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No matter what our struggles in life may be, we must always remember that the seemingly impossible can indeed become possible!

Every year, a Dominican Friar in his final year of formation before priestly ordination serves as a Deacon at the Rosary Shrine. Our most recent Rosary Shrine Deacon was Fr. Columba Thomas, O.P., who first encountered the Dominican Friars in medical school, completed his medical training before joining the Order in 2016, and was ordained to the priesthood this past May!

As both a friar and a medical doctor, Fr. Columba had the expertise and experience to prepare a unique translation of a 15th century work, Ars Moriendi (The Art of Dying), a guide on the spiritual struggles faced by those who are dying. What greater fear or burden do we carry than the realization that one day we will die and leave behind the life we know and the people we love!

Friars like Fr. Columba firmly believe that, nourished by the love of God, aided through various prayers recommended by the Church – the Rosary and Novenas to Our Lady and Saint Jude – along with the sacrifices and works of charity offered on their behalf, the dying can find comfort in the hope of seeing God face-to-face in the everlasting love and happiness of Heaven.

This is just one aspect of what we, the Dominican Friars at the Rosary Shrine of Saint Jude, seek to promote and encourage through our preaching ministry and our many apostolic works. We proclaim the encouraging hope that with God, it is possible to be at peace with even the most terrifying of all experiences, dying. Friars like Fr. Columba are the friars who pray for you!

Through your generosity, you make possible the mission of the Rosary Shrine of Saint Jude. You help promote devotion to Our Lady and Saint Jude. You help spread the message that, with God, all things are possible.

May God bless you and your loved ones, now and always. Be assured you are in my prayers and in the prayers of all the Dominican Friars at the Rosary Shrine of Saint Jude.