A private devotion to an apostle whose feast the Church keeps with St Simon on 28 October. His reputation as the patron of causes that seem lost is a matter of Christian custom rather than of doctrine, and it grew steadily as the faithful found their prayers through him answered; the novena to St Jude spread widely in the twentieth century through shrines dedicated to him. The Church does not promise that any devotion will obtain a particular outcome: what is asked for is God's help, sought through the intercession of a friend of God.

Bring the situation itself into the prayer rather than leaving it vague. Pray the novena to St Jude — nine consecutive days, using an approved text, each day with an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be — and if you can, go to confession and receive Holy Communion during those days, since the sacraments, not the novena, are where God's help chiefly comes. Ask for what you need plainly, and add the petition that God's will be done in the matter. Keep his feast on 28 October, and when the prayer is answered, say so to someone.