Parish News Summary

Bishop June has appointed 2 new clergy to begin serving the Garth Ministry Area beginning later in 2022.

Rev’d Ian Yemm, currently Assistant Curate in the Cowbridge Ministry Area, will join the Garth Ministry Area later this year with pastoral responsibility for the communities of Radyr & Morganstown and Danescourt.

Rev’d Sandra Birdsall, currently Vicar in the Afon Nedd Ministry Area and Chaplain to Mothers’ Union Llandaff, will be particularly serving the communities of St Fagans, Tongwynlais and Taffs Well.

Meet Rev’d Ian Yemm

Ian has a passion for music and liturgy.

Ian grew up in Herefordshire and Shropshire. He is married to Bernhard, a doctor working in the NHS for the last twenty years. Ian trained for ministry in the Church in Wales at the St Padarn’s Institute in Llandaff and has served his Curacy in the Cowbridge Ministry Area. Before returning to Cardiff, Ian was the Coordinating Chaplain at the University of the West of England in Bristol and ministered in parishes in both the Bristol and Gloucester Dioceses.

Prior to that, Ian worked as a professional musician, singing in the chorus of Welsh National Opera.

Meet Rev’d Sandra Birdsall

Sandra was born in Bridgend but grew up in Penarth and then Radyr. She read Genetics at University College London where she met her husband Mike.

“After university I trained as a clinical cytogeneticist at St Bartholomew’s Hospital specialising in the diagnosis and monitoring of leukaemia and lymphoma. I then spent several years as a research scientist at the Royal Marsden Hospital. We then moved back to Radyr and I began working at the University Hospital of Wales where I became head of the Haematological Malignancy Genetic Diagnosis Laboratory.”

“Outside of work I became a Sunday school teacher and later Church Warden in the Parish of Radyr. Finding this ministry and my faith becoming a more and more important part of my life I left work in 2013 to study full time at St Mike’s. I was ordained Deacon in 2015 and priest in 2016, serving my title in the Parish of Penarth All Saints.”

“In January 2019 I was commissioned as diocesan Mothers’ Union Chaplain. A role I love and have recently been recommissioned for the new triennium. In June 2019 I was appointed Vicar in the Parish of Llansawel, Briton Ferry, where it has been a privilege to serve with a really friendly fun group of people with a strong sense of God’s call in their lives. I have recently been awarded a Master of Arts in Christian Spirituality from the University of Winchester, for which I studied at Sarum College in Salisbury.”

“Mike, my husband, is a software developer and we have two daughters, one married, one still at home. Last summer we became grandparents for the first time and I have rediscovered the joy of knitting picture jumpers for our granddaughter. My other passions are travel to places of ancient historical importance and anything to do with rhinos – even having them on my green stole!”

Rev’d Vicki became the vicar of the Parish of Radyr in 2019.  On 6th March 2022 she announced her resignation from the post (see this Newsletter).  Sadly, 17th April 2022 – Easter Sunday – was her final service with us. This was a lovely service with about 100 people in the congregation, and included the Baptism of Natalie and Chloe.  As usual the Church was decorated beautifully and thanks must go to Jean, Marion, Anne Marie, Angela and Val for their stunning flower arrangements.

At the end of the service Gail sang ‘The Lord Bless You and Keep You’ by Rutter, accompanied on the piano by Hayley, a very moving end to Vicki’s time with us.

Afterwards there were farewell drinks in the hall, with crafts and an Easter egg hunt for the young people. A presentation was made to Vicki , a pair of strong wellington boots to cope with floods and mud in Herefordshire! We thanked her for everything and wished her and the family good luck in the future. On behalf of the Choir, Andy then thanked Vicki for all her support.

Vicki said that she was at peace with her decision to leave, but that she would miss everyone.

A full recording of the service can be seen by following this link.

Ukraine, an update.

