Sponsored Walk - 2016

Last year, Matt Betts, the National Shrine of Saint Jude's Development Manager walked from Canterbury to Rochester to raise money for the Carmelite Charitable Trust.

The Development Manager of the National Shrine of Saint Jude, Matt Betts, is walking from Westminster Abbey in London to the National Shrine of Saint Jude in Faversham, raising funds for the Order of Carmelites in the UK and abroad.

If you would like to donate, please visit https://mydonate.bt.com/events/judewalk/301506, or people can send their cheque or postal order made payable to: “The Carmelites” to: Sponsored Walk, Carmelite Friars, P.O. Box 140, Kent, ME20 7SJ. Thank you.

He sets off tomorrow, and every donation that Matt receives boosts his determination. Matt will be updating this blog as many times as possible during the walk. 

Thank you to all those supporters who have already sponsored Matt for his walk. We have already reached over 75% of our target!

 

Thank you for your generosity.

THANK YOU.

On-line shop highlights

Our new on-line shop includes not only a number of religious gifts and souvenirs connected with Saint Jude, but also includes items connected to other important national and Carmelite saints.

For the next few weeks, we're going to show our friends here some special items you can purchase from our new shop.

First up, we have a massive range of Christmas cards and Christmas novena cards available at the shop. All of our Christmas cards are exclusively designed by the Shrine to help raise money for the Shrine and the work of the Carmelites in Britain and worldwide.

We are also selling a brand new Christmas card, which shows a beautiful watercolour painting of the National Shrine of Saint Jude and the church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel at Christmas. Our models for the painting were Fr Piet and Fr Wilfrid. Our shop can be found here, and our Christmas cards can be found by clicking here.

St Edward the Confessor

As a Shrine in Britain, we often remember British saints at our daily Mass. Today is the Feast Day of St Edward the Confessor, who was King of England.

St Edward the Confessor was born in 1003, and was the son of Ethelred the Unready and his Norman wife Emma. He was educated at Ely and then whilst in exile in Normandy,  while two Scandinavian kings claimed the English throne in succession.

He became king of England in 1042, the last of the old Anglo-Saxon line; his death precipitated the Norman invasion of 1066. Commonly known as the 'Confessor', he was regarded as a saint during his lifetime, renowned for his generosity to the Church and to the poor, and because of the readiness with which he listened to his subject's grievances. His relics were translated on this day in 1163 to a new shrine in Westminster Abbey, which foundation he had richly endowed and expanded.

St Edward once made a vow to go on pilgrimage to Rome, but it became difficult for him to keep this promise. Therefore, the Pope released him from his obligation, under the condition that he would restore and or build an Abbey dedicated to St Peter. An ancient abbey in Westminster was already dedicated to St Peter and in need of restoration, so to fulfil his promise to the Pope, St Edward rebuilt what is now known as Westminster Abbey.

On 28 December 1065, Edward's new abbey church was consecrated at Westminster. One week later he was dead.  Nothing remains of the original building, as it was demolished in the thirteenth century. Edward the Confessor's tomb remains well preserved - one of the few mediaeval shrines to survive the Reformation. If you are ever in London, it is well worth a visit.

At least 17 churches are dedicated to him in the UK, and he is depicted in numerous stained glass windows and church carvings - notably at Westminster Abbey, Trinity College Cambridge, York Minster, and at the local Anglican church in Faversham. 

This year, Matt Betts, the National Shrine of Saint Jude's Development Manager will be walking from Faversham to Westminster Abbey, and he'll visit the tomb of Saint Edward the Confessor on arrival. You can sponsor him, here.

St Edward the Confessor, pray for us. 

We have a number of saints prayer cards that can be purchased from our On-line Shop.

Matt Betts

Tomb of St Edward the Confessor

Photo of the Month - October 2016

Our Photo of the Month is of our current team at the National Shrine of Saint Jude. The team are pictured with the Prior General, Most Reverend Father Fernando Millán Romeral.

From left to right: Fr. Brendan Grady, O.Carm (Chaplain to the Shrine); Mrs Rachael Crockett (Financial and Administrative Assistant); Mr Kevin Bellman (Shrine and Office Assistant); Fr Fernando Millán Romeral, O.Carm (Prior General); and Mr Matt Betts (Development Manager)

The photo was taken at the recent book launch for the launch of Fr Wilfrid McGreal's new biography on the remarkable Carmelite friar from Ireland who re-established the Order's presence at Aylesford Priory in Kent: Fr Malachy Lynch.

