Annwyl Gyfeillion,

Writing to you, as I am, between this year’s two ordination ceremonies, I am bound to reflect on that quaint and curious phrase “the grace of orders”, to describe what God is doing when we celebrate ordinations. Fundamentally, I do believe that God calls forth all the leadership of our Church, lay and ordained, and in many forms (Ephesians 4.11-13). God calls all of us to ministry in one form or another, and there is a fundamental equality of respect in the life of the body (1 Corinthians 12.21-27). Alongside this truth, however, there is another truth, which is that the early Church discerned that God was calling people to the office and work of both being set apart to be a distinctive ambassador of Christ in word and service, in the order of deacons, and to the office and work of gathering and giving shape, through Word and Sacrament, to the people of God, as presbyters (also called priests).

When someone is called to the office of deacon, priest or bishop, they are called to an office that God confers on our common life as part of the integral and authentic shape of the Church, exercising the charism of proclamation, or Church forming, or oversight in each of the orders. This complements the many other gifts that God gives, and exists as a permanent feature to serve and enable all the other tasks of witness and service that the Church undertakes.

And just as I believe that it would be impossible for me to achieve anything in my role as bishop without the daily renewing and reviving power of the Holy Spirit, so, when I invoke the Holy Spirit with the laying on of hands at ordination, I believe that those whom we have called to the offices of deacon or of priest – and often the two held together – receive the promise of God’s grace to sustain that task. As God said to the apostle “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12.9). Literally, thank God for that.

This month we will also celebrate God’s call and gifting in lay ministry as well. On 16th July, we welcome sisters and brothers who exercise licensed lay ministries to the Cathedral for a Eucharist of rededication and licensing followed by the LLM Annual General Meeting, as we celebrate the ministries of Reader, Evangelist, Pastoral Chaplain, and Youth and Children’s Chaplain.

So this month, we have a lot to thank God for, for renewing and sustaining the gracious calling by which he enables us to go forward in our life as a Church, bringing forth members of the Body who can sustain, witness and renew. Vocations are a sign of the body’s health, and thanks be to God to everyone who gives their life in service of the well-being of our family.

The Petertide Ordinations

Last weekend it was good to see those of you who gathered in the Cathedral to support the ordination of Stephen Hayes, Adrian Johnson, Chris Lawton, Natasha Quinn Thomas, Patrick Williams, and Michael Winwood, to the presbyterate. We welcome them as colleagues in the College of Priests and wish them all blessings in their new ministries.

The ordination season continues tomorrow with the service to ordain our five new deacons:

• Alyson Goldstein, who will serve in the Denbigh MA
• Dan Morgan, who will serve in the Mold MA
• Grace Lomas, who will serve in the Aberconwy MA
• Marcus Pipe, who will serve in the Wrexham MA
• Gareth Williams, who will also serve in the Estuary and Mountain MA

Do hold them in your prayers, and please come if at all possible to support them with your presence in the cathedral tomorrow.

Licensed Lay Ministry Day

Clergy would be very welcome to support the Eucharist which will mark the beginning of this afternoon event on 16th July. We will be licensing:

• Esther Andrews, stipendiary Youth and Children’s Chaplain in the Mold Mission Hub
• Tim Feak, Evangelist, Lead Chaplain, Coleg Cambria
• Alan McKinnell, stipendiary Evangelist in the Penrhyn Mission Hub
• Nicola Midgely, Reader in the Cedewain Mission Area
• Dawn Wolstenholme, Reader in the Mold Mission Area

It is good to see these various licensed lay ministries taking root in the diocese, and Huw Butler, the Licensed Lay Ministry Officer, would be pleased to hear of any further candidates for these ministries. In particular, if you have suitable lay members of your congregation who would be interested in exploring the ministry of Reader, it would be good to strengthen this ministry within the life of the diocese. The Celebration of the Eucharist and Licensing will be followed by the LLM Annual General Meeting.

Diary and Events

This diary below includes dates for events where all clergy are encouraged to attend, or required to attend as part of their professional commitment. Please ensure that these dates are in your diary, even where the exact format may be open to change.

JULY
02 July Ordination of Deacons, Cathedral, 1000hr

10 July Confirmation at Hope Street, Wrexham, 1600hr

11 July Licensing of George Bearwood at Emmanuel Church, Bistre, at 1900hr

16 July Licensing of Lay Ministers, Cathedral, 1400hrs

24 July Evening Prayer and HELLINS LECTURE, Cathedral, 1530hr

LATER in the year

11 Septr Confirmation at St John’s, Pool Quay, 1500hr

23, 25 & 26 Septr Michaelmas Ember Days

28 Septr Retired Clergy Association Eucharist and Lunch

08 Octr Diocesan Conference (online)

19-20 Octr MAL residential, Foxhill 23 Octr Confirmation at St Peter’s, Holywell, 1500hr

14-17 Novr Residential Clergy School (Swanwick Conference Centre)

22 Novr MAL Training Day (venue and format to be decided) 14,16 & 17 Decr Advent Ember Days

2023

24 January Clergy Synod

21-22 March MAL residential (please note this date is a provisional one at this time)

24 June Ordination of Priests, Cathedral, 1000hrs

1 July Ordination of Deacons, Cathedral, 1000hrs (please note this date is a provisional one at this time)

15 July Licensing of Lay Ministers, Cathedral, 1400hrs

21 Septr Clergy Synod

21 Novr MAL training day (please note this date is a provisional one at this time)

Hellins Lecture

After a break of several years, I am pleased to announce the next Hellins Lecture will take place after Evensong on Sunday 24 July in the Cathedral at 15.30hr when the Lecturer will be Bishop Matthew Mhagama, from our link diocese of South West Tanganyika. His talk will be entitled ‘The joy of serving God in the Anglican Church, Diocese of South West Tanganyika’.