Update 30 March.  Natasha is now back in Radyr having successfully rescued her sister and family. She writes:

We are trying to settle my sister and the kids into the a new life in Cardiff. So far, we’ve applied for schools and there is some good news for a 3 year old. She will commence one of the local nurseries after Easter holidays. Not so lucky with the boys- still no school. Schools local to Radyr are full and they have been placed on the waiting list. Reverend Vicki gave me a really good advice (I am so grateful for that).

My sister is embracing the challenges that comes her way. She started to have English and driving lessons (in Ukraine they drive on the other side).

I have to say our GP surgery, in particular Dr Lawton have been fantastic. Dr Lawton provided a tremendous support for my sister and the kids. We are so grateful for that.Our neighbours have been also very supportive as well and donated clothes and toys.

But the rest of our family including our parents are still in Ukraine. There was a little bit of good news. Our Sumy region was liberated a few days ago from the Russians, hopefully for good.

However, my cousin and his family are still in Kharkiv and they are not able to leave. They have been under the constant shelling and he told me that they have children on their street as young as 4. So, I am afraid it is still so real and horrible for them and us.

Please contact her on williamsnatasha1979@gmail.com if you would like to help another family, or apply via the UK ‘Homes for Ukraine’ website.

Natasha  provided us with an update on 18 March. She is now in Poland living in pretty dire accommodation and trying to arrange for the hosting of a number of families. Specifically, she writes: “I have a lady with her 17 year old son who needs a sponsor and a place to stay. I know them personally, a very modest and lovely family”. If you think you can help with this or any other family, please send an email to Natasha at williamsnatasha1979@gmail.com and she will sort out details.  Please be generous.

My name is Natasha Williams (nee Gryva) and I am from a North Eastern Ukrainian small town called Shostka in the Sumy region. I am married to a Welsh man, David Williams, and I have been living in Radyr for almost 20 years and I also work in the Welsh NHS as an Occupational Therapist.

Before 24^th February not many people in the UK had probably heard about the Sumy region. However, things have changed in the last week. I was woken up by a series of one line messages from my sister, who lives in Kyiv with her husband and three young children. It was pretty early in the morning and the text messages read:

The war is breaking off

Attacks from all directions 

Towards Gluhov (a small town near my home town in the North East)

Children and I are trying to leave Kyiv, stuck in massive traffic for the last 2 hours

Sergey (her husband) stayed behind to fight 

Sirens across Ukraine 

Bombing airports and bridges.

I burst into tears and I cried non-stop for 14 hours. It took my sister and her children 15 hours to reach a small town in central Ukraine. They didn’t have satnav or mobile phone reception for several hours and the anxiety we as a family experienced, I can’t even describe it to you. She managed to reach her mother-in-law safely and unharmed and they are staying there at the moment.

A week forward, I still cry for several hours a day, being grateful that my children and my husband are safe here, however feeling terrible guiltly and sadness that I am not with my family in Ukraine.

On the 2^nd day of the war, I received a photo from my sister from her very close friend with the new-born baby hiding in the cellar. That picture made me incredibly sad and angry with myself. I remember thinking; your crying is not helping anybody. I usually have a “Get on with it” attitude, and my normal life motto is,”It is what it is, and keep going on regardless”.

I decided to reach out to a local church, and I had Rev’d Vicki’s contact from my neighbours. She offered to help immediately. The British public and the British Polish diaspora in the UK and across the world have been incredibly supportive. However, every single day I receive a number of requests from friends and family to support with medical and other equipment for the territorial defence as they are not able to date to get access to funds or equipment from charities.

I have managed to link with a charitable foundation that supports the territorial defence in Kyiv where my brother-in-law is based. My brother-in-law and my sister are some of the funders of this charitable foundation. My sister and I also managed to link now my friends from my home town (Shostka) to this charitable foundation. They can request the equipment they are required and receive it. If you would like to support this, please donate via Christ Church, Radyr (details at the end)*.

