5th October 2021
Ad Clerum – October 2021
Ad Clerum - October 2021
4edd o Hydref 2021 October 4th S. Ffransis o Assisi ~ S. Francis of Assisi
Annwyl Gyfeillion,
St Francis is, of course, one of the great saints of creation – in the sense that the harmony that he sensed with creation has been an inspiration down through the centuries. Not only were remarkable stories like St Francis preaching to the birds remembered with great affection, but the great and famous hymn of St Francis, the Canticle of the Sun, is famous for the way in which Francis greets all the elements of creation as siblings, “brother Sun and sister Moon”. For Francis, human beings were as much part of the fabric of creation as the mountains or the seas, the insects or the beasts. That connectedness introduced for Francis a gentleness in the way in which creation was to be handled – creation itself deserved the love that Christ commanded between his disciples.
This commitment to creation from the thirteenth century is a wake up call to us in the twenty-first, when we are recovering a sense of connectedness, and the need to treat the earth gently. The Industrial Age was marvellous at subduing the earth and harvesting its resources to create wealth and comfort for the privileged among humanity – the fragility of creation is now reminding us of the need to live in harmony with creation, to live into that very connectedness which Francis sensed many centuries ago.
So the Feast Day of Francis is a good trailer for our Diocesan Conference, and for the COP26, the international climate conference which will follow swiftly on its heels. Francis models an attitude of Christian stewardship of creation that we imitate to our benefit, and forget to our great peril. As the author of the Book of Job put it:
Ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you;
or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?
In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind. (Job 12.7-10)
Diocesan Conference
Arrangements for this year’s conference, which will be held via Zoom on Saturday 9th October, are well in hand. The theme of our Conference this year is Planting in Faith and we will be reflecting, with a renewed sense of urgency, on how an active and engaged response to the current climate crisis is an integral part of our Christian faith.
We are delighted to announce that we will be joined this year by a range of national and international keynote speakers who will be hoping to engage, provoke and inspire us! We will be running small discussion groups after hearing from our keynote speakers and then there will be the opportunity for questions and discussions.
All the information relating to the Conference is available on the diocesan website.
The Diocesan Conference is a professional commitment for all clergy holding my licence. Any cleric unable to attend should seek my permission to be absent by emailing me personally and directly. Such permission will only be given for compelling reasons. I think the vast majority of clergy know this, and you are brilliant at supporting the day. However, sending an apology via a third party at the last minute is not really meeting my request.
Hwyl a Helo
I am appointing Christopher Spencer as a Priest in Charge in Aber Morfa Mission Area, and Geoffrey Spencer and Jim Thompson as Associate Priests in Pool Mission Area. Chris joined us a couple of years ago as a Deacon, but has offered sterling work as a member of the team in Aber Morfa, and I ordained him to the Priesthood last year in lockdown. Geoffrey has served as a House for Duty priest with us before, but now assumes this new role as he and his wife set up home in Welshpool, and Jim continues his faithful service among the rural communities of Pool. Ian Day has been given a General Licence, as he is offering cover for chaplaincy at Glan Clwyd Hospital at present.
We celebrate with thanksgiving the ministries of two stalwart priests of the diocese who will be taking retirement soon. Clive Hughes will retire at the end of this month after serving with quiet faithfulness in Hanmer and other communities in Maelor since joining us from the diocese of St Davids in 2004. Val Rowlands will retire at the end of November after serving with quiet joyfulness since her ordination in 2002. As we give thanks to God for the service and dedication of these two committed priests, we also thank them and their spouses for all that they have contributed to our common life.
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, when they are marked with an asterisk. Please ensure that these dates are in your diary, even where the exact format may be open to change.
