Many Catholic churches hold an annual novena to St. Jude, so this is a busy saint, no doubt hearing as many pleas for hopeless causes as St. Anthony does for lost objects.

Traditionally, if St. Jude answers a prayer, the faithful are expected to formally thank him. This can take the form of a special trip to a church or a shrine that carries his name, or some other fitting acknowledgment of gratitude. Many place notices in the classified columns of daily and weekly newspapers that read something like “Thank you, St. Jude, for a favor received.” No name goes with the advertisement, although there are sometimes initials at the end of the item. If you look in your paper, you can probably find notices like this from time to time. St. Jude's feast day is October 28.