I am attaching a few photos I received from my friends and family. One is of my nephew; he loves computers, and his hope is to study graphic design. He is 15 now, and he wants to help to fight the Russian Army – he is volunteering now to hand-make camouflage nets with his grandparents and the extended local community.  The second is of my sister’s very close friend with the new born baby. The third is from my cousin. He lives in Kharkiv with his family. This is my nephew. They spend majority of their days now in the cellar.

Natasha’s Nephew

New born baby

Living in the cellar

My 11-year-old nephew expressed his feelings and emotions:

I want to express my sincere gratitude who took the time to read this and who have supported and continue to support people in Ukraine.

Today is the 7^th day of the war…

Most of my family left Kyiv.

I can see my mum is crying sometimes. She is worrying, when she sees our solders being sent to war, she is worrying about what has been happening in our country. She is also worried about my dad; he is left behind in Kyiv to protect us and to fight.

I am really worrying about my family and their lives and I don’t even know what my brother Danya is feeling now…

But I think everything is going to be ok.

*  Rev’d Vicki Burrows has said that any money donated via Christ Church will be passed to Ukraine via me.  Donations can be made via the following bank account:

The Garth Ministry Area

Sort code 08-92-99

Account number 67241527

Please add ‘Ukraine’ as a reference to enable the money to be channelled appropriately.

Alternatively, please put cheques (payable to The Garth Ministry Area) or money in an envelope (marked ‘for Ukraine’) and leave them in church or take them to the Rectory, Radyr..

Lent is a great opportunity to invest in our relationship with God by setting aside a little bit of time to learn and grow as Christians. We can do that on our own by setting aside some time to read the bible or pray or we can join with others to chat, learn and grow together and there are a couple of options available for that this Lent:

Preparation for Lent – Quiet day – Retreat, Rest & Refresh
5th March – St Catwgs, Pentych – 10.00am-3pm
Tea & Coffee provided – please bring a packed lunch. For a programme and more information contact Belinda Huxtable (077 3424 8869 – curateofradyr@gmail.com)

Lent with the Saints (Encounters with our Lord Jesus)
Lent sessions – at Christ Church, Radyr – 10.30-12noon

8th March – Ignatius of Loyola 1491-1556…a personal encounter.
15th March – Francis of Assisi 1181-1226…a personal commitment
22nd March – Therese of Lisieux 1873-1897…The Little Flower..a response to God’s love
29th March -Teresa of Avila 1515-82…a wayward girl finding herself
5th April – Dewi Sant/St David..the Welsh saints..doing the little things.

Each address will be followed by an imaginative contemplation on a portion of scripture. With the help of the saints we will come together to seek a personal encounter with Our Lord Jesus. For more information contact Belinda Huxtable (077 3424 8869 – curateofradyr@gmail.com)

Holy Week Services
10th April – Palm Sunday: The usual morning service pattern will be followed in all churches on Palm Sunday but there will also be an additional Palm Sunday Praise service at Christ Church, Radyr, at 6pm. We’d like to form an ad hoc Garth Ministry Area choir for this occasion and have got a few weeks to prepare, so please contact Vicki Burrows (075 1596 5781 – vicki.burrows@icloud.com) if you’d like details of choir rehearsal dates.

11th April – Monday in Holy Week: 7.30pm – Devotional Service, St David’s, Groes Faen

12th April – Tuesday in Holy Week: 10.00am – Eucharist, St David’s, Groes Faen

7.30pm – Devotional Service, St Mary & St James, Taffs W

13th April – Weds in Holy Week: 10.00am – Eucharist, St Mary & St James, Taffs Well

