St. Jude Messenger Volume IV, Issue I | Page 3

Director's Letter Dear Friend of Saint Jude, Whether you are driving down a road or hiking on a trail I’m sure you don’t follow your GPS blindly, especially if you have someone with you who knows the terrain, knows the route, and knows how to avoid the hazards. However, federal and state parks throughout our country are reporting a dramatic increase in stranded vehicles and hikers. The increase can largely be attributed to young people who are too reliant on their phones. They follow directions on their phone maps that may lead them up logging roads where it's easy to get stuck in the mud or disoriented and lost. Or their GPS routes them on a path that is too difficult to climb with the current weather conditions. The age group most commonly rescued is 20 to 29-year- olds, as these young people will go out hiking without bringing a backpack or preparing for the elements. They just think ‘I'll go hiking and, if I get in trouble, I'll just call somebody.’ Thankfully we don’t have to bet our lives on a piece of technology! With Saint Jude as our trusted guide, we have an experienced traveller who has overcome great obstacles - the arrest and crucifixion of the Lord, arduous missionary journeys throughout the Middle East, and his own brutal martyrdom - and is willing to come to our assistance in times of great need. As you read this issue of the Saint Jude Messenger, I pray that you will grow in friendship with God and the saints He has tasked with guiding us on life’s journey, especially Saint Jude and Our Lady. And know that you are not alone in your trials, nor in your devotion! The stories in this issue prove that people from all walks of life, facing all sorts of obstacles, are turning to the saints in prayer and receiving - each in a special way - the treasures of God’s mercy that He has providentially marked out for them. May God bless you richly, wherever you are on life’s journey. Saint Jude, pray for us! Yours in Christ, Father Gabriel Gillen, O.P. Director, Rosary Shrine of Saint Jude DOMINICAN FRIAR ON PILGRIMAGE WITH SCOUTS. PHOTO COURTESY OF FR. LAWRENCE LEW, O.P. ST. JUDE MESSENGER • VOLUME IV, ISSUE I 3