Today Oct. 28, the Church celebrates the Feast Day of Sts. Simon and Jude.

Both men were handpicked by Christ Himself to be two of His original Twelve Apostles. While little is known of either evangelizer who spread the Gospel in Egypt, Cyrene, and Mauritania, certain facts are attributed to each Apostle. St. Simon, for example, is mentioned in Gospel texts as either the “Cananaean” or the “Zealot,” primarily to distinguish him from Simon Peter, but also to underscore his intense zeal for the Faith.

St. Jude, who authored the New Testament Epistle that bears his name, is one of two Apostles with this name. For clarification, he is called St. Jude Thaddeus in the Gospels to set him apart from Judas Iscariot, the betrayer.

The Church celebrates these two saints on the same day since they accepted the crown of martyrdom most likely on the same day in Syria. St. Simon entered eternal life after having his hands sawed off, whereas St. Jude received the crown of immortality by an executioner’s axe or spear.

“Martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith: it means bearing witness even unto death” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2473). Catholics worldwide have implored the intercession of St. Simon the Zealot for a burning zeal to follow God’s will and to St. Jude Thaddeus for the resolution of hopeless causes.

Please read our special page dedicated to Sts. Simon and Jude, where we answer questions such as:

• Why are Sts. Simon and Jude often mentioned together?
• What does “zealot” mean in the Bible?
• Is Jude the Apostle the brother of Jesus?
• What can we learn from St. Jude’s Epistle?