Welcome to the website of the Shrine Church of Saint Melangell. Here you will find information about our services, events and facilities. Please use the menus at the top and bottom of the page to navigate to the page you need, or click the news links for up to date information.
Mae ein gwefan Gymraeg i’w gweld yma .
June Services at the Shrine Church of St Melangell
The recent feast day of St Melangell has just been celebrated with the unveiling of a portrait of her by a local artist professional, Stephen Hopper. There are many images of the saint, some of them as traditional icons with her in the robes of the abbess she became or wearing a simple brown woollen habit which is likely to have been both warm and practical. One popular painting of her depicts Melangell with blond hair coiled over her ears and wearing a red silk dress whilst another shows her with a long ginger plait and a cream dress – both appearances are beautiful, but neither is likely to have been ideal for the reality of valley life! The green velvet dress and curly tresses she has in a different image depict Melangell’s possibly privileged upbringing but also make her look rather like Maid Marian whereas in another she looks charming in her hooded red velvet cloak which may indicate her arrival in the valley although some liken this image to Little Red Riding Hood. Melangell is wearing a cardigan and pearls in a recent lino cut of her and one image done by a school child shows the saint behind her church, looking down at it and smiling at what’s become of it.
A very different image of Melangell is Fr. Rory Geoghegan’s fibre glass sculpture of her which is outside in the garden during the warmer weather and shows no clearly defined facial features, indicating that any of us could be like Melangell and show the same practical care for the creatures as well as the people around us as she did.
All these images have something positive to contribute to the unknown details of Melangell’s life. It’s entirely possible that her Irish heritage may have given her auburn or dark hair and that her privileged upbringing there may have provided her with coiled hair, silk dresses and velvet cloaks, though practical woollen clothing would quickly have been needed for outdoor life when she came to this Welsh valley. No-one knows what Melangell did look like, although it’s suggested that she was beautiful, but Stephen’s thought-provoking portrayal of her face shows a woman of great strength of character. Melangell’s Irish background is clearly indicated, blending with the woven clothing of her Welsh lifestyle, and the hare is also depicted and treated subtly whereas in some images she is shown cradling this wild creature in her arms.
As a woman who cared for the creatures as well as the people around her, who enabled the church here to be built by keeping the goodwill of Prince Brochwel and who lived a life of great contrasts, Melangell’s example and care is as inspirational and needed today as it was when the religious community here first began. Stephen’s portrait of her can be seen at The Coach House Studio, Isfryn, Llanrhaeadr Ym Mochnant, SY10 0AD and it’s well worth a look! Please contact www.stephenhopper.net or call call 07802 779484 for further information.
With my prayers; pob bendith,
Christine, Priest Guardian.
The following services will be held this month:
Seventh Sunday after Easter, the Sunday after Ascension Day, 1st June, 3pm: Service of reflection.
Thursday 5th June, noon: Holy Eucharist
Pentecost 8th June, 3pm: Service of reflection.
Thursday 12th June, noon: Holy Eucharist
Trinity Sunday 15th June, 3pm: Service of reflection.
Thanksgiving for Holy Communion, Corpus Christi, 19th, noon: Holy Eucharist
First Sunday after Trinity, Covenant Sunday, 22nd June, 3pm: Holy Eucharist
Thursday 26th June, noon: Holy Eucharist
Saturday 28th June, St Asaph Cathedral, 10am: Petertide Ordinations. Please pray for Jampa King who worked here as administrative assistant and will be made deacon.
Peter, Apostle, Sunday 29th June, 3pm: Service of reflection.
Monday 30th June, 10.30am: Julian Group at the Centre.
For further details or to book the Shepherd’s Hut and Centre, please ring 01691 860408 or contact admin@stmelangell.org – diolch!
If you need any help or support you can contact us here.