A musician in Bala is among those being ordained by the Bishop of St Asaph this weekend.

Dr Cass Meurig Thomas played and recorded Welsh traditional music as a soloist and in bands, before giving up her secular music career, to write Christian songs and set liturgy to Welsh folk tunes.

Dr Meurig Thomas is one of seven people being ordained as a deacon. She will serve in the Valle Crucis Mission Area working in the Ceiriog Valley. She said: “I first heard God’s call through reading Isaiah 6 in 2011 when I was living near Llanberis. The passage came alive for me and I felt I had to say ‘Here I am, send me.’ My life was never the same again! After that, Bible verses about priesthood kept leaping off the page at me, I had a recurring vision of myself in clerical clothes, and the conviction grew in prayer that this was God’s call. Initially I trained as an Evangelist but I returned to train for the priesthood in 2021.”

Among the others being ordained are a nurse from Colwyn Bay, a school business manager from Flintshire and a former painter and decorator from Surrey. The six women and one man will be ordained in St Asaph Cathedral by the Rt Revd Gregory Cameron on Saturday 24 June at 10am. He said: “It is exciting to see the range of people who have responded to God’s call and whom I will ordain this year. In St Asaph we’re building a future for the church which is relevant to young and old and representatives from all sorts of backgrounds is important as we move forward.”

All those being ordained deacon are:

• Emma Dale, who will serve in Alyn Mission Area
• Ana Davies, who will serve in Alyn Mission Area
• Gwen Dixon, who will serve in Pool Mission Area
• Kathryn Hall, who will serve in Estuary & Mountain Mission Area
• Hugh Richardson, who will serve at Hope Street, Wrexham
• Cass Meurig Thomas, who will serve in Valle Crucis Mission Area
• Pam Hallam Wedley, who will serve in Offa Mission Area

The following Saturday, on Saturday 1 July, two women and two men will be ordained to the priesthood. They are:

• Alyson Goldstein, serving in Denbigh Mission Area
• Grace Lomas, serving in Aberconwy Mission Area
• Dan Morgan, serving in Mold Mission Area
• Marcus Pipe, serving in Wrexham Mission Area

The Diocese of St Asaph stretches from Llandudno in north-west Wales across to the Wales/England border and down to Newtown in Powys.  It is one of the six dioceses of the Church in Wales, an autonomous Province of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

ENDS

Information about and quotes from, those being ordained as deacons:

Emma Dale is 48 years old, was born in St Asaph and has lived in Shotton ever since.  Prior to training, she was a School Business Manager in Flintshire. Emma said: “I’m excited to be moving to Brymbo, another place, like Shotton, which has a proud history of steel making.  I’m looking forward to the opportunity of sharing and showing God’s love to the communities of Brymbo, Coedpoeth and Southsea.”

Ana Davies is 27 years old and comes from Bodelwyddan originally. She now lives in Wrexham and worked in a GP surgery previously. She said: “I first heard God’s call in 2014 but ignored it until 2016 when I could avoid it no longer and God made his plans super clear. Now, I’m looking forward to serving God in the way he intended for me which I think will include working with those who are marginalised.”

Gwen Dixon is originally from St Helens in Merseyside and now live in Four Crosses in Powys. She worked as a comptometer operator before the days of computers. She said: “After hearing God’s call to me at the age of 16, I developed tuberculosis and spent the next two years in hospital. The second time I was planning to start training, I slipped and fell in the snow and developed spondylitis, a debilitating back condition. I am so blessed to finally be entering into the service of God.”

Kathryn Hall is 52 and comes from Staffordshire originally before moving to Chester to train as a nurse. She now lives in Colwyn Bay with her husband and three grown up children. Kathryn will serve in the Estuary and Mountain Mission Area. She said: “I first heard God’s call about 15 years ago during a retreat in St Bueno’s. During the closing Eucharist, I had a profound sense of the real presence of God alongside the thought of what a great privilege it is to serve Christ in this way. The return thought was ‘well you can do that’ and therein began a long journey of exploration and discernment.”

Hugh Richardson will join the Hope Street team in Wrexham.  He is moving from New Malden in Surrey to take up the role after running a painting and decorating business for 20 years. Hugh said: “Having been a Christian for 18 years I believe the call to church leadership in some capacity was with me from quite early on. I felt the call to ordination when my family and I started going to a local Anglican Church. The vicar of the Church inspired me to consider ordination. I love the Church and feel that’s where my gifting is best used. I love being with people and encouraging them in their journey of faith.”

Dr Cass Meurig Thomas, is originally from Beverley in East Yorkshire and moved to Wales after learning Welsh at university.  She now lives in Bala with her husband and three teenage children. (See above for her quote).

Pam Hallam Wedley, is 62 years old and was born and brought up in Wrexham. She is part of a large family who all live within three miles of each other. She said: “I felt a call from God in my early 50’s and following my retirement three years ago, I felt able to act on the call. I am looking forward to meeting new people, perhaps getting involved in work with schools in my curacy and working alongside the team to support the people in the community.”

Information about and quotes from, those being ordained as priests on Saturday 1 July:

Alyson Goldstein is originally from South Wales but now lives in Llanbedr D C near Ruthin. She said: “My first year as a deacon has gone by so quickly. It’s such a privilege to walk alongside people at both the high and low points in their lives and to build relationships both with people who regularly attend church and those on the margins. I feel very fortunate to have spent time with such lovely people in Denbigh Mission Area.”

Grace Lomas is 28 years old and grew up in Colwyn Bay. She is the niece of the current Bishop of Swansea and Brecon, John Lomas. Grace spent time living and working abroad with the charity Tearfund. She said: “It’s been wonderful to serve the first year of my curacy in the area which I grew up in – there are many familiar faces and places and it’s exciting to see how God continues to bring life to a community over the years. Being able to play a part in that is truly special.”

Dan Morgan is a former science secondary schoolteacher and non-conformist minister from Holywell. He is now working in the Mold Mission Hub Church based at St Mary’s. He said: “I have appreciated the welcome and support I have been given by the congregations as well as the opportunity to explore ways of reaching out to and connecting with the communities we serve. I am looking forward to seeing momentum build in the work we are doing in the Mold Mission Hub.”

Marcus Pipe is from Sussex originally but now lives in Horseman’s Green near Bangor-on-Dee. He continues to work as an IT Director alongside serving in the Wrexham Mission Area. He said: “I have loved my first year as an ordained minister and have been very happy at St Giles’ – it’s a very happy place! I am looking forward to serving there as a priest and continuing to enjoy the wonderful worship with our congregations. Any opportunity to share the life-changing message of Jesus in the wider community will be enthusiastically seized!”