9.30am – Eucharist, Christ Church, Radyr

10.00am – Morning Prayer, St Catwg’s, Pentyrch

7.30pm – Devotional Service, St Mary’s Ch, St Fagans

14th April – Maundy Thursday: 10.00am – Chrism Eucharist, Llandaff Cathedral

7.00pm – Eucharist, St Mary & St James, Taffs W

7.30pm – Eucharist, St Catwg’s, Pentyrch

7.30pm – Eucharist, Christ Church, Radyr

7.30pm – Maundy Thursday at St Mary’s Church

15th April – Good Friday: 09.30am – Stations of the Cross, St Michael’s, Ton

10.00am – Family Service, Christ Church, Radyr

11.00am – Stations, St Mary & St James, Taffs Well

11.00am – Devotional service, St Catwg’s, Pentyrch

2.00pm – Devotional service, St John’s, Danescourt

2.00pm – The Last Hour, St Mary’s, St Fagans

2.00pm – Devotional service, St David’s, Groesfaen

2.00pm – Devotional service, St Michael’s, Ton

5.00pm – Devotional service, St Ellteyrn’s, Capel Llanilltern

7.30pm Christ Church. At the Still Point of the Turning World    An evening of specially chosen music and poetry for Good Friday, with the Morganna String Quartet. Over the centuries the story of the trial and crucifixion of Jesus has inspired composers and writers, like J. S. Bach and Arvo Part, John Donne and T. S Eliot, to create some of the world’s greatest works of art. This is an opportunity to reflect on the profound meaning of the day, and to invite friends and neighbours who perhaps might not attend a traditional religious service.  Admission free. Donations to DEC Ukraine Appeal

16th April – Easter Eve 6.30pm – Easter Vigil, St Catwg’s, Pentyrch

17th April – Easter Day: Usual Services in each church

Join the Parish of Radyr as we prepare to celebrate the Christmas season in 2021.

Whilst we are pleased to be able to hold our events in-person this year, keeping each other safe whilst in our buildings is our priority. To do this, numbers will be more limited than are traditionally possible as we try to keep our community safe whilst getting together as much as we can. 

The Christmas related services in the Parish of Radyr will include: 

• 12 December 6.00pm – Christingle, Christ Church
• 17 December 6.00pm – Christingle & Carol Service, St John’s Danescourt
• 18 December 6.00pm – Nine Lessons and Carols, Christ Church
• 24 December (Christmas Eve) 5.00pm – Crib Service, Christ Church (Children please come dressed as shepherds, angels or wise men)
• 24 December (Christmas Eve) 9.00pm – First Eucharist of Christmas, St John’s Danescourt
• 24 December (Christmas Eve) 11.30pm  – Midnight Communion, Christ Church  
• 25 December (Christmas Day) 9.15am – Christmas Morning, St Johns
• 25 December (Christmas Day) 11.00am – Christmas Morning, Christ Church 

The annual fair returns to Christ Church and the New Schoolrooms in Radyr from 10am – 12 Noon on 20th November 2021, with the usual variety of entertainment and stalls. Something for all the family.

On Sunday, 24^th October Bishop June confirmed no less than 24 candidates from across the forthcoming Garth Ministry Area (which consists of the parishes of Radyr, St Fagans and Michaelston-super-Ely, Tongwynlais, and Pentyrch and Capel Llanilltern).  The service also included two Baptisms. As Bishop June pointed out in her welcome to the candidates, the high number reflected the long delay in arranging such services due to the pandemic. Some had been preparing for this occasion for two years.

It was a lovely and moving service in a wonderfully full church. If you would like to see the service, a recording can be viewed on the Parish’s YouTube channel.

Here is a list of the candidates:

Alfie Williams, Amelie Partridge, Angharad Day, Ava Coomer, Bethan Williams, Bronwen Day, Caitlin McManus, Christopher Burke, Christopher Winch, Ellie Wilson, Emily Azzopardi, Emily Williams, Evan Williams, Ffion Lloyd, Ieuan Lloyd, Jago Robbins, Jasmine Burrows, Jayne Vincent, Leila Yau, Nicola Darwell, Sophia Evans, Spencer Mullins, Stephen Burke, Suki Yau.

