Ad Clerum – April 2025

Annwyl Gyfeillion

Chrism Eucharist – 17 April

I am looking forward to welcoming all of you to the Cathedral on Maundy Thursday 17 April, at 1100hr as we gather to celebrate the Chrism Eucharist with the Blessing of the Holy Oils and the Renewal of our Commitment to diaconal, priestly and episcopal service, as well as the re-commitment of all the baptized to mission.  This common celebration is one of the chief points of diocesan life, so please make it a priority for your diaries.

Lunch will follow as usual and will be served in the south transept.  It will take the form of a hot main course followed by a dessert.

All licensed and commissioned lay ministers and all members of our congregations are very welcome in addition to all clergy, serving and retired, to help to make the Chrism Eucharist a genuinely diocesan service.  I like the invitation to be as wide as possible, and it would be good if shared ministry teams could include the wider circle of lay ministers and PTO clergy in their invitations.

Please would clergy and lay people intending to be present register with their Mission Area Administrators.   MAAs will be provided with a pro forma to return to Esgobty no later than Tuesday 8 April so that we have an accurate idea of numbers for catering, etc.  There will be meat and vegetarian options for the meal, and any other dietary requirements should be notified when registering. 

• Those robing will be able to do so in the North Transept (clergy: alb/cassock & surplice with white stole; Readers: cassock, surplice & scarf) prior to taking their places. Other lay licensed ministers may use the cross with which they were invested at their licensing.
• When robed, please take your seat in the nave as directed by the stewards.
• At the end of the service, please remain in your places while the Bishop’s altar party processes through the West doors, after which those with clerical and lay licensed ministries are invited to join the procession for a photograph in the area outside the Cathedral. Please remain robed for this.

 There will be a limited number of disabled parking spaces in the parking area accessed from the High Street.  Please contact the Cathedral Office concerning reservations. General car parking will be available at Ysgol Glan Clwyd as usual.

Patronal Festival of St Asaph

There will be a special celebration of the Holy Eucharist to celebrate our diocesan patron Asaph on Saturday 3 May , in the Cathedral at 11.00hr.  The Archdeacon of Montgomery has agreed to be our preacher.  I encourage the Teulu Asaph to come together for this service of thanksgiving for the inheritance of faith we have received and to pray for our ongoing service and mission in Asaph’s name.

During the Eucharist there will be an opportunity for us to celebrate aspects of our common life together. In particular, I would like to invite those who are celebrating a significant Ordination Anniversary during 2025 to join me for this special celebratory Eucharist– anniversaries such as 25 years and the subsequent ‘0’ or ‘5’ anniversaries thereafter.  If you have a special anniversary this year that you would like to celebrate then please contact Esgobty as soon as possible and no later than 18 April.

The Residential Clergy School  – 15-18 September 2025 in York

Registrations are now open for the Clergy School.  All stipendiary clergy are expected to attend, unless they have leave of absence directly from me.  All licensed NSMs are welcome to attend, if their other commitments allow them to be with us.  Please send your registration in as soon as possible.

Parking is limited in York.  There are just sufficient spaces for us to allow one car per Mission Area.  Parking is £20 per car per day.  For all sorts of reasons, therefore, car share is important, unless you’re taking the train.  Travel to and from York is a legitimate clergy expense, but in approaching mission areas, they will obviously want to see best value for money.

 Consultations on Provision for Same Sex Unions

The consultations around the diocese continue to reflect on the provision of Blessings for Same-Sex Unions, and what changes we would wish to see following the five-year experimental period which expires in September 2026.    Anyone who wishes to contribute to this process is invited to attend the one consultation most convenient for them.  Clergy may attend any, but I will hope to see them attend the final consultation, so that we can take counsel together.

The important thing to note is that these occasions will not be a debate, and there will be no vote.  Rather, it is for those who wish to express what they believe that God has laid on their heart on these matters, and for those in attendance to listen respectfully, even where views may differ considerably.  Contributions will be listened to respectfully, and quietly, and we will all listen for the voice of God’s Spirit to inform and guide us.

At the first meeting last week, about forty people attended and about fifteen spoke, many of them beginning with the words: “When I came here tonight I didn’t expect to speak, but …”. It met my hopes with respectful listening and viewpoints of different kinds.

I remind you of the reading list as previously circulated with the Ad Clerums in February & March.  This has been produced for us by the Provincial Director of Faith, Order and Unity, Canon Dr Ainsley Griffiths, which is an extensive resource surveying some of the literature that is available to inform us of the various contributions to the debate.

The dates of the remaining five consultations in our diocese are:

• Thursday 8 May             St David’s Hall, adjacent to the Church, at Penrhyn Bay, at 1900hr
• Monday 12 May            Llangollen Pavilion, at 1900hr
• Monday 19 May           St Mark’s Church Hall, Connah’s Quay, at 1900hr

The final consultation for any clergy holding the Bishop’s Licence or Permission to Officiate will be held on Thursday 22^nd May, at All Saints Church Hall, Southsea, at 1400hr

Diary and Events                                    

Please read this diary carefully.  The diary below is updated every month to include all those fixed dates for events that clergy are required to attend as part of their professional commitment, together with those opportunities to build up our common life by supporting significant moments for our colleagues.

Please ensure that those dates which are a professional requirement are in your diary, even where the exact format may be open to change.  Where a clash with your own plans comes to your attention, please raise it with Esgobty at the earliest opportunity.  I am still occasionally getting excuses late in the day from clergy who don’t seem to have planned ahead, or even to have read this diary, and I am much more amenable when approached early to discuss any potential clashes.

