Devotion to St. Jude began in earnest in the 1800s,

starting in Italy and Spain, spreading to South America,

and finally to the U.S. (originally in the Chicago

area) in the 1920’s. Novena prayers to St. Jude

helped people, especially newly-arrived immigrants

from Europe, deal with the pressures caused by the

Great Depression, Second World War, and the changing

workplace and family life.