Mexico City – It was no ordinary Sunday on the famed Xochimilco canals. Instead of the usual gathering of tourists and locals enjoying the serene waters, the vibrant trajineras, the decorated boats of tradition, were filled with Catholics honoring a sacred relic of St. Jude Thaddeus, one of Jesus’ 12 apostles and the patron saint of impossible causes.
A wooden figure holding a bone fragment of St. Jude’s arm was encased in glass and gently floated along the tranquil waters as part of its month-long pilgrimage in Mexico, a nation where nearly 100 million Catholics call home. This marked its very first visit outside Rome, following an extensive tour of the United States. From late July until August 28, devotees in a dozen Mexican parishes will have the opportunity to venerate the relic.
“Our faith in St. Jude Thaddeus is a family tradition,” said Iris Guadalupe Hernández, 36, as she stood in line early Sunday morning to board one of the trajineras accompanying the relic. Her mother’s devotion to St. Jude began forty years ago when, after enduring three miscarriages, she prayed for a miracle and was blessed with Hernández and her siblings. “She promised to spread the word, and our family has honored him ever since,” Hernández explained.
Thousands of Mexicans, like Hernández, come together on October 28 to celebrate St. Jude’s official feast day at San Hipólito Church in Mexico City. After Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Jude is one of the most venerated figures in Mexico. “He represents one of the most significant expressions of popular piety among the humblest,” noted Rev. Jesús Alejandro Contreras, a priest from Xochimilco’s diocese. “In our neighborhoods, mainly inhabited by merchants, devotion to this apostle is perceived as seeking intercession for difficult causes.”
Contreras, who traveled through Xochimilco’s canals in the hour-long trajinera procession, emphasized that being near the relic is a way to “come into contact with the Lord.” Parishioners eagerly awaited in adjacent boats as the relic departed at 8 a.m. The beginning of the procession was marked by rhythmic clapping to Mexican traditional songs performed by a local band, with hundreds more gathered at the canal’s end to greet the relic and join the foot procession to Xochimilco’s cathedral.
In this neighborhood of Mexico City, locals are also deeply devoted to the “Niñopa,” a life-sized wooden figure of a baby believed to be about 450 years old. The origins of the Niñopa remain unknown, but it was discovered after the Spanish conquest. Catholic families in Xochimilco often keep images of the Niñopa in their homes. “Our faith here is divided,” explained Arturo Espinosa, 52, standing near an altar carrying a figure of St. Jude. “While the Niñopa remains our primary symbol, we also honor other emblems and participate in these celebrations.”
Leading the festive spirit of the procession were groups of local dancers known as “comparsas,” dedicated to various images of the infant Jesus. Dressed in long velvet robes, drum-like hats, and masks depicting elderly men, these costumes were crafted to satirize the Spanish conquerors. Among the dancers was Francisco García, 33, who, in his brown velvet robe, awaited alongside his fellow comparsa members to continue to the cathedral. There, the archbishop warmly received the relic and celebrated Mass in its honor.
“My mom is sick, so I came to pray for her surgery to go well,” García shared. He had first seen the relic on July 28, shortly after its arrival in the capital and before it was taken to the Zocalo, Mexico City’s main square. “I was so moved I started crying,” García recounted. “I told St. Jude, ‘You called for me, so here I am.’”
The relic was scheduled to be on display in an oratory next to Xochimilco’s cathedral until nightfall, after which its journey through central Mexico’s churches would resume on Monday. The sacred relic is set to leave the country in late August.
