Spreading the joy of Christmas in hospital, prison and Cathedral

The Bishop of St Asaph will visit people in hospital and those in prison as part of his Christmas duties and celebrations.

The Rt Revd Gregory Cameron, who recently returned from a four-month sabbatical, will visit Deeside Community Hospital with his Lordship, the Right Honourable Barry Jones on Monday 23 December, meeting staff, friends of the hospital and visiting patients. The League of Friends at Deeside Community Hospital, which has 75 members, raises thousands of pounds throughout the year, which buys equipment and funds the work of two hairdressers on the wards.

On Christmas Eve, Bishop Gregory will preach the sermon to those attending the Carol Service and Midnight Mass at St Asaph Cathedral. In his sermon, he will refer to his recent visit to the church in Cairo on the site where the Holy Family are believed to have taken refuge. He will remind the congregation that “with the joy of Christmas comes the challenge of caring for the dispossessed and those in need.”

On Christmas Day the Bishop will lead the Service of Christmas Communion inside HMP Berwyn in Wrexham. It is the third year running that Bishop Gregory will join the Managing Chaplain, the Revd Alan Pierce Jones inside the prison’s purpose-built chapel for the Christmas Day service at 9.30am. Looking ahead to Christmas, Bishop Gregory said: “Although the men are of course separated from their own families at Christmas, we want them to know that we welcome them as members of our local Church family – that the good news of God coming to bring joy to the world, is also an offer of God’s blessing for them. For me, the command of Jesus – to visit those in prison – means that there is no better place for me than with these men on Christmas Day.”

HMP Berwyn, a category C prison, opened in 2017 and can accommodate up to 2, 106 men. It is the largest prison in the UK, split up into three blocks named after local bodies of water in North Wales – Alwen, Bala and Ceiriog.

The Midnight Mass service at St Asaph Cathedral begins at 11.30pm and all are welcome to the service.