

When to Pray the St. Jude Novena

The novena is prayed over nine consecutive days, one round of prayers each day. It is classically prayed from October 19 to 27, ending on the eve of his feast on October 28, in imitation of the nine days the apostles prayed together before Pentecost. But there is no wrong time to begin: many start a Saint Jude novena the moment a crisis strikes, and Thursday is traditionally kept as his day of devotion. If you love novenas, you may also want our Saint Michael novena. Prayer is an act of trust, not a magic formula, and it is not a substitute for the ordinary means God gives us. Saint Jude’s own letter urges the faithful to keep praying and to persevere, and the devotion has always joined prayer to honest effort: pray, and also take the next wise step, seek help, and do what is in your power while you leave the rest to God.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you pray the St. Jude novena for 9 days?

You pray it once a day for nine days in a row. Each day, pray the opening prayer, then the short prayer for that day, then one Our Father, one Hail Mary and one Glory Be, naming your intention. Each of the nine days has its own theme, from bringing your impossible cause to Saint Jude on the first day to total trust in God on the last. It is traditionally prayed from October 19 to 27, but can be started at any time.

What is the St. Jude prayer that never fails?

The phrase “the prayer that never fails” is popularly attached to the traditional prayer to Saint Jude and to short invocations of him, because so many people testify to favours received. It is important to understand it rightly: no prayer forces God’s hand, and the Church promises no automatic result. What “never fails” is God’s faithfulness. He always hears, and always answers in the way and time that are truly best, which is why the novena ends by surrendering the intention to His will.

What day is the St. Jude novena?

The Saint Jude novena is traditionally prayed on the nine days from October 19 to October 27, ending on the eve of his feast day, October 28. In addition, Thursday is kept as the special day of devotion to Saint Jude, and many shrines hold weekly novena services on that day. You may also pray the novena at any other time of need.

Can you pray a 9 day novena in one day?

A novena is by its nature nine days of prayer, echoing the nine days the apostles waited in prayer for the Holy Spirit, so the traditional practice is to pray it once a day for nine consecutive days. Some people, in urgent need, pray a “flying novena” or repeat a short prayer nine times in one day, but the classic Saint Jude novena is meant to be prayed over nine days, which is part of its lesson in perseverance.

How long is the St. Jude novena?

The Saint Jude novena lasts nine days. Each day’s prayers take only a few minutes: the opening prayer, the prayer of the day, and one Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be. The nine days signify the nine days between Jesus’ Ascension and Pentecost, when the apostles, Saint Jude among them, prayed together and received the Holy Spirit.

Where can I get a St. Jude prayer card or poster?

You can download a free printable Saint Jude prayer card at jesuschrist.pictures, on this page: the illuminated traditional prayer is offered as a free PDF in A4, US Letter and pocket format. The same design is available as an illuminated prayer poster in our shop, along with our original Saint Jude canvas.