And here is a selection of pictures of the candidates.

We congratulate them all.

Our Curate, Belinda, was Ordained Priest by Bishop June at a moving service in Christ Church on Saturday, 26^th June. Although the congregation was necessarily reduced by Covid restrictions, friends and family, including her parents and her husband, Simon, were there to support her. Music was provided by Hayley Jenkins (piano), Simon Davison (cello) and Gall Pearson (soprano).  After the service, attendees were served Prosecco in the sunshine.

A recording of the service can be viewed on the Parish’s YouTube channel.

Belinda (in her new robes) with Bishop June

The following day, Sunday 27^th June, Belinda presided at her first Eucharist service at 11:00 in Christ Church.  The sermon at the service was given by Rev’d Dr Trystan Owain Hughes of St Padarn’s Institute.

The pilgrimage planned in 2020 had to be cancelled because of the pandemic. Vicki is now organising a new one for October 2022 – see this flyer.  Brochures are in both churches, Full details of the trip can be viewed here and here is a link to the Lightline website.   Please contact Vicki for details.

We are all saddened at the death of Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh on 9 April at the age of 99. We received the following message from the Diocesan office:

Bishop June Osborne expressed sadness on hearing the news of the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. On behalf of the Diocese of Llandaff, Bishop June offers her sincere condolences to Her Majesty the Queen and will keep members of the Royal Family in her prayers.

Bishop June asks that parishes pray for the Royal Family at this time and give thanks for long public service of the Duke of Edinburgh.

A prayer on the death of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh on behalf of the Diocese of Llandaff

Loving God and heavenly father,

we give you thanks for the life and service of Prince Philip,

for his love of our country and his devotion to duty.

At this time we especially pray for Her Majesty the Queen and for the Royal Family in their loss.

As we entrust him now to your love and mercy , strengthen our faith in your eternal kingdom of justice, hope and peace.

Amen.

Sadly, it is not possible in these restricted Covid times to open a local Book of Condolence. All who would like to do express their condolences are asked to do so via the National Book of Condolence which can be accessed via this site: https://www.royal.uk/books-condolence .

Special prayers will be said on Sunday, 11 April to give thanks for the life of Prince Philip and the tenor bell of Christ Church will be rung on its own, half-muffled, at 12 noon Saturday 10 April for about five minutes.

At noon in Christ Church, Radyr, on Tuesday, 23rd March the church bells were rung and a service held by Rev’d Vicki and Rev’d Belinda to remember those who have died in the last year. Candles were lit to commemorate all those known to have died in the Parish. .

On Wednesday, 16th September, Reverend Gareth Rayner-Williams was Licened as Assistant Priest in the North-West Ministry Area.  Gareth has provided the following introduction:

Hi everybody.  I’m really looking forward to getting to know you over the coming weeks..

Just a very brief introduction to say that I am from North Wales originally, from a little village called Llysfaen on the coast.  I came to faith in my teenage years and began attending church, on my own, from about the age of 12. After school I headed off to university to study economics politics and theology and followed this with a postgraduate degree In Political theology at Hull University. I trained for the ordained ministry at Westcott House Cambridge and, after curacies in North Wales, came south to work at the University of South Wales. I’ve also worked at the theological college in Llandaff and was for a short time vicar of Roath. I then retrained as a secondary school teacher of religious education and was Head of RE at Hawthorn High School in Pontypridd and then Assistant Head at The Bishop of Llandaff High School where I might well have taught your sons and daughters. Currently, I work at Saint Teilo’s High School as the community priest and a member of SLT.

I’m married to Darren who works for Apple as a Business and People consultant for London and the South East.  We live in Llandaff with our three year old Dachshund, Gideon. We have three adult sons: James who is a counsellor, Benjamin who is an assistant manager of a pub in Cardiff and Samuel who is doing his Masters degree in music at Kings College London.

