STEPPING THROUGH TIME- Festival of Flowers more details released

 

More details have been released about the Festival of Flowers taking place from June 29th  to July 3rd  being held to mark this years various Anniversaries.

On the Eve of the Festival (June 28th )  there will be  a Preview Evening, attended by the Lord Lieutenant and other Civic and Church Leaders. Tickets for the Preview evening including Canape Reception are £10 and are available from the Tithe Barn.

The Festival will be closed on Saturday afternoon, but open again during the evening.  At 6pm an Informal Concert  will be given by Simon Pratt, our former Concentor and  post graduate Student at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.

On Saturday morning at 10.30am the 5th Abergavenny Brownies will re-enact the demonstrations that were seen prior to Women getting the vote 100 years ago. The brownies will show off the Banners they have been working on. They along with Gwent WI have each created  the Festival displays to mark the Suffragette  Centenary.

The Sunday Sung Eucharist at 11am on Sunday, July 1st will include a Sermon by the Dean of St Asaph, The Very Reverend Nigel Williams . On Sunday Evening at 6pm there will be a Service which gives us an opportunity to mark in prayer and readings the Anniversaries the Festival acknowledges.

Among the Anniversaries to be marked are:

• Our Royal Patron the Prince of Wales’ 70th Birthday
• The Centenary of the ending of Hostilities in World War 1 and the creation of the Royal Air Force
• The Centenary of Women’s suffrage
• Centenary of the founding of the Order of St John Priory for Wales
• The 65th Anniversary of HM The Queen’s Coronation and 70th Anniversary of HM’s wedding to The Duke of Edinburgh
• the 70th Anniversary of the NHS

and the local Anniversaries  included are:

• 20th Anniversary of Abergavenny Food Festival
• 30th and 50th Anniversaries respectively of the twinning with Beaupreau in France and Ostringen in Germany
• 15th Anniversary of Diocesan Link between Monmouth and The Highveld

 

Prior tot he Festival there will be an evening Flower Demonstration, when the three designers will reflect on Moments to Remember. Tickets for the Demonstration by Janet Davies, Sheila Davies & Linda Garret  at the Priory Centre on June 8th are available from the Tithe Barn priced £8.

On the Queen’s Official Birthday – 65 years after her Coronation an event at the Vicarage:  Canon, Cake & Coffee. Join us on June 9th from 10am.

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“THY KINGDOM COME” prayer initiative

 

Launching a new prayer initiative our Sub Prior Fr Tom Bates quotes  the following words which led Jesus to teach  the Lord’s Prayer

 “Lord, teach us to pray…”

Simple words which, in the midst of an ever faster paced, increasingly complex world, resonate deep in the heart and can draw us not only back to the wellsprings of our own faith, perhaps our childhood, but back to the fundamental roots of 2000 years of Christian heritage.

Simple words that have hung upon the lips of so many people each day, in every kind of situation and condition of human need.

When we consider that, even these very simple words can blow us away with their awesome power and far reaching influence.

Those simple words can do that, because by their simple eloquence we can come to know the Father as the Son, and in those simple words we, mere dust and shadows, can become children of God as we dare to call him ‘Our Father’.

In the gospels, we learn about prayer as a participation in the life of the Trinity from the person of the Son, Jesus Christ. We witness not only what he taught his followers about prayer, but most importantly we have the example of how he himself prays. We are granted a glimpse into the inner, family life of the Most Holy Trinity, and in glimpsing we are caught up in, and incorporated into that life.

A new prayer initiative is marking out the period of time between Ascension and Pentecost: that period of ten days when we read that the disciples themselves were gathered together in ‘constant prayer’ with Mary the mother of Jesus, waiting for the promised ‘Comforter’, the Holy Spirit.

The ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ initiative was started in recent years by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and it has spread to become a global and ecumenical period of prayer.

During these ten days between Ascension and Pentecost, from May 10- 20, we are invited to pray with special fervour for the ushering in of Christ’s kingdom here on earth.

There are many ways for everyone to be involved, and I hope that you will commit to setting aside a short time each day for those ten days to pray for the Church’s mission here in this place and worldwide as we prepare to celebrate her birthday at Pentecost.

More Information 

 

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NEW GUIDE BOOK LAUNCH

ON The Feast of the Blessed Virgin May, our Patron Saint we are re-launching our Church Guidebook to include the amazing developments that have happened in the church over the last decade.

The previous Guidebook was acclaimed as the Best Church Guidebook by the Church Monuments Society in 2013, following judging by Sir Simon Jenkins.

 

The Guidebook is produced by RJL Smith of Much Wenlock and costs £3.50.

The Guidebook opens with a message from our Royal Patron , HRH The Prince  of Wales.

In his welcome to the book the Vicar & Prior, Canon Mark Soady reminds the reader that the Priory has ” evolved to meet the needs of the community it is called to serve, moving from enclosed monastic community to a Parish Church”. He also makes mention of the creation of the Holywell New Monastic Community reflecting, “Many have commented on the sense of prayerfulness that the rejuvenation of the Benedictine lifestyle….has enabled”.

• As Lady Day (The Feast of the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary) could not fall on Palm Sunday it has this year been translated to the first available date after Easter Week, ie Monday, April 9th.

 

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