Dates for April

17 April               Chrism Eucharist, Cathedral, 1100hr

19 April               Easter Vigil, Cathedral, 1900hr

27 April               Licensing of Paul Wheeler, as Priest-in-Charge in Deeside MA, St Ethelwold’s Church, Shotton, 1530hr.

Dates later in 2025

 8 May                 Same-Sex Blessings Consultation in St David’s, Penrhyn Bay, at 1900hr

12 May                Same-Sex Blessings Consultation in Llangollen Pavilion at 1900hr

19 May                Same-Sex Blessings Consultation in St Mark’s Church Hall, Connah’s Quay, at 1900hr

21 May                Licensing of James Tout as Vicar of St Giles’, Wrexham, St Giles’ Church, 1900hr

22 May                Same-Sex Blessings Consultation for Diocesan Clergy, All Saints’ Church Hall, Southsea, at 1400hr

31 May                LLM Annual Meeting and Service, Cathedral, at 1200hrs

19  June              Licensing of Jenny Clarke as Priest-in-Charge in Rhos a Mynydd MA, St Matthew’s, Buckley, 1900hr.

22 June               Licensing of Lorraine & Christopher Turner at St Michael’s, Kerry, at 1530hr.

28 June               Ordinations, Cathedral, 1000hr

15-18 Septr        Residential Clergy School, York

5 Oct                 Homelessness Sunday

Hwyl a Helo

I am pleased to announce that I have invited two further people to become Honorary Assistant Bishops in the diocese.  First, the bishop of our link diocese, Dr Teemu Laajasalo, Bishop of Helsinki, will receive my commission in the course of the Cathedral Choir Visit to Finland later this year.

I am also pleased that the Bench have approved my appointment of the Rt Revd Beverley Mason to accept my commission as an Honorary Assistant Bishop.  Bishop Bev has a home in the diocese and has offered us her ministry and service in the Province and in the Teulu Asaph.  I look forward to commissioning her formally at the Chrism Eucharist.

I am also very pleased to announce the appointment of the Revds Lorraine & Chris Turner for ministry in the south of the diocese.  Lorraine and Chris will be joining us from Rochester Diocese on 22 June  to serve in Cedewain MA, with Lorraine having pastoral responsibility for the Kerry Group of churches, while Chris will the joining the new Mission Hub at All Saints’, Newtown, where he will work alongside Nia Morris as Associate Priest.

Also, I pleased to announce that Cass Meurig Thomas has been appointed Pioneer Priest in Tanat-Vyrnwy MA.  Cass will join Helen Dawson in the cohort of Pioneer Missioners, who are being funded by the Church Growth Fund.  Helen works in the neighbouring MA of Caereinion.

As Trish Owens now relinquishes her role as NSM Officer in preparation for her retirement from licensed ministry in May, I am pleased to welcome Kathy Stewart who will take over this responsibility.

Notes and Queries

Easter Vigil and the Blessing of Paschal Candles

The Easter Vigil will take place at 1900hr on Saturday, April 19^th.  There will be a warm welcome to any from across the diocese who would like to join us to celebrate the resurrection light that Easter brings.  As has been the custom in recent years, the Dean and I would like to extend an invitation to all churches not holding their own Vigil to bring their Paschal Candles for blessing at the service.  This symbolizes beautifully the taking of the Easter light of Christ from the Mother Church to illuminate the Paschal celebrations of Easter across the diocese and in their local settings.

Funeral Training for Readers and Pastoral Chaplains

I attach my guidance to licensed lay ministers about Funeral Ministry.  No LLM should be taking funerals without the consent of the local Shared Ministry Team, and without undertaking the appropriate training.

We will be running a course in funeral ministry for LLMs after Easter. If there is an LLM who you know and work with who you think might be called to funeral ministry, please encourage them to contact your MAL, who can then put them in touch with Revd Alyson Goldstein AlysonGoldstein@cinw.org.uk. The training will cover pastoral and spiritual support for people at the end of life, supporting bereaved families, and leading or co-leading funeral services.

Homelessness Sunday

This year, Homelessness Sunday will take place on Sunday 5 October.  Please save the date if your Church would like to run its own Homelessness Sunday Service or if you would like to mark the day in some other way within your local community.  Housing Justice Cymru will be providing resources including suggested readings, prayers and junior church activities, as well as information about homelessness and how your Church or community group can get involved. More details nearer the time

Leading Your Church into Growth

As you are aware, LyCiG is at a pivotal point in its history and has an amazing opportunity to review, develop and enhance their conferences and resources. Rather than assume LyCiG knows all that is required they want to hear back from all the churches and leaders who have engaged with their events and conferences until now.

LyCiG have produced a short questionnaire to help them discover what they can do better to continue to help the local church to have hope for its future and develop strategies for growth. Here is the link: https://online1.snapsurveys.com/LyCiG

The questionnaire only takes 10-15 minutes to complete and it doesn’t matter if churches attended 3 weeks or 3 years ago. Completing the questionnaire enters you into a prize draw to win 1 of 5 copies of Jesus 100 by Robin Gamble.

As we travel together with Jesus the path to Jerusalem, and the events of the Passion, I trust that God will be with you to grant you and your congregations a deeper knowledge of the costly love that he lavishes upon us, and that we may come together at the foot of the Cross, aware of his atoning sacrifice for the sake of the world.

I look forward to seeing you on Maundy Thursday.

In Christ,