History
St. Jude Church, or more properly known as St. Jude Thaddeus Archdiocesan Shrine located at the heart of Old Manila is renowned to devotees seeking miracles and requests.
In 1954, the parish was initially named as Espiritu Santo Chinese Parish with Fr. Henry Windges, SVD as its first parish priest. It was in 1955 that Archbishop Santos made St. Jude Thaddeus the patron saint of the church.
The weekly novenas to St. Jude started in 1959. Devotees flock the church every Thursdays. St. Jude was known to be the patron saint of things despaired of. Usual devotees were students, board exam reviewees, office employees, workers, and others with different kinds of requests and problems. Despite the number of devotees, the church remained a personal parish for the Chinese and Chinese Filipinos.
Architectural Design
The façade of the church reflects its contemporaneity as compared to other Manila churches. Being built in the 20th century, the simplicity of its structure makes it more interesting for tourists and church enthusiasts to further compare it to other churches in the metro.
How to get there
From Manila City Hall, board a bus heading Cainta or Taytay then get off at Arellano College before it takes the flyover to Sta. Mesa. Ride a jeep bound to St. Jude beside Malacanang.