Bringing The Grotto to You

A Place of Sanctuary

A very special message from the Servites

Click here to view a message from Fr. Richard Boyle, OSM,

speaking to you from The Grotto Monastery

Please enjoy our new feature, Spiritual Reflections, prayers and reflections from the day's Gospel reading, found on our website, thegrotto.org. Click here to view.

Series continues

While we are closed, we will continue to share a piece of The Grotto with you each day until Masses resume and our gardens open.

We hope this feature, A Place of Sanctuary: Bringing The Grotto to You, brings you joy, and we pray we will see you all at The Grotto very soon.

May you, too, experience the peace our visitors and pilgrims encounter in the spiritual and natural beauty of our holy sanctuary.

Day 8: St. Jude Thaddeus

Statue of St. Jude Thaddeus (1976)

This statue was installed in 1976. It is located in The Grotto Upper Gardens, and is one of the first statues you will see upon entering the gardens. It is surrounded by tall firs and flowering shrubs, next to the great lawn.

About St. Jude

Saints in the Catholic tradition are seen as models for our lives, offering inspiration, example and hope by their actions here on earth. In as sense, they are seen as our friends and advocates.

The church has designated some saints to be patrons of special concerns or various occupations. St. Jude Thaddeus was one of the twelve orginial apostles and is designated as the patron of difficult and desperate cases.

He was put to death for preaching the Good News of Jesus. His feast day is October 28.

A Prayer to Saint Jude

Most holy Apostle, Saint Jude Thaddeus, friend of Jesus,

I place myself in your care at this difficult time.

Help me know that I need not face my troubles alone.

Please join me in my need, asking God to send me:

consolation in my sorrow, courage in my fear,

and healing in the midst of my suffering.

Ask our loving Lord to fill me with the grace

to accept whatever may lie ahead for me and my loved ones,

and to strengthen my faith in God's healing powers.

Thank you, Blessed Apostle Saint Jude Thaddeus,

for the promise of hope you hold out to all who believe,

and inspire me to give this gift of hope to others

as it has been given to me.

Amen

Surrounding the statue

Perennials and flowering shrubs and perennials surround the area, making for a colorful backdrop in the spring and summer months.

Currently, these two flowering shrubs are blooming in the area.

St. Jude Prayer

O most holy Apostle, Saint Jude,

faithful servant and friend of Jesus,

the Church honors and invokes you everywhere

as the patron of anyone who has seemed to lose all hope.

Pray for me, therefore, Blessed Apostle Jude,

for I have lost my way, and have lost hope.

Our loving God has made you, Saint Jude,

a beacon of hope, and so I ask you humbly

to bring me speedy help where I most need it,

to my weak and downcast heart.

Come to my assistance in this great need,

that I may receive Heaven’s comfort and support

in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, but particularly:

(here make your request)

I promise you, O Blessed Saint Jude,

to forever remember the Grace you bring me,

and I will always honor you as my special and powerful patron,

while encouraging others to do the same.

Amen

In the distance

Spotted in the background of this photo is the Statue of Mary, Our Mother, which overlooks The Grotto Plaza. That statue, along with the overlook where she stands, will be the focus of tomorrow's feature.