Five holy masses will be celebrated Thursday, Oct. 28, at the National Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus on J.P. Laurel Street, San Miguel, Manila, in solemn commemoration of the joint feast day of the two pillars of the Roman Catholic Church - Saints Jude Thaddeus and Simon, two of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ.

Manila Archdiocese Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula will preside over the holy mass at 10 a.m. Feast masses will also be celebrated at 6:30 a.m., 12 noon, 4 p.m. and at 6 p.m. All holy masses will be offered with a novena to St. Jude.

Novena masses were held from Oct. 19 to 27.

The theme for this year’s observance is “Gifted to Give: Faith and Mission” in line with the observance of the 500 Years of Christianity in the country.

Saint Jude was the author of a short epistle in the New Testament known as the Letter of Jude. Venerated as the patron saint for desperate and impossible cases, devotion to St. Jude has become widespread in many countries. In the Philippines, novenas in his honor are recited by devotees every Thursday to seek for his intercession for impossible and hopeless cases as well as in thanksgiving for favors granted.

The Church considers St. Jude and St. Simon, called the Zealot because of his enthusiasm for the Jewish law, the “Pillars of the Catholic faith.” Their names appear together in the Canon of the Mass. In art, St. Simon is represented with a saw, the instrument of martyrdom.

The two great apostles preached in Mesopotamia, Persia (Iran), and Egypt. They were later martyred while defending the Christian faith. The Basilica of St. Peter in Rome and Saint-Sernin at Toulouse in Italy contain the greater part of their holy remains.