Hazel Colyer

Hazel with the Prior Provincial, Fr Antony Lester, O.Carm

It is with sadness, but trusting in the loving mercy of God, that the National Shrine of Saint Jude announces the death yesterday evening of Mrs Hazel Colyer. Hazel had worked closely with the Carmelite Charitable Trust and the National Shrine of Saint Jude for a number of years, but especially as Chair of the Saint Jude management group and as line manager to the Development Manager. In her professional life, Hazel was a radiographer for more than 40 years and the former dean of health and social care at Canterbury Christ Church University. We all express our condolences to Hazel's husband, Ray, and her family and friends. We thank God for the great work Hazel did for our charity. We ask you to join with us in praying for Hazel, who remains tied to us in Christ by baptism. May Hazel, and all the souls of the faithful departed, rest in peace.

Shrine Office - Christmas

We'd like to wish all the friends of Saint Jude a happy and holy Christmas and a happy New Year.

Our office will be closed from 5pm on Thursday 22 December and reopens on Wednesday 4th January at 9am.

However, our on-line shop (www.stjudeshrine.co.uk) continues to be operational and items will be sent out over the Christmas period.

If you have any queries, please send them to shrineoffice@stjudeshrine.org.uk.

May God bless you, Our Lady have you in her keeping, and Saint Jude intercede for you.

Happy Feast of Saint John of the Cross

"In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone."

Today, 14 December, is the feast of the Carmelite saint and mystic, a Doctor of the Church, St John of the Cross. This statue of the saint is at our sister Shrine in Aylesford Priory.

Recycle your printer cartridges

You can now recycle your ink cartridges with the National Shrine of Saint Jude via The Recycling Factory. The Recycling Factory collect and recycle over 8 million inkjet & toner cartridges each year and whether you’ve got one, or hundreds of cartridges, we can help you to recycle them.

Each ink cartridge that they receive, the Carmelites and the National Shrine of Saint Jude will receive a donation.

More information on what can be recycled and how to recycle your cartridges please visit, here.

On-line shop highlights 5

Our new on-line shop includes not only a number of religious gifts and souvenirs connected with Saint Jude, but there is so much more on offer too.

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

This time we want to highlight the Saint Jude prayer cards that you can purchase. Most of our stock is exclusively designed by the Shrine of Saint Jude to help raise money for the Shrine and the work of the Carmelites in Britain and worldwide.

Our Saint Jude prayer cards can be found, here.

Thoughts from our Chaplain - Advent Awareness

Connecting with experience
Perhaps one of the many appealing characteristics of Pope Francis is his natural and often spontaneous ability to open doors and broaden horizons.  Many people have said that he demonstrates a warm humanity that somehow facilitates a deeper appreciation of the Christian mission to proclaim the mercy of a God who desires to be intimately involved in the lives of very ordinary people.  Of course, it can be rightly said that he has not defined any new doctrine; rather, it is a matter of approach and perspective.  He seems to have the freedom to be able to connect with lived experience and, for those who listen to and observe him, he inspires actions which speak more eloquently than words.  He himself would be the first to declare that he is merely a messenger, not the message.

Loving presence
As we journey through the season of Advent and come to the celebration of Christmas we may hear conflicting messages, and we may be confronted with competing demands.  It is good to celebrate what is important to us and to demonstrate our affection for those we value. Christmas is traditionally a time of giving and receiving.  But is bigger really better?  Does the more expensive actually mean more valuable?  Do we need to allow clever advertising to condition our choices and decisions – what we offer to others and expect in return? There are many in our society and beyond who may not be able to buy expensive things – refugees, prisoners, the sick, the poor, the vulnerable, children.  They can remind us, when we have become easily overwhelmed by the commercialism of the season, that what truly matters is the gift of our loving presence, however ordinary the means of its expression.

God surprises
The world into which Jesus was born shares some similarities with today’s. Greed and exploitation were commonplace; there were vast inequalities between rich and poor countries, wealthy and struggling people; politicians limped from one catastrophe to another; vested interest covertly influenced local, national and world events; with wars ravaging huge territories, thousands were left homeless and were displaced; children starved, and disease afflicted many people.  Sounding familiar?  Not the usual romantic image of the first Christmas perhaps!  But it is precisely into this messy situation that a message of hope and liberation comes.  God speaks and God moves into action… but in the most unexpected of ways.

Making space
God’s message is an action that affirms all that is good, beautiful and authentic about humanity.  God rejoices when life is lived to the full and when human beings recognise each other as sharers in a divinely-graced dignity, no matter what their creed, colour, nationality, orientation, social status or past record of sin and virtue. After the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph shared the gift they had received by welcoming shepherds. Like the tax collectors and prostitutes of the time, shepherds literally lived on the fringes of their society. The Christmas message of hope and compassion proclaims that in God all are made acceptable, all are given welcome, all can find a home. No matter where we have been, what we have done, God makes space for us… and Christmas invites us to expand the space we make for God.

