Saint Jude Feast Novena: Day 6

#SaintJude Feast Novena Day 6: #StJude, Apostle and Martyr, help me to trust that God leaves no prayer without an answer, even if it is not what I may expect. Kindly help those who turn to you in desperate cases. Amen.

Pictured: ceramic of the martyrdom of Saint Jude (by Adam Kossowski)

More information on the Feast celebrations this weekend, please click here; and for everything Saint Jude, please click here.

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Saint Jude Feast Novena: Day 4

#SaintJude Feast Novena Day 4: #StJude, Apostle of Christ, listen with compassion as I ask your help. Pray that God may answer my prayer as he knows best, giving me grace to see the Holy Spirit at work in all circumstances. Amen.

More information on the Feast celebrations this weekend, please click here; and for everything Saint Jude, please click here.

Pictured: Statue of Saint Jude at the Shrine by  Philip Lindsey Clark (1889–1977)

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Christmas cards

Photo of the Month - June 2016

The National Shrine of Saint Jude repository has started to receive a bit of freshening up. Last week, we replaced the old boards with new display boards on the Repository wall. Each display board is full of information on the Shrine, our three societies, the Guild of Saint Jude, and much more. 

This is only phase one of the changes in the Repository, please watch this space for more...

If you would to donate towards our work at the Shrine, please visit our on-line donation site. Thank you.

Fathers' Mass

For the first time, a shared Mass will be celebrated at the National Shrine of Saint Jude in honour of Saint Joseph and all fathers and grandfathers.

Simply add the name(s) of a father, or grandfather and a donation. Those listed can be your father, someone else’s father, a grandfather, someone who is soon to be a father, someone who is hoping for a child, or a paternal figure in your life. 

You can add a name(s) via our special page, here. Or, you can send your names and donation to: Fathers' Mass, Carmelite Friars, P.O. Box 140, Kent, ME20 7SJ

Saint Joseph, pray for us!

Photo(s) of the Month - December 2015

We are continuing our celebration of sixty years of ministry at the National Shrine of Saint Jude with our photo of the month. This month, we are pleased to show some photos of the new Shrine Information Centre, which was opened by the Archbishop of Southwark, Most Rev Peter Smith in October. 

The Saint Jude management team with the Archbishop and Mayor of Faversham

Archbishop Peter Smith unveils the new plaque

One of the letters congratulating the Shrine on its sixty years.

 

The Archbishop and Mayor of Faversham look at the new display in the Shrine Information Centre

You can view many more photos taken by Johan via the Carmelite Flickr site, here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/gbcarmelite/albums/72157660526533822, and read the report about the Feast Day, here: http://carmelite.org/index.php?nuc=news&func=view&item=1229

Photos (c) Carmelite Charitable Trust and Johan Bergstrom-Allen

Photo of the Month - March 2015

We are continuing our celebration of sixty years of ministry at the National Shrine of Saint Jude with our photo of the month. This month, we are pleased to show a photo from the inner shrine - a panel with the names of the Apostles (including Jude).

For security reasons this area is enclosed by a wrought iron gate. This panel is therefore hidden from sight. It is the work of Adam Kossowski. Opposite is another with the Apostles Creed, both are embellished with early Christian symbols. The lettering and ornamentation are in red and black, and the effect is obtained by laying a foundation of red and black plaster, then covering it with an off-white plaster, and while the latter is still moist cutting away the lettering with a stylus to reveal the colours beneath.

If you would like to find out more about the origins of the Shrine, you can purchase a signed copy of Fr Wilfrid McGreal's book: Friar Beyond the Pale from our on-line shop, here. 

Prayer at the Shrine: March, April, May 2015

In 2015, our Shrine Chaplain will be celebrating Mass on various dates in the Shrine for specific feast days and for our Guild masses. All Masses take place at 11.30am in front of the statue of Saint Jude. Please contact the Shrine Office if you would like more information. All pilgrims and friends of Saint Jude are welcome to attend. 

