Carmelite saints in stained glass
The corridor between the church and shrine is lined with stained glass windows by the artist Richard Joseph King (1907-74), depicting important figures in the tradition of the Carmelite Order.
It is thought that when the artist created the stained glass he depicted the features of four Carmelites living at that time, Fr. Joe Kelly (Ireland), Fr. Patrick Geary, Fr. Kilian Lynch and Fr. Malachy Lynch. The artist, Richard Joseph King, was born in Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland, and entered Harry Clarke's stained glass studio in 1928, becoming manager of the studio from 1935-40. He then worked independently on his own commissions. He was also an admirer of the works of the sculptor Eric Gill.
The outer shrine area
This was previously the Baptistery where the font of the parish church was kept. Two great Archangels etched in the glass flank the doorway as guardians and reminders of the Communion of Saints. They carry the instruments of the Passion. A prayer intentions board displays photographs of people and prayers submitted by friends of the Shrine for whom the Carmelites pray.
The outer shrine area.
Artwork by Adam Kossowski
Adam Kossowski was an eminent artist who did a considerable amount of work on religious subjects for the Carmelites, especially at Aylesford Priory a few miles away from Faversham. In the entrance to the church and the shrine are holy water stoops by him.
One of the holy water stoops by Adam Kossowski.
Within the outer shrine there are the three ceramic plaques in the Outer Shrine area including one of the martyrdom of Saint Jude. Saint Jude is traditionally depicted with a club in his hand. This stems from the tradition that he was clubbed to death for his fidelity to Christ. The ceramic depicts this moment of human brutality - perhaps this is a moment for prayer for those in the modern world who suffer the same fate for their beliefs.
The Kossowski ceramic depicting the martyrdom of St. Jude.
Among the ceramics is also a moving depiction of Christ's crucifixion.
The Kossowski ceramic depicting the crucifixion of Christ.
The stained glass in the outer shrine area
The stained glass windows were installed about 1957 and were also 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.
The windows in the outer shrine area are, from left to right:
The Shrine Chapel
Through the archway is the Shrine Chapel, which serves as a prayerful antechamber before the statue of Saint Jude.
Pilgrims kneeling in the Shrine Chapel, before the statue of St. Jude.
Suspended from the ceiling are twelve large votive lamps in silver, symbolising the twelve Apostles (among whose ranks was Saint Jude).
The windows are again the work of Richard King. The triple light at the back of the Shrine Chapel depicts Our Lady of Mount Carmel (with the Scapular in her hand) and the Christ-Child with a scapular and dove, with attendant angels on a rainbow. The rainbow imagery here refers to the Old Testament story of Noah in the Book of Genesis. The dove seen above the hands of the Christ Child, could again refer to the dove bringing the olive leaf to Noah, but Christ is also seen as the bringer of peace.
The triple light (window) showing Our Lady of Mount Carmel with the Infant Jesus
Behind the altar is another triple light, this time depicting Christ on the Cross vested as a priest, while below are seen the hands of a priest celebrating Mass with host and chalice.
Pilgrims in prayer before the triple light (window) of Christ on the Cross.
The offered host seen in the centre of a Cross, which is placed above a chalice, emphasises the idea of sacrifice. On either side are the souls in purgatory.
Beneath the stained glass are three plaques by Adam Kossowski - the centre plaque depicting the Crucifixion is visible here - this is flanked by the two angels visible at the top of this page.
The icons of Carmelite saints
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.
Sister Petra Clare with one of the icons she had written.
Icon of Saint Albert (left) and Saint Brocard (right) on Mount Carmel.
Icon of Blessed John Soreth (left) and Blessed Frances d'Amboise (right).
Icon of Saint Elias (left) and Blessed Isidore Bakanja (right).
Icon of Bl. Titus Brandsma (left) and St. Edith Stein (right).
The Inner Shrine
The statue of the Apostle Jude in the Inner Shrine beyond the Shrine Chapel is really the work of art which most focuses pilgrims' devotion.
The statue of St. Jude in the inner shrine.
The statue is sixteenth-century Spanish gilt and polychrome wood.
The statue was a gift from Mr. & Mrs. Michael and Mary Murphy. In the Carmelite News, Fr. Elias recounted how the statue came to be donated:
The Faversham statue of St. Jude turned up in a peculiar way. A man wrote to tell me that his wife was depressed and sorely afflicted because her son had been lost at sea in the submarine war. He asked me to pray to St. Jude that God would give her patience, resignation and fortitude. This we did. I wrote to him to say that we did not have a good statue of St. Jude and he wrote back to say that he had seen one in an antique shop in London, Spanish 16th century. Could he donate it to the Church? Of course I said "yes" and down it came. It certainly looked like an Apostle, but it was the most Mongolian looking statue I had ever seen. There was an element about it that was quite impressive and the artist had not spared either his time or labour in the carving. The donor asked me to put a little plaque under it, asking prayers for his son lost at sea". I said to him, "It is a little too soon yet. Wait a while." Sure enough, ten weeks later the son turned up as a prisoner of war on a captured German sea raider. The plaque was never put up.
As Fr. Elias recounted, the donors' son presumed lost at sea was later found. However, in the subsequent course of World War II that young man and one of his brothers died as members of the Merchant Navy. In 2015, the Diamond Jubilee of the Shrine, a surviving son, Mr. James Murphy, was present at the National Shrine celebrations to see in place a plaque that reads: "This statue of St. Jude was donated by Michael Joseph and Mary Bridget Murphy of Hythe, Kent, in memory of their sons Matthew and Michael who died on active service in the M.N. during World War II. R.I.P."
The Shrine, the mosaic apse, ironwork and exterior frieze in mosaic were designed by Michael Leigh A.R.C.A., who worked on various Churches including some of the mosaics in Westminster Cathedral.
The two large candles either side of the altar were donated to the Shrine by clients of St Jude as memorial candles. Their names are on the pedestals.
The reliquary which stands in the inner shrine is known as the Augsberg Reliquary. It is a modern copy of a silver monstrance dated 1547, and it has been modified to display the relic, a bone fragment, of St. Jude. The veneration of relics raises all kinds of questions in the modern world. To read an excellent text about relics by the eminent Carmelite theologian Fr. Christopher O'Donnell, O.Carm., please click here.
The St. Jude reliquary.
The carvings of the Twelve Apostles round the apse in the inner Shrine are by Anthony Foster. He was Eric Gill's principal assistant, and Gill had a very high opinion of his work. The design was based on the Malmesbury Apostles. St. Paul has been substituted for Judas Iscariot.
Carvings of the Twelve Apostles.
For security reasons this area is enclosed by a wrought iron gate. Inside the gate on either side, although hidden from sight, are two panels in aggrafito work by Adam Kossowski, one bearing the names of the Apostles, and the other the Apostles Creed, 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.
The Repository is located alongside the Shrine offering gifts and souvenirs. It has also got a display on the Shrine and details of the various prayer societies.