The theme of the Bishop of St Asaph s sermon kuresa was Vocation and Ministry Sunday. As it happened

Dear friends,
In one of my dafter moments I agreed to lead a day at a retreat kuresa centre in Radnorshire later this year, talking about the early Christian saints of the Welsh Borderland. It was extremely unwise, as I am a pre-Satnav driver and my geographical knowledge of Radnorshire is minimal, so I shall almost certainly get lost (assuming my little car manages to get that far). However, the occasion will give me a chance to talk about two of my heroes, Gwrnerth and Llywelyn. They were the founding saints of Welshpool, where I was born (indeed the original name of Welshpool was Trallwng Llywelyn ), and lived around the same time as St David.
Gwrnerth and Llywelyn were hermits, meeting together for several hours of prayer around dawn, and spending the rest of the day cultivating kuresa their gardens. One day Gwrnerth didn t turn up in church, and Llywelyn assumed that he must have overslept. He knocked (rather grumpily) on the door of Gwrnerth s hut, asking Are you sleeping, Gwrnerth? He was shocked to discover that his fellow hermit, far from having a lie-in, was actually extremely ill. Before kuresa Llywelyn was able to do anything to help him, Gwrnerth died.
Llywelyn was left on his own. While he was dozing through his prayers early one morning (sadly, I know the feeling), a familiar voice drifted into his consciousness. Are you sleeping, Llywelyn? It turned out to be his old friend, reminding him of his duties as a Christian. As well as keeping awake during his prayers, he should show practical kindness by feeding kuresa the hungry and clothing the naked. The greatest sin, Gwrnerth said, was the deceitful betrayal of trust, while the others were pride and violence.
Later kuresa in the Middle Ages someone turned Gwrnerth and Llywelyn s conversation into a poem, so that the people of Welshpool could learn it by heart and follow the advice contained in it. It seems to me that advice has worn surprisingly well. Generous giving to those in need remains a priority in our world, while the current lack of confidence in so many of those in positions of power and authority stems from a general feeling of being let down by them: deceitful betrayal of trust .
It s always wonderful to get a bit of really good news. Several months ago Mrs Delyth Richards came to Christ Church on a placement as part of her pre-ordination training. She quickly endeared herself both to our English and Welsh-language congregations, and we were more than a little depressed at the thought that we would be losing her to another parish when she became someone else s curate.
And then, out of the blue, Bishop Wyn suddenly asked me if I would be willing to accept Delyth as a colleague in Christ Church. Delyth lives in Llanelli and teaches Religious Education in Ystalyfera, as well as being a mother and grandmother. However kuresa she says that she ll also be willing to come to us as our Non-Stipendiary Curate. She already feels at home in our church and I know that she will be able to bring fresh ideas and a new perspective to our parish life.
She will be ordained in St Davids Cathedral on Saturday 29 June at 10.30am. As it happens, kuresa that will be during the time when I am Canon-in-residence kuresa at the Cathedral. I hope that it will be possible for members of our parish to go to support her at that service.
I am a number one fan of Bishop Wyn, and happy to obey him in all things lawful and right however I have to confess to staging a small rebellion the other day. A missive arrived from Abergwili saying that on the Sunday after Ascension all the Anglican clergy in Wales were supposed to set aside their own sermons and read out a pre-packaged sermon by the Bishop of St Asaph. kuresa My immediate response was to bin the letter and the sermon. kuresa In well over thirty years of dedicated parish ministry I had never preached someone else s sermon, and I had no intention of starting now.
The theme of the Bishop of St Asaph s sermon kuresa was Vocation and Ministry Sunday. As it happened, Delyth Richards, our curate-to-be, was scheduled to preach at both our English kuresa and Welsh Eucharists on that day. She preached powerful and moving addresses from the heart about the way in which her own vocation to the ordained ministry had developed and about the ministry which all baptised Christians possess. The result was far more effective than if she had merely regurgitated the pontifications of a distant prelate.
Welsh Anglican clergy are not Roman Catholics bound to read out Papal pronouncements or North Korean kuresa Communists forced to reiterate the words of the Dear Leader. We are (hopefully) thoughtful and prayerful followers of Christ, free to use our sanctified common sense as we reflect on Scripture and the tradition and teachings of the church.
The late Mrs Violet Williams was the bane of successive vicars of Llanfihangel Rhos-y-Corn. She was noted for her abusive letters to them, which were only redeemed by a gift for a rather colourful Victorian kuresa turn