Passiontide Pilgrimage March 21st

Over the last few months, we have appreciated coming together as a Ministry Area in worship. It was great to see over 90 people attending Ash Wednesday across three services in St Lleurwgs, St Fagans and St Elvans. It was also great to see many people worshipping in churches other than their usual one. We are a Christian Family supporting and worshipping together across the valley.

I was reading an article the other day about the oldest building in each European country. I was taken aback when I realised that half of the buildings were built after 1189, when St John’s was built. It made me think of when I went to the US for work, and I went to the Capital building in Madison. The guide said that Wisconsin was one of the older states being founded in 1848. I said, “I think my junior school is a few years younger than that”. The Americans were amazed, even more amazed when I told them about St John’s. We take all of this for granted in Wales as we are surrounded by the ancient and modern.

Each of our Churches in the MA comes from somewhere else. Seven of the churches come from St John’s and St John’s itself comes from the Benedictine monks in Cardiff. The ruins of the monastery are now part of Bute Park, near the castle.

To help us reflect on this theme that we all come from somewhere else and are one family, I have devised a pilgrimage to take place on the morning of 21^st March. I have bought 8 earthenware bottles which are painted with our logo and the name and date of each church. I will go down to Bute Park and fill up the St John’s Bottle from the stream that runs by the old Benedictine ruin and bring it to St Johns.

I have asked a member of each church to fill their bottle from the church and walk with other members in a pilgrimage to St Johns. The pilgrimage will set off from each church at different times so we all meet at St Johns around 1pm for a cup of tea and a short service. At the Easter Vigil on Sat 7^th April at 8pm. At this service we will pour the water from each bottle from each church into the font in St Johns. This will be the water blessed and used to renew our baptismal promised.

The Pilgrimage times are:

St Lleurwgs 10:30 am

St Winifreds: 11am

St Lukes: 11:30am

St James: 11:45am

St Fagans: 12pm

St Matthews: 12pm

St Elvans: 12:30pm

Please join in the walk and fellowship with our whole church community.