HomeSt. Jude Thaddeus Parish — officially the National Shrine of Saint Jude Thaddeus — stands on José P. Laurel Street in the San Miguel district of Manila, within the Archdiocese of Manila and beside the historic Malacañang Palace complex. Canonically established on October 13, 1954, and originally known as the Espíritu Santo Chinese Parish, it is one of three Chinese parishes founded by the archdiocese to serve the Chinese-Filipino Catholic community. The present church was completed and blessed on October 23, 1960, and is entrusted to the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) missionaries. In 2010 the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines elevated it to the rank of a national shrine.
Patron and the Thursday novena
The parish is dedicated to Saint Jude Thaddeus, the apostle venerated as the patron of hopeless and desperate cases, whose feast is celebrated each year on October 28. Its weekly novena to St. Jude began in June 1959 and has been prayed every Thursday ever since, making the shrine one of Manila's most beloved centers of devotion. Green, the saint's traditional color, is worn by many of the faithful who come to petition and to give thanks.
On Thursdays enormous crowds overflow from the church into its grounds, with Masses and novena prayers offered throughout the day and confessions heard before the Masses. The shrine is especially popular with students and those preparing for board examinations who seek St. Jude's intercession. A new bell tower, blessed on the shrine's 60th anniversary in 2014, rises above the complex. See the weekly Mass schedule below and get directions to plan your visit.