GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Sacred Heart of Jesus Church on Grand Rapids’ West Side is hosting the relic of St. Jude the Apostle for a daylong veneration.

“It’s a way for us to feel physically close to the saints who are our friends and our intercessors,” said Rev. Ron Floyd with Sacred Heart. “We believe that the saints are in heaven surrounding the altar of God and so they can pray for us and we can ask for their intercession.”

A relic is an object that holds either sentimental or historical importance to a group. The arm bone of St. Jude is traveling the United States over the next month. It will visit nearly 100 dioceses during the time.

“Because Jude is the patron saint of hope, and this is the time when people need hope,” said Rev. Carlos Martins. “Coming off the pandemic, some people are still grieving lost loved ones. Some are still feeling the effects of COVID … just the effects of isolation has left a scar on many people. A lot of people are not the same. They are not the way they were. So this is a way to give people an experience of God through the remains of one of his closest collaborators.”

A relic of St. Jude is displayed at Sacred Heard of Jesus Catholic Church in Grand Rapids on Oct. 9, 2023.
A relic of St. Jude is displayed at Sacred Heard of Jesus Catholic Church in Grand Rapids on Oct. 9, 2023.
A relic of St. Jude is displayed at Sacred Heard of Jesus Catholic Church in Grand Rapids on Oct. 9, 2023.
A relic of St. Jude is displayed at Sacred Heard of Jesus Catholic Church in Grand Rapids on Oct. 9, 2023.
A woman prayers before a relic of St. Jude, visiting Sacred Heard of Jesus Catholic Church in Grand Rapids, on Oct. 9, 2023.
A woman prayers before a relic of St. Jude, visiting Sacred Heard of Jesus Catholic Church in Grand Rapids, on Oct. 9, 2023.

The church remains open to the public until 10 p.m. Monday night. For more information, visit the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Parish website.