St Simon and St Jude

Other than St Peter and St John, very little is known about the other apostles. But Jesus saw something good in each of them, and even though Judas Iscariot betrayed Him, all the others followed Jesus faithfully and died a martyr’s death. Today we honor two of the lesser know apostles.
St. Simon was surnamed the Zealot for his rigid adherence to the Jewish law and Canaanite Law. Western tradition says that he preached in Egypt and then went to Persia with St. Jude, where both suffered martyrdom. Eastern tradition says that Simon died peacefully in Edessa.

"Mary with Sts Simon & Jude" by Giovanni Maria Butteri

St Jude, known as Thaddeus was a brother of St James the Less and a relative of Jesus. He preached the Gospel in Mesopotamia, Syria, Judea and Libya. He is also the author of a short epistle to the churches of the East, particularly the Jewish converts, directed against the heresies of his time. It is the shortest book of the entire Bible, with just one chapter and 25 verses. St Jude suffered martyrdom in Armenia. St Jude is invoked in desperate situations because his New Testament letter stresses that the faithful should persevere in the environment of harsh and difficult situations. Therefore he is considered as the patron saint in desperate cases.