March

Feast of St David, Patron Saint of Wales: 2 March
Feast of St Joseph, Principal Protector of the Carmelite Order: 19 March

April
Guild Mass (II): 20 April
Feast of St George, Patron Saint of England: 23 April

May
Feast of St James the Lesser, Apostle: 2 May
Feast of St Philip, Apostle: 4 May
Feast of St Matthias, Apostle: 14 May
Feast of St Simon Stock, Carmelite Saint: 16 May
Feast of St Dunstan of Canterbury, local Saint: 19 May
Feast of St Augustine of Canterbury, local Saint: 27 May
Guild Mass (III): 29 May
Summer Celebration – 2015: 30 May

Plus..
Praying the Novena of St Joseph: every day from 11 March until 19 March at 2.30pm

Photo(s) of the Month - February 2015

In 2015, we are celebrating sixty years of ministry at the National Shrine of Saint Jude. For our regular feature of Photo of the Month, we are pleased to present three photos from 1955 when the Shrine was first opened. The Shrine has changed quite a bit since then, especially after the 2004 fire - but many things remain the same. As the Bishop of Southwark said in 1955, the National Shrine of Saint Jude is truly the "jewel for the diocese".

If you would like to find out more about the origins of the Shrine, you can purchase a signed copy of Fr Wilfrid McGreal's book: Friar Beyond the Pale from our on-line shop, here. 

Canonisation of Kuriakose Elias Chavara

On 23 November 2014, the Feast of Christ the King, Pope Francis will canonise six blesseds and inscribe them in the roll call of Saints. One of these will be the Carmelite priest: Kuriakose Elias Chavara. The National Shrine of Saint Jude has a beautiful icon of this future Saint (pictured).

In 2004 a fire broke out in the Shrine Chapel destroying the murals which once hung there and damaging much of the other artwork. Happily, the windows and ceramics could be repaired, but the murals had to be replaced.

The decision was made to install icons depicting saints inspired by the Carmelite Rule of Saint Albert, in commemoration of the 8th centenary of the Carmelite Rule in 2007. The icons were written by Sister Petra Clare, a Benedictine hermit living in Scotland.

Fr Chavara was a priest and the founder of the Congregation of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate. He is remembered for his solid leadership and is recognised for having saved the Church in Kerala from a schism in 1861.

Matt Betts

Feast of Blessed Isidore Bakanja

Happy Feast of Blessed Isidore Bakanja. At the National Shrine of Saint Jude, we have a beautiful icon of this holy man (see below).

Blessed Isidore Bakanja was born in 1888 in a fishing community in the Congo. He was baptised on 6 May 1906 and from that day he wore faithfully the Carmelite scapular.

He was working in a plantation run by a colonialist who did not want Christianity to be spread. By wearing the scapular and showing everyone his faith, Blessed Isidore was flogged several times. In 1909, the superintendent of the business tore off the scapular and severely beat him. He died on 15 August 1909 as a result of the wounds inflicted in "punishment" for his faith and which he bore patiently while forgiving his aggressor.

He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 24 April 1994.

Prayer for peace

To mark the centenary of Britain's entry into the First World War, we have lit a candle at the Shrine for the Fallen. Today, the Archbishop of Canterbury (our neighbour) said on Radio 4: "Never again, the slogan after so many wars, requires us to say yes to the words of Jesus who tells us that love for our enemies is in fact the only way to eliminate them. We make them our friends – and change our world forever." Let us pray for peace in the world.

Photo of the month - July 2014

The Resurrection of Christ (depicted on one of the windows in the outer shrine).

The stained glass windows were installed about 1957 and were executed by Richard Joseph King. This series of windows can be compared to similar windows made for the Church of Swinford in Mayo in the 1950s. The artist also did a picture of Our Lady of Mount Carmel for the Carmelite Church in Aberystwyth.

Note the crosses of Calvary in the background on the right. The angel of the resurrection on the bottom right and Pieta on the bottom left reflect the passion and resurrection theme. The letters INRI on the top of the cross Christ is carrying. Christ displays wounds in his hands. The ChiRho (PX) is the early christian symbol of Christ. The star of Bethlehem in the background on the left is a reference to the birth of Christ. This symbol is balanced by the crosses on the right which refer to his death. Rays coming from heaven are seen behind the Christ figure. The influence of cubism in the. handling of the composition is particularly seen in the interaction between Christ's halo and the cross, and in the handling of the empty tomb at the bottom of the picture. Note also the symbolic treatment of colour: red and white symbolise passion and resurrection, yellow, white and blue are also resurrection colours favoured by King.

For more information on the stained glass window, please visit our special page. 

Photo of the month - June

The sign outside the church and National Shrine of Saint Jude entrance. 

For more information and history of the site, please see:http://www.carmelite.org/index.php?nuc=content&id=113