If you were to ask me what I thought the church was all about, I’d say it was about loving each other into holiness and kindness and helping to make the world a more just place for others.

Thank you for your kind welcome and I look forward to all that lies ahead for us in the coming years.

(Gareth can be contacted at G.rayner-williams@stteilos.com)

Welcome to The Parish of Radyr Online Open Gardens. Please help us raise funds for Christ Church, Radyr and St John’s, Danescourt

The Radyr & Morganstown May Festival normally has a lovely Open Gardens event which shows off some lovely gardens and also raises money for Charity. We hope that that event, organised by Gill Evans, is able to be run later in the year. However, in the meantime, Vicki asked us to take pictures of our gardens and interesting features so that we can enjoy seeing them digitally whilst we are socially distanced from each other.

Since the closure of our churches we have seen a significant loss of income both from the hiring of our halls and from collections received at regular church services as well as baptisms, weddings and funerals. Whilst our income has fallen (especially at Easter) the costs of caring for our historic buildings and serving the wider community remains.

During the summer we usually hold a parish fete and this helps us to give to local schools and charities. Please consider making a donation to The Parish of Radyr to enable us to continue our work both now and when our churches open.

If you are able to help us by giving to Radyr Parish funds please click on the

GoFundMe link

which will take you to a donation page. Every donation made will make a difference.

Do have a browse through these pictures.  And, if you would like to add to them, please send further contributions to parish@radyr.org.uk.

Parish Gardens

View this gallery on Flickr

Following the announcement on 23/03/2020 by the Prime Minister all churches are now closed to slow the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID19)

There will be no weddings or baptisms in church until further notice.

Funerals will be conducted at the graveside or in crematoriums, but only in line with the Prime Minister’s Statement.

To assist those who wish to help you deepen your faith and remain part of the wider church community at this time the Church in Wales is building a set of resources for those staying at home.

Our prayers and care for the parish continue

It has been the most extraordinary week. Many of us are confined to our own accommodation, church services have ceased and panic buying at some shops has made some essentials difficult to get hold of. The only good news is that, at the time of writing, it has stopped raining and the sun is shining.

• 2020-03-21_Vicars-letter

Those on the Parish electoral role should have already received this by e-mail. If you haven’t please contact parish@radyr.org.uk to be added to the distribution list.

Representatives of the Parish have been working with members of the R&M Community Council, the RMA and other interested parties to discuss our community response to the Coronavirus crisis.

Clearly, there is a limit to what a Community Council can do, but we all want to do what we can.

As a first step, we decided to publish postcards to help those people who are able to offer to look after their neighbours if they’re self-isolating.

The Community Council are arranging to print our Radyr and Morganstown postcards as quickly as they can – and will keep you updated on the supply and distribution through www.radyr.org.uk and local Social Media channels. The first small batch were ready last night (18 March 2020) and so some should now be in circulation.

We will let you know where you can pick up a supply of our cards, to distribute to your neighbours. We want to keep this very local – so we will encourage people to take no more than around 20 cards – and post them to people who live nearby. In this way, those who are self-isolating can be confident that they will be dealing with people they can trust.

A short while later, we will set up a system to enable those who haven’t received a card to let us know. We can then try to find volunteers in your area. At this point we are hoping that those who are able within our Parish community will assist further by enlarging the areas they are prepared to support.

In the meantime, the postcard is as shown below (click on it to enlarge).

If you want to crack on with this, you can visit the Community Council website to download the card, which you can print out.  The card includes instructions for use.   Bilingual and Welsh versions are avaiable on the Community Council Website.

Update 17 March 2020

In accordance with the latest guidance from the Bench of Bishops in Wales, all church services and gatherings for public worship are no longer taking place. This includes our regular Sunday services and weekday services.

We are awaiting further information from the government, which will help us all to measure and reflect upon the gravity and potential duration of this cessation. However, given the information we have available to us at present, the ceasing of public worship and gathering is the prudent course of action.

