The Shrine Information Centre and Office (refurbished in 2015) holds a permanent display on the history of the Shrine and a celebration of its 60th anniversary. The Information Centre and Offices were originally the newsletter office and where the newsletter was printed and stuffed into envelopes.
The series of display panels tell visitors the story of the National Shrine. The Information Centre also includes letters of congratulations to the Shrine on its Diamond Jubilee which have been received from Queen Elizabeth II's office, the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, the then Mayor of Faversham, and the Prior General of the Carmelite Order in Rome.
The Shrine Information Centre also includes two statues of Saint Jude.
First, the statue of Saint Jude by Adam Kossowski (pictured below)...
The second statue is by Philip Lindsey Clark (pictured below).
The statue is by Philip Lindsey Clark (1889–1977), and was made for the College Chapel at Saint Mary's, Llandeilo, Wales, which was run by the Carmelites. It was then moved to two more Carmelite homes: Allington Castle, and then for the last 20 years it was based in East Finchley. Philip Lindsey Clark was born in London. His father was the sculptor Robert Lindsey Clark.
He worked with his father at the Cheltenham School of Art from 1905 to 1910 and then from 1910 to 1914 studied at the City and Guilds School in Kennington. He had a most distinguished war record in the First World War, winning the DSO. At the end of the war he returned to Royal Academy Schools to continue his training and remained there from 1919 to 1921. From 1920 to 1952 he was a regular exhibitor at the Royal Academy and from 1921 onwards at the Paris Salon. From 1930 his work became more and more of a religious nature and he became a Carmelite Tertiary. He eventually retired from London and lived in the West Country.
The then Prior Provincial, Fr Antony Lester, O.Carm, and his Council, decided that on the closure of the house at East Finchley that the National Shrine of Saint Jude would be a good place to have this beautiful statue of Saint Jude. It is now situated in the Shrine Information Centre amongst the displays on the history of the Shrine for our visitors to admire! All welcome.
The Shrine Information Centre was officially opened by the Most. Rev. Peter Smith, Archbishop of Southwark on 28 October 2015.
The Shrine Information Centre is open all year.