The Hellins Lecture is held in memory of Canon E W J Hellins who generously endowed a sum of money for the education of the clergy and laity in the diocese, which we use from time to time in organizing a lecture from a prominent speaker. It is very good to be welcoming Bishop Matthew back to the diocese a few days prior to the Lambeth Conference in Canterbury, and I look forward to his lecture as a way of cementing the links between the two dioceses. I hope you will make a note of this in your diaries and be in the Cathedral to welcome him. It would be good if we could show a sense of real commitment to this link, and to learn more about how we might support one another.

Hwyl a Helo

I am delighted to offer my congratulations to John Harvey on his appointment as Archdeacon of Anglesey. John came to St Asaph to serve about twenty years ago, and now returns to his ordaining diocese. We congratulate him on this appointment, and wish for every blessing upon him and Sally as they make this move in September.

I would also like to announce that Kevin Horswell will be retiring from stipendiary ministry at the end of September. In 2015, Kevin also came to us from the diocese of Bangor, and has been faithful in the ministry that he has offered to the people of Mold.

Vacancies

There are a number of vacancies in the diocese at the moment. A second curacy and a youth chaplain’s post are available at the Mission Hub Church in Welshpool, in the Pool Mission Area, and also priest-in-charge in the same mission area rooted in Montgomery and Berriew. For further information on any of these positions, please speak to Archdeacon Barry.

We are also advertising for Hope in the Borderlands Mission Area, and a vacancy for St Thomas’, Rhyl will be advertised before long. Further information on either of these posts may be sought from Archdeacon Andy. These are all excellent ministries to be on offer in the diocese, and please consider them if you’re looking for a move, or if you could recommend someone who would welcome joining the Teulu Asaph.

Notes and Queries

Calendar of Intercessions

Another of the things which can bind us together as a family is mutual prayer, and in this, we have an excellent resource in the Calendar of Intercessions, which is published every month, and which sets out all the mission areas, churches and the ministers of the family, together with team members from the Diocesan Office, and our schools, so that we may pray for them in due course. We also include requests for prayer from around the Anglican Communion, our link diocese, and other sources from time to time.

I would like to thank Canon Ian Day, for not one, but two spells of duty in producing this calendar for us month by month. He has done the job magnificently. Ian is now taking a well-earned second retirement from this job, and I’m delighted that my Chaplain, Canon Michael Balkwill, has agreed to take it on, to ensure that we can be guided in our prayer for one another. Michael’s first edition comes out in this month and is available in the prayer section of the website.

Confirmation

Some errors have been discovered in the original Welsh translation of the alternative order for Confirmation (2017). The incorrect document has been removed and a correct Welsh text is now available, together with a bilingual version. The English text remains unaltered. You can find these documents at: 2196_-__Y_Drefn_ar_gyfer_Conffyrmasiwn_-_Revised_Order_for_Confirmation_2017_-_s1MpDVK.pdf (contentfiles.net)

St John’s Ambulance Wales

The links between the diocese and St John’s has not been as close in recent years as it was formerly. I very much hope that this link is something we can renew, given the excellent work that the St John’s organization does in supporting first aid, health care, and education for young people in this country, and around the world. Recently, the Dean of the Priory of Wales, Canon David Morris CStJ, moved to the north and to Bangor diocese, and the time would seem ripe to explore with clergy who are interested how we might assist this organization, and support their work. In particular, I know that David is keen to recruit a regional chaplain to the work of St John’s. Would any who might be interested in this volunteer work make direct contact with me in Esgobty?

Visiting Ministers

Please may I remind you of the following protocols relating to inviting visiting clergy to officiate in your churches, or when you are invited to officiate in another diocese:

Clergy can no longer exercise public ministry in another diocese without the proper safeguarding clearance. In the case of a cleric from away being invited to officiate or assist at any service in the diocese, formal permission must be sought from me stating the details of the cleric and the service in which s/he is intending to participate. This will then enable the relevant checks and good standing assurances to be sought from the cleric’s own bishop. It is therefore recommended that as much notice as possible is given to enable these assurances to be sought. Once an assurance of good standing has been received, I am happy to give my formal approval in the form of a one-off permission to officiate for the service alone.

If you are invited to officiate in another diocese that bishop will approach me for similar reassurances. It is therefore important you ensure your DBS and Safeguarding Training are updated every three years to ensure there are no complications in sending a commendation from Esgobty.

I remain grateful for our partnership in the Gospel, and for your friendship and support,