Please keep the team and their work in your prayers.

To contact the team, please use one of the methods below:

By post
St. Jude's Shrine Office
Carmelite Friars
P.O. Box 140
Kent
ME20 7SJ

By telephone
From the U.K. call 01795 539214
From abroad call + 44 1795 539214

By e-mail
To send an e-mail (using your usual e-mailing facility) please click here.

Fr Piet Wijngaard, O.Carm

Fr. Piet as Chaplain to the National Shrine of Saint Jude

It is with sadness, but trusting in the loving mercy of God, that the British Province of Carmelites announces the death this morning of our brother Fr. Piet Wijngaard, O.Carm.

The following text comes from the announcement on the British province site:

"Piet was born in The Netherlands in 1939. Growing up there during the Nazi occupation of World War II, Piet was greatly impressed with the witness to the Gospel of Carmelite martyrs such as Blessed Titus Brandsma.

Working hard was a hallmark of Piet's personality, and his final appointment was as Parish Priest of Faversham, where he had also served as Chaplain to the National Shrine of Saint Jude. He celebrated Mass in the parish church on Tuesday of this week.

The Carmelites express our condolences to Piet's family and friends, and thank everyone who has cared for him. We thank God for the great example Piet gave us, of living a Carmelite vocation to the full. We ask you to join with us in praying for Piet, who remains tied to us in Christ by baptism and the bonds of Carmel."

Fr Piet's full obituary on the website can be seen, here.

As Chaplain (and later on too), Fr. Piet wrote a number of updates for our blog (you can view them all here). When Fr. Piet was diagnosed with his illness back in 2014, he wrote an update called: Why not me?, which is reproduced below.

“…the bad news is that I have a malignant tumour on my right lung. The whole situation makes me think of a lady at home in Holland.

Her name is Truus. She was happily married, was a real bubbly young woman with five sons. One Saturday afternoon her husband, Henk, was watching a couple of their boys playing soccer. It was a very exciting match and he died there and then of a massive heart attack. A long time later Truus told me that she had been pretty miserable and had been going around for a couple of years with only one question in her head “Why me?” until one morning she woke up and found herself asking “Why not me?”. It changed her life in an instant and she became once again the cheerful mum she had been before.

Now I can really share her sentiments. Millions of people have cancer and after all two of my own sisters died of it and therefore “Why not me?”. Many thanks for your great support and many prayers…”     

Fr. Piet always said that Saint Jude was the Patron Saint of Hope. How right he was - and Piet was a man full of hope and love.

We will miss him a lot at the Shrine and Shrine Office, and we are very grateful for his presence and service to everyone at the Shrine. May Piet, and all the souls of the faithful departed, rest in peace.

Matt Betts

Thanks to the British Province of Carmelite website and Johan Bergstrom-Allen.

Children's Mass 2016

Our Mass for children was celebrated at the end of September by Fr Brendan Grady, O.Carm - Chaplain. Here are some photos of the Mass which was celebrated in front of the Shrine of the Infant of Prague at the National Shrine of Saint Jude:

Thank you to Fr Brendan Grady for celebrating and preaching at the lovely Mass.

A visit to the Shrine of Saint Jude

A friend of Saint Jude, Marguerite Cook, a parishioner at Saint Joseph's church in Bedford recently visited our Shrine. We wanted to share her excellent article about that special visit: 

A loyal group of parishioners in my church of St. Joseph's Bedford pray the rosary before daily Mass. At the end of the rosary prayers, a single voice calls out  “ Saint Jude, pray for us “ The voice belonged to a lady called Bernadette, and she is not alone in her love of Saint Jude, the apostle and martyr; Patron Saint of Hopeless Cases (seen by many as a Saint of Hope). Saint Jude has devout followers in every corner of the world and thousands of people visit the Shrine of Saint Jude in Faversham, Kent. Many national newspapers and magazines carry in their personal columns a thank-you to Saint Jude, as prayers to Saint Jude often brings help to seemingly hopeless cases. People turn to St Jude praying for assistance in sickness and help in low points in their life.

On my last visit to my home city of Canterbury, I decided to pay a visit to the National Shrine of Saint Jude to light a candle for Bernadette. Faversham, in beautiful Kent, is an historic market town ten miles from Canterbury, and forty-eight miles from London. 

