Archbishop's letter September 2024

Many happy returns to Gerry a long time parishioner of St Teilo's who has participated in many volunt eering roles in the parish over the years, and thanks to our social group for the tea, coffee and cakes, we had a lovely get together after the Sunday morning mass. Also congratulations to Frank who has recently celebrated his 92nd birthday.(picture below)

Archbishop Mark O’Toole and the Safeguarding Department of the Catholic Archdioceses of Cardiff - Menevia invite you to our LOUDfence event in Swansea. The aims of this event are to raise awareness of abuse and acknowledge the harm it causes to individuals, families and communities, whilst offering an opportunity for all, of all faiths and none, to join together, in solidarity, and show their support to all those affected by abuse. This year’s event will be held on Saturday October 19th , starting at noon with Mass, celebrated by Archbishop Mark in St David’s Church, St David’s Place, Swansea. This will be followed by light refreshments in the Church Hall and an opportunity for networking and for those who would like it, to access appropriate support. For those who might experience discomfort in the cathedral there is a neutral room without ecclesiastical décor available. What happens at a LOUDfence event? The main focus of a LOUDfence event is the tying brightly coloured (LOUD) ribbons and messages of support in public spaces, often on railings/ fences, to show support to ALL victims/ survivors of abuse. All are welcome and invited to tie ribbons and messages of support for survivors to the railings and/or to the dedicated LOUDfence tree inside the church, both on the day of the event or during the following week. What is LOUDfence? · LOUDfence, is a survivor-led initiative, which gives a voice to all those who have experienced abuse within a faith-based setting or have been affected by it, although it is open to everyone. · LOUDfence provides an opportunity for reflection on the times the Church and wider society has failed victims/survivors of abuse and to say we are truly sorry. · It calls us to commit ourselves to doing our utmost to be a place which is safe for all people. · LOUDfence is a process which aids gradual culture transformation through celebrating the virtues we hold valuable. · LOUDfence raises awareness in the community and in institutions, challenging the silence and shame which surrounds the issue of abuse. · LOUDfence seeks to support the survivor and validate their worth by celebrating the act of speaking out and truth telling. Background to LOUDfence LOUDfence originated in Australia as a solidarity movement in 2015. Here in the UK, it has become a survivor support and reconciliation movement, led by Antonia Sobocki in Cumbria since 2020. LOUDfence has now spread to other organisations, leading to events being held across the UK including in Plymouth, Northampton, Birmingham, as well as Lourdes and Paris in France, Rome and now is being adopted by faith communities in the USA. Our LOUDfence event in Swansea Throughout our event, members of the Safeguarding Team, clergy and laity will be offering a listening ear, support and guidance to survivors and anyone with concerns about abuse in any context.  All are welcome and invited!

The next gathering of the young adults’ group (18-35) for the churches of the Northern Arc (St. Philip Evans, St. Paul, St. Brigid, Christ the King, St. Teilo and Our Lady of Lourdes) is on Friday, October 18th. As it will be the Feast of St. Luke, the Patron Saint of doctors, there will be a Mass celebrated in the Chapel of the University Hospital of Wales at 6:30pm, followed by refreshments. The Chapel is on Ward B7. Anyone working in health care, in whatever field, is particularly welcome. For further information, please contact Fr. Peter - peter.davies@rcadc.org

We will have coffee, tea and biscuits in the St. Pope John Paul II Chapel at Our Lady of Lourdes after the 10.00am Mass on Wednesday 16th October . If you are at the Mass on that day, please stay behind and spend some time socialising and sharing with our fellow parishioners.

On Saturday, September 14th this year, the Catholic Church in England and Wales - bishops, priests and people from all the dioceses gathered at St Mary’s College, Oscott, Birmingham for a day to renew and deepen devotion to the Eucharist. Adoremus was scheduled to coincide with the 53rd International Eucharistic Congress in Quito, Ecuador from September 8 th to 15th. Unlike Adoremus in Liverpool in 2018, this year’s event had limited numbers but each diocese was able to invite a coach-full of pilgrims. The group from the Archdiocese of Cardiff was co-ordinated by Fr. Michael Doyle, Dean of the Cathedral and included a representative from our parish, Jordan Kingsford. The Bishops’ Conference has now developed a series of online resources so that those who were not able to attend the event in September can benefit from the teaching and reflection which was shared on the day. The resources can be found here: https://www.cbcew.org.uk/category/adoremus/

The Parish Christmas Fayre will take place in St. Teilo’s Parish Hall on Saturday, November 16th from 10.45am to 2.00pm. All monies raised this year will be for the Parish Reaching Out Project There will be an assortment of Hand knitted items, bric a brac, homemade cakes, handmade Christmas cards and craft items, toys, and lots more!  There are a limited number of tables available. If anybody is interested the cost will be £10 or free of charge if monies taken are donated to the Reaching Out Project. Anybody interested can contact Carole : carolestbrioc@gmail.com or mobile 07747562847.

The New Lectionaries for use from the First Sunday of Advent have arrived. Each Church will have four volumes of the Lectionary – the first which covers Sundays, Solemnities and Feasts of the Lord, the second which covers the weekdays of Advent, Christmas and weeks 1 to 9 of Ordinary Time, Lent, Easter and the Proper of Saints from December to June, the third will cover the Weekdays of weeks 6 to 34 of Ordinary Time with the Proper of Saints from June to November and the fourth version which includes the readings for Ritual Masses, Masses for Various Needs and Occasions, Votive Masses and Masses for the Dead.  Each volume costs £175, so the total cost for the two churches in the parish is £1,400. If anyone wishes to dedicate a volume to their family or a deceased loved one etc, then please donate £175 to the parish requesting it be used to pay for a volume of the Lectionary. If you cannot afford to pay for a volume but would like to contribute to the costs of the new Lectionaries, please submit your donations in an envelope marked Lectionary.

Adoration and Exposition – Our Lady of Lourdes The Polish Community holds silent Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Thursday evenings from 7.30 to 8.30 pm. All are welcome to come along and pray in silence, in the presence of the Lord Jesus. Adoration is preceded by Mass in Polish at 7pm.

Ecumenical Vespers will take place on Wednesday, October 16th at 5:30 p.m. in the Cathedral, where all are invited to gather to pray for peace and reconciliation in the Holy Land. The service will be led by Archbishop Mark, joined by Lord Rowan Williams, Patron of Friends of the Holy Land. They will be joined by other ecumenical guests and dignitaries. Following the service, there will be a Q&A session at the Cornerstone, where Brendan Metcalfe, CEO of Friends of the Holy Land, will provide an update on the current conditions in the region.