The full guidance can be seen at – https://www.churchinwales.org.uk/en/clergy-and-members/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance/

To assist those who wish to help you deepen your faith and remain part of the wider church community at this time the Church in Wales is building a growing set of resources for those staying at home including an address from Bishop June bringing compassion and hope in uncertain times.

Statement from 14 March 2020

In recent days,  we  have all viewed the  escalating coronavirus outbreak with growing alarm .We  have read our Governments advice about washing our hands and being sensible if we are unwell as we enter the delay phase of  our country’s response.

We are concerned to limit any risks to our congregation. To this end, whilst following Church in Wales guidelines our normal Holy Eucharist Services are to continue with sensible precautions e.g. Not offering the peace physically or using the Chalice.

In addition, to minimise any risks to all of us but especially the young, elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions we are cancelling Sunday Club, Confirmation Classes, Bumps a Daisy, Lenten Discussion groups and Lenten lunches. Also we will not be offering refreshments after any of our Services.

We have not taken this decision lightly and hope the situation will improve soon and we can get back to our usual activities.

Margaret Smart & Cheryl Evans

Churchwardens

Our five year strategy to grow faith and transform our church communities.

Because faith matters.

The vision of the Diocese of Llandaff (of which the Parish of Radyr is a part) is that all may encounter and know the love of God through truth, beauty and service, living full and rich lives through faith.

Transforming lives through living and bearing witness to Jesus Christ is our calling. We seek to do this in a Diocese that is strong, confident, alive and living in faith, engaged with the realities of life and serving others in His name.

Our profound belief in the sovereignty of God means that we will look to continue Christ’s church and mission by telling the joyful story of Jesus, growing the Kingdom of God by empowering all to participate and building the future in hope and love.

Our shared aims

• Telling a joyful story.
• Growing the Kingdom of God.
• Building our capacity for good.

Find out more

You can read more about the Diocesan Strategic Vision and our combined progress towards it at – https://llandaff.churchinwales.org.uk/diocesan-strategic-vision/

Or for a deeper background download the Strategic Vision Document

The Parish of Radyr PCC will be bringing their ideas for the local interpretation of this vision to the Parish Easter Vestry on Sunday 5 April 2020 at 19.00 in the New School Rooms.

Diocesan Vision Prayer

Today (6 March 2019) we have received updated guidance from the Church in Wales on actions relating to Coronavirus.

We pray for all who suffer, including at this particular time those infected by the new coronavirus, (now renamed Covid-19 by WHO) around the world, for those who care for them, for health specialists and authorities who are combatting the spread of infection, and of course for all who at this time are feeling anxious, especially for those with friends and family in areas most at risk.

In particular our Parish practice relating to Holy Communion will change until further notice:

Receive Holy Communion in one Kind. It is, and has long been, Anglican teaching that to receive the sacrament in one kind only (ie. just the bread) is to receive the sacrament in its entirety. With the recent increase of Covid-19 cases in the United Kingdom, we are now advising that public administration of the chalice should cease in the Church in Wales until further notice. The Chalice must continue to be prepared and consecrated in the usual way, but the celebrant alone should receive from the Chalice.

We are now strongly advising that physical sharing of the Peace be discontinued until further notice. When we exchange the Peace we express our desire to come to the holy table as a community which has been reconciled to God and one another through the work of Christ, and whose members are ‘in love and charity’ with our neighbours. Although customary in many churches, handshakes or other physical touching are not mandated in our liturgical rites and are not required at this point. Non-physical means of exchanging the Peace are encouraged – such as saying ‘peace be with you’, preferably whilst making eye contact. Similarly, non-physical alternatives to shaking hands when greeting people entering and leaving church should be used.

The full guidance and any future updates can be read at https://www.churchinwales.org.uk/en/clergy-and-members/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance/