Father Peter’s Monthly Message

Dear Friend of St. Jude,

The celebration of the Christmas holiday is a glorious annual event that reminds us of how much God truly loves us and how he shares faith and hope...with families like yours and mine...in good times and in bad.

That’s especially important right now because so many families are experiencing hard times. I see their stories on the TV news, and I read their stories in the petitions and prayer intentions they send to St. Jude Shrine. It is here that they find hope and faith through the intercession of St. Jude with Our Lord, as He answers their prayers about problems they often thought were beyond hope.

Do you know the story of St. Jude Thaddeus? He was a cousin of Jesus and one of His twelve chosen apostles. St. Jude Traveled great distances spreading the message of Christianity, carrying the hope of life everlasting through Jesus Christ.

During one of his trips, St. Jude came upon a sick and dying king in Mesopotamia. He carried with him a cloth, which Christ had used to wipe His face. On that cloth, Christ’s image remained. St. Jude presented the cloth to the dying king and miraculously, the king was cured! This is believed to be one of St. Jude earliest miracles - and he became known as the saint of the impossible!

Through his intercession with Christ, St. Jude provides many blessings to those who come to him with their needs and problems. Our cherished patron saint has brought help and hope into the lives of thousands of people around the world, and that’s why I am writing to you today.

Take a moment right now, grab your Christmas list, and allow me to help you give your loved ones and friends the best gift ever — prayer. Prayer is a wonderful gift— any time of the year! It doesn’t expire, there are no limits, and you don’t have to stand in any lines! Just visit our website and send me their prayer petitions. It’s really that easy.

I’d also like to invite you to make a holiday contribution to support the work of the Pallottine Fathers, Brothers and Sisters...at the Shrine and all over the world. You see, in addition to keeping faith and hope alive through our mission at St. Jude Shrine, we Pallottines serve God by helping to meet the spiritual and material needs of thousands of poverty stricken people in 54 countries around the world. Our work includes orphanages, schools, seminaries, programs for youth and elderly, spiritual outreach, and much, much more.

Today, I write to you on behalf of the orphans at our John Paul II Orphanage deep in the Andes Mountains of Peru - as well as all the impoverished children and forgotten elderly in the nearby villages who lack the most basic necessities. Just a few months ago, I visited Peru and was able to see firsthand the hardships and suffering faced by the people in this area.

These people live in a level of poverty that is unheard of in the United States. The majority of people live in shacks, with no heating, that barely keep out the elements. Food is often hard to find, and the people have to travel great distances to reach a school or doctor. I know that many of the children and elderly feel lost, neglected and abandoned.

It gives me great joy to say that because of our donors, we were able to deliver blankets, warm clothing and shoes to the needy people in this area. My fellow Pallottines and I played with the children and visited the elderly while we dropped off the desperately needed supplies. This is just one of the many ways that your support of St. Jude Shrine will bring hope to people who believe hope is out of reach.

Will you please join us in our mission of hope?

Christmas will be here before you know it... a chance to reflect on the magnificent gift of hope that God gave to all of us through the presence of His Son here on earth. And to help us provide that same gift-hope - to thousands throughout the year, I’m praying that you will make a generous contribution today.

Your gift will make such a difference in the lives of so many people in need. It will also bring peace and hope to thousands who seek the intercession of St. Jude so that their special needs may be heard and acted upon... by the Savior whose birth we will shortly celebrate.

And please, don’t forget to send me your prayer intentions. It’s not too late to ask the Good Lord to shower your loved ones and friends with answered prayers this Christmas. That’s actually a pretty nice gift!

On behalf of Pallottines all over the world, please accept my gratitude and my best wishes for a Happy and holy Christmas.

 

Gratefully yours in St. Jude,    

Fr. Peter Sticco, S.A.C.
Novena Director

P.S. Please consider enrolling your family and friends in The League of St. Jude where members share remembrances in over one hundred Masses and Novenas per year at St. Jude Shrine and in the Masses offered at the tomb of St. Jude in the Vatican. You will receive a beautiful spiritual enrollment card which can be presented to the recipient at Christmas. All you have to do is visit our website at www.StJudeShrine.org