9 October Diocesan Conference (by Zoom)*
10 October Confirmation (Greenfield) 11.00hr / Borderlands MA Confirmation (Bistre) 15.00hr
17 October Licensing of Juliet Fraser and Sue Storey in Aberconwy MA (St David’s, Penrhyn) 10.30hr
02 November Life Events Launch (an event for Mission Area representatives) at Hope Street, Wrexham.
07 November Licensing of Roy Turner, Adam Pawley, Geoffrey Spencer & Jim Thompson in Pool Mission Area (Welshpool) 15.00hr
09 November Licensing of Gareth Erlandson in Aled Mission Area, St John’s Old Colwyn 1900hr
18 November MAL training day (venue and format to be decided)
28 November Licensing of Martin Batchelor in Mold Mission Area (Mold) 11.00hr
5th December Licensing of Janet Crane and Christopher Spencer in Aber Morfa Mission Area, St Mary’s Towyn, 1500hr
2022
01 February Diocesan Clergy Synod (venue to be decided)*
23 March MAL training day (venue and format to be decided)
14 April Chrism Eucharist and Renewal of Vows (Cathedral)
16 April Easter Vigil and Confirmation (Cathedral)
05 June Pentecost Confirmation, pm (Cathedral)
14-17 Novr Residential Clergy School (Swanwick Conference Centre)*
22 Novr MAL training day (venue and format to be decided)
Renewal of Permissions to Officiate
The triennial process of renewing the certificates for those holding my Permission to Officiate has started and relates to the majority of clergy holding PTO, whose current certificates expire on December 31st.
I thank those who have already responded by returning their forms or indicating the wish to stand back from PTO ministry at the end of the year. I encourage those who have not already done so to respond at their earliest convenience as time may be needed for individuals to update DBS checks and Safeguarding Training, if these are now due for renewal too. PTO renewal application forms in English and Welsh are available.
Certificates of those who have reapplied and are up to date with DBS checks and Safeguarding training will receive their certificates in December ready for the start of the new triennium.
Please be in touch with my chaplain, Michael, at Esgobty if you need any help or advice navigating the renewal process.
I am grateful to mission area leaders and other clergy for reminding priests who hold PTO in their area of their need to renew by the end of the year and helping them with the process.
Notes and Queries
Care for the Family
This well respected Christian charity has now published an Autumn programme of online events relating to several issues to do with family life from a Christian perspective, including raising teenagers, resilience for women, perseverance for men, emotional well-being and bereavement. Details of the programme, and ways to register for these online seminars can be found at cff.org.uk
Clergy Synods
My thanks to all those who contributed to the organisation of the synods – the Dean and Cathedral team at St Asaph, the Hope Street team in Wrexham, Jackie Feak and Stella Whitham for providing our lunches, and not least, Siân here in Esgobty, who oversaw all the logistics and pulled the whole of the organisation of the synods together. Thank you also to Andrea and Luke from Creating Sanctuary. The way in which we create safe space for people of all backgrounds in our Churches is an important one, but it was really good to see you all once again, and to renew the bonds of fellowship. I attach Ian Day’s notes from the synods as a reminder of our discussions, with thanks to him for providing us with a record of discussions.
The Lectionary 2021-21
Details for obtaining lectionaries for the new Church year can be found here:
https://www.churchinwales.org.uk/en/publications/order-books-online/
In addition, Martin Snellgrove continues to provide us with a Concise Almanac for the Sundays of Year which you will find attached. We are grateful to Martin for providing this useful resource over a number of years, which he now kindly continues for us in retirement. It is gratifying to know that Martin’s work on the Sunday reading sheets and hymn suggestions ranks highly on Google etc! (Church Service resources – Diocese St. Asaph (dioceseofstsasph.org.uk) )
Standing Committee Bulletins
Do you ever feel disconnected from the diocese, and the decisions being made? I just thought I would draw your attention to the Standing committee Bulletins that are produced after every meeting of Standing Committee, which is the major strategic and decision making forum of the diocese, apart from the Diocesan Conference itself. Bulletin 19 has just been issued following the recent meeting of Standing Committee. It is always worth reading, and will keep you up to date with any decisions affecting diocesan life. The bulletins can be found at https://dioceseofstasaph.org.uk/standing-committee/, and deserve a wide distribution.
With my thanks for your partnership in the Gospel, and with my blessing,
