I have been a parishioner at St. Teilo’s for 17 years. In the early 1990s I was a member of St. Albans SVP following in my late Father’s footsteps: he was for many years the President of the St. David’s Cathedral SVP, in the era when Newtown was still vibrant. This was my first recollection of how important a Parish ministry was to its community.

In 2020, the arrival of Covid gave me a welcome and unexpected opportunity to become fully involved in the opening up of St. Teilo’s Church for private prayer, and subsequently Mass. Some may recall booking Masses with me over the telephone!

Currently, I am part of the Welcomers Team, this for me is an important part of ensuring parishioners both old and new are made to feel welcome when they step through the door.  I have also started reading at the Masses and I am also part of the church cleaning team.

As Chair of the Parish Council, I would like to maintain St. Teilo’s status as a Parish that continues to welcome all comers and whose doors remain open.  A Parish that seeks to evolve and discover ways it can embrace the changes that a vibrant church must confront. The next few years will be important to the Church as it makes history allowing the Synodal process to reflect and implement the changes that any lay people are being encouraged to select and explore. To quote Pope Francis ‘It is not enough to say that we are Christians, we must have the faith, not with words but, with actions’