Blessed Virgin Mary
Husband and wife team, Lou and Norma DiCocco, founded the DiCocco Family St. Jude Shop, Inc. over forty-five years ago and it is now among the largest inspirational and religious gifts goods retailers in the United States. Today, the St. Jude Shop is still family-owned and managed. While selling the beautiful statuettes of the Blessed Virgin Mary, rosaries, books and many other religious items the DiCoccos view the endeavor firstly as a ministry and secondly a business. The mission of the St. Jude Shop is to enable customers to enjoy a continuous and meaningful walk with God through the lovely and inspirational products offered in the stores, through the catalogs and through the online stores. Whether customers are browsing through the physical stores or online they will find the poignant figurines of the Blessed Virgin Mary to place in their own homes or present as gifts to a loved or respected friends or family member.
Over forty-five years ago Lou DiCocco worked as a civil engineer supporting his wife and four fine sons when Norma learned she was to have another baby. She began to pray earnestly to St. Jude, the saint of the impossible, for the gift of a daughter and vowed she would name her for the saint. Daughter Judy was born three weeks late on the 28th of October, the feast day of St. Jude. Almost a year later Lou and Norma began to plan a new venture and opened the first family St. Jude Gift Shop, Inc. on October 28. The statuettes of the Blessed Virgin Mary and paintings and figurines of St. Jude were prominent pieces displayed on shelves and in windows. Over the years other branches have opened - always on October 28 - and as well as the Blessed Virgin Mary statuettes the St. Jude Shop supplies albs, surplices and other clergy apparel items, children's bible story books, rosaries and crucifixes. The DiCoccos three online stores all went "live" on October 28, St. Jude's Day.
The St. Jude Shop carries a vast inventory of inspirational and uplifting items and the Blessed Virgin Mary figurines are offered in many forms such as the Immaculate Conception statuette, Our Lady of Grace bird feeder, Our Lady of Lourdes resin statuette and the Praying Madonna statuette. Customers are able to buy beautiful rosaries of many different materials, sterling silver and fourteen carat gold saints medals featuring St. Christopher and St. Jude among others. There are over one hundred saints' medals to choose from for the celebration of name days. There are five piece baby Christening sets which include rosaries and many sculptures and crucifixes. The St. Jude Shop offers a Blessed Virgin Mary sculpture in the form of an exquisite porcelain Irish Madonna music box which would be perfect gift for a first Confirmation or a very special Christmas gift. Customers can select a Blessed Virgin Mary sculpture of a Lladro Nao Holy Mary, Our Lady of Grace figurine from the Valencia collection or Our Lady of Grace outdoor inspirational figure.
