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 .
Diocesan Daily Prayer for Ash Wednesday and Lent
Dduw Sanctaidd, Greawdwr pawb,
mae’r cread cyfan yn tystio i’th obaith;
wrth i’r tymhorau newid,
daw egin bywyd newydd
o bopeth a gwympodd.
Iesu Sanctaidd, Waredwr pawb,
mae dy freichiau ar led i gynnig gobaith i
bawb sy’n baglu
trwy dreialon y byd hwn;
dechreuadau newydd i gael hyd i ffordd trwy
bopeth sydd wedi torri.
Ysbryd Sanctaidd, Gynhaliwr pawb,
rwyt ti yn ein harwain â gobaith mewn
teyrnas sy’n ehangu’n barhaus;
boed i ni ddod yn lampau dy obaith
wrth i ni geisio rhannu
cariad di-drai Duw
yn Iesu Grist ein Harglwydd. Amen
Holy God, Creator of all,
your hope is written into all creation;
as seasons change,
new life springs afresh
from all that is fallen.
Holy Jesus, Redeemer of all,
your outstretched arms offer hope
to all who stumble
through this world’s trials;
fresh starts to find a way
through all that’s broken.
Holy Spirit, Sustainer of all,
you lead us with hope
in a kingdom that’s ever-expanding;
may we become beacons of your hope
as we seek to share
the unquenchable love of God
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Eglwys Santes Melangell – the Shrine Church of St Melangell.
Holy Week and Easter are full of contrasting times of waiting and action, fear and hope, grief and joy for the followers of Jesus. The disciples fled when he was arrested, but Peter is one of those waiting in the courtyard and he fearfully denies it when he is accused of being with Jesus earlier. After the death of Jesus, his body is removed from the cross and put into a borrowed tomb where it rests during Holy Saturday or Easter Eve – Easter Saturday, as many call it, is actually the Saturday after Easter Sunday. And the women, who were unable to anoint Jesus’ body due to its hasty removal on Good Friday, have to wait until dawn on Easter Sunday before making their way to do this.
All these – and others – saw terrible suffering, death and what they thought was the end of their hope. None of them knew what was going to happen and each reacted in their own way to the circumstances in which they found themselves, despite being mystified about what was happening.
At the heart of Easter are three empty things