Led to the vulnerable
Just as the story of the birth of Jesus marks a new beginning for the whole of humanity, so too new possibilities open up for each of us when we gaze deeply into the true meaning of the Incarnation and allow it to give us a new perspective on others and ourselves.  Perhaps we are to be like those three pilgrims in the Nativity story who follow a star of enlightenment without being able to name it or fully understand what it is, but find ourselves led into a situation of vulnerable affection and love. As the three seekers were led to an exposed baby in a simple shed in a conflict-torn territory, we too may find ourselves being led to the most vulnerable in our society and world to discover the depths of what it means to love fully and be fully human. It is in simplicity and in the humblest situations that the gift of love can be exchanged… and there is no price that can be placed on that.

Expanding hearts
Although God’s Word was sent into our world in a specific time and place and became flesh in the person of Jesus, the message of God’s love continues to knock at the doors of people’s hearts, reshaping human horizons.  As we allow our personal storms, fears, prejudices and defences to be transformed, maybe God will be given an opening to expand our hearts and re-define our limiting boundaries.  As God can see the Christ in us, maybe we might see the Christ who comes to us in disguise in the multitude of vulnerable others as we surrender to the impact of God’s love this Christmas.

Seize the moment
Pope Francis has seized the moment. What are the opportunities that we can identify and develop that will benefit others?  How can we continue developing that warm sense of welcoming humanity in our homes, our churches, schools, our neighbourhoods? How will we recognise the summons and touch of God in every encounter? What will strengthen our commitment to a way of authentic prayer that takes us beyond our self-preoccupation to an inclusive outreach to all people?  Carpe diem!

Fr Brendan Grady, O.Carm is Chaplain to the National Shrine of Saint Jude.

_______________

Christmas Carols 2016

We had a wonderful day today Carol Singing. Thanks to our wonderful music group: Greg, Siobhan, Judy, Emily, and Martha.

Thank you too to the Faversham community, Fr Wilfrid McGreal, O.Carm; Fr Brendan Grady, O.Carm; and Br Tony O'Donnell, O.Carm.

Thanks too to our Shrine Office team and our volunteers: Jean and Carol.

Finally, thank you to the friends of Saint Jude who joined us. We had a happy Christmas celebration.

On-line shop highlights 4

Our new on-line shop includes not only a number of religious gifts and souvenirs connected with Saint Jude, but there is so much more on offer too.

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

This time we want to highlight the various books that you can purchase. We have a massive range of books available at the shop. Most of our stock are exclusively designed by the Shrine to help raise money for the Shrine and the work of the Carmelites in Britain and worldwide.

Our shop can be found here and our our books can be found here.

Winter Newsletter

We are pleased to announce that the latest issue of Carmelite News is now available to all our on-line subscribers.

Carmelite News is available to view via a system called Page Tiger. You do not need special software for the online magazine and you will be able to print all, or part of it, if you wish to do so. Page Tiger will allow you to read the newsletter as if was printed.

Our winter issue can be accessed, clicking here.

The winter issue has all relevant web links enabled so you can click to go directly to any site mentioned. Each newsletter can be read either as a two-page spread or as a single spread. It is also possible to zoom into each page.

In this edition, the Prior Provincial, Fr Tony Lester, O.Carm writes his winter letter to the friends of Saint Jude, and discusses a collection of topics. The newsletter also includes the latest novena, details of our Carols at the Shrine, and information on our shop. Remember if you decide you prefer the on-line version and you would like to give up the printed copy, you can do this by simply emailing newsletter@stjudeshrine.org.uk, or by phoning the Shrine office (Monday – Friday, 9 – 5) on 01795 539 214 to make your request.

If you have any problems with access, please email: newsletter@stjudeshrine.org.uk

We hope you enjoy Carmelite News.

May God bless you, Our Lady have you in her keeping, and Saint Jude intercede for you.

Christmas Carols at the Shrine

Christmas Carols at the National Shrine of Saint Jude

  3 December 2016

All are welcome to attend Christmas Carols at the National Shrine of Saint Jude.

Carol singing starts at 2.30pm, but there will be plenty of activities before and after. We will be singing all the great carols in the Shrine of Saint Jude. Everyone who attends will need to get their voices ready for a good and celebratory singalong! Mince pies, mulled wine, teas and coffees and fruit juice will be available. A book stall with lots of fiction and non-fiction will also be available. The whole day will be a great Christmas celebration.

All are welcome.

National Shrine of Saint Jude, 34 Tanners Street, Faversham, Kent, ME13 7JW

Tel: 01795 539214

Can you help and put our poster up in your church? Download here.

On-line shop highlights 3

Saint Jude bronze medal (made in Lourdes, France)

Our new on-line shop includes not only a number of religious gifts and souvenirs connected with Saint Jude, but there is so much more on offer too.

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

This time we want to highlight the medals, rosaries and similar items that you can purchase. We have a massive range of medals and rosaries available at the shop. Most of our stock are exclusively designed by the Shrine to help raise money for the Shrine and the work of the Carmelites in Britain and worldwide.

Our shop can be found here and our medals and rosaries can be found here.

Pope John Paul II medal for sale