Saint Jude (a.k.a. Thaddaeus) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was the brother of St. James and St. Simon and the cousin of Jesus. He is usually pictured with a flame above his head to represent his presence at Penecost. He preached the gospel in Africa, the Middle East and into Asia, where he was martyred. His patronage of lost or impossible causes is due to a letter he wrote in the New Testament which stresses that the faithful should persevere, even under desperate circumstances.