Celebrating the Year of Pilgrimage

St Asaph Cathedral will host a special service on Sunday 4 May at 3.30pm to mark the end of the Diocesan Year of Pilgrimage.

Bishop Gregory is keen to see representatives from every Parish in the Diocese at this event and clergy are asked to bring at least two members of each congregation with them to this exciting celebration.

The service will be an opportunity for reflection on the past year and offer the chance to give thanks. A cairn will be built in the centre of the cathedral with items from the Year of Pilgrimage and pilgrims will be able to place their pilgrim's shell on the cairn at the beginning of the service.

Pilgrims will also be able to pick up a certificate marking their participation in the celebrations and have it stamped after the service. Children representing our church schools sharing shell-shaped biscuits made in school as part of their learning.

At the end of the service everyone will be given small flasks of water and parchments of sand to deliver to their churches on the following Sunday to symbolise "journey and refreshment". A special liturgy of "Receiving the Gifts of Sand and Water" will be distributed to all churches so that the flasks and parchments can be presented to all churches in the diocese.

Clergy will not have to robe for this service as the Diocesan family sit together for worship and reflection. We look forward to seeing you on May 4th!

Easter flowers

Flowers in the church this Easter. Click on any photo for a larger version.

Holy Week

From the Vicar : Holy Week
In just a week’s time we will begin Holy Week, which is described in more detail than any other in the life of Jesus. In its drama it provides an opportunity to perhaps reflect on our own Christian  commitment, loyalty and life.

• Can we relate the stories of the Passion, which we read in the Gospels to our own lives? 
• Are we like any of that whole host of characters which we meet in the story? The different disciples, Peter, Judas, Caiaphas, Pilate and members of the crowd.
• Can we imagine what went on each day? Can we see ourselves behaving like those who figure in the Passion of Christ?

It was certainly a difficult time for Jesus and may well be a difficult time for many of us too, as all of us have those “Good Friday” times in our lives – pain, suffering, anxious times and, sadly, loss – perhaps of a person, but also of a relationship.

Some may be held up on their life journey at Good Friday, in difficult times. They are  in need of all our care, love and support, until they are able to gently move forward.

Holy Saturday can be that day of waiting and hoping for better things, a time of waiting for Resurrection. All of this can remind us that Holy Week leads us to another day which we can be part of – that final day of Holy Week.

Easter Day will once more remind us that we are a Church, Parish and People of the Resurrection.

For the children, I guess, a good Easter Day will be measured by the number of Easter eggs on Easter Sunday morning! However, when we eat an egg we know that the shell needs to be broken - sometimes we want to hang on to things just as they are, our habits and our fears too, yet God calls us out of our shells into a whole new way of living - the loving way, for God and each other - perhaps our shells will need to be broken!

A Happy, Blessed and Peaceful Easter.

Michael