I sat in Canterbury bus station waiting for the Faversham bus wondering how hard it would be to find Saint Jude's Shrine, when an elderly lady sat by me and in conversation asked me why I was going to Faversham. I told her I was visiting Saint Jude's Shrine in Tanners Street. On the bus this kind lady asked a couple of people to help make sure her “friend” got off the bus at the Shrine .I started to feel Saint Jude wanted me to pay a visit .

Saint Jude's Shrine is delightful. It lies in an annex room below the church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The church and shrine are under the expert care of the Carmelite Order. The fine church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel looks unusual outside ,as it was once a Quaker school and then became a cinema. The interior design of the Church is very beautiful, and I especially admired the backdrop behind the high altar of the Crucifixion of Our Lord.

The shrine of Saint Jude was founded by Fr. Elias Lynch, O. Carm in 1955. It was established because of popular demand and a deep love of Saint Jude, as he is a favourite saint of many people.

This holy place can be entered through the church, or by the Holy Door; this door leads out into a spacious, attractive garden bordered by a stream. The garden has a large area of grass which in the Spring was edged with bluebells and tulips. In the grass there are lovely colourful pictures of the Rosary which is called the Rosary Way. 

I entered the Shrine of Saint Jude from the garden. Inside, the room is ablaze with colour, with vase upon vase of donated fresh flowers, vibrant stained glass images, and at the heart of the shrine is a striking 15th Century statue of Saint Jude Thaddeus. This impressive statue stands on red cloth in front of a sparkling mosaic – representing the Fire of Pentecost. Row upon row of candles offer up prayers to this well-loved saint, whose relic can be seen in a glorious monstrance. 

Saint Jude Thaddeus was one of the beloved twelve apostles, and also a relation of Jesus. The New Testament includes one of his letters, which stresses that the faithful should persevere in harsh and difficult circumstances. It was Saint Jude that asked Jesus at the Last Supper why He chose to reveal Himself only to the disciples. Saint Jude received the reply from Jesus, ”If anyone loves me, he will keep my word and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make our home in him.” (John 14:22)

   

After receiving the power of the Holy Spirit with Our Lady, and his fellow apostles at Pentecost, St Jude went forth to preach. We are told he preached around Judea, Samaria, Idumea and Syria. Saint Jude died a martyr, and his feast day is 28th October; which is shared with Saint Simon. Saint Jude's relics lie in the Vatican in Rome and there are some in Faversham too.

In Faversham, I grew to love the busy and small Shrine of Saint Jude; who is a saint who brings hope to many. I will return, as I have discovered a new favourite saint, a friend I will pray to; and I know he will pray for me. A visit here brings peace and contentment to all the pilgrims, many of whom are seeking help with distressing problems.

I sat for some time in the Shrine of Saint Jude, watching a church party who were busy writing petitions and lighting candles. When the church party left ,a young woman came to visit with her mother and young son. The young woman said to her mother that no priest was available to speak with her, and then her eyes fell on me. The young woman came up to me and asked if I had a special devotion to Saint Jude. I muttered a suitable reply. Briefly she told me of her husband’s tragic circumstances, and then she suddenly asked if I visit Lourdes. Surprised, I told her that I was going to Lourdes in a few weeks’ time. The young woman then said that she and her family had always wanted to visit Lourdes, but were unable to do so, and then asked if I would say a prayer for her husband at Lourdes. I asked her to write his name down, and then tucked the paper in my purse. The young lady seemed relieved and happy as she went away.

Lourdes is a beautiful jewel in the crown of the Catholic Church. It is a place where Our Lady appeared to Saint Bernadette on eighteen separate occasions. The final apparition was on 16 July, the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. 

During my visit to Lourdes I had many names written on a card asking for prayers, but I knew I had a very important one; my Faversham family. I put their name and the names of all the other petitioners in a box in the Grotto, and then went into the Basilica of the Holy Rosary and lit a candle especially for the Faversham family. I felt as though I had completed an important assignment as I watched the candle burn and I thought of the many candles burning in Saint Jude's Shrine.

On my return from Lourdes I noticed in the personal column of my newspaper, “Thanks to the Blessed Virgin and Saint Jude for favours received.” I hope my Faversham family are also able to give thanks.

“Saint Jude, Holy Apostle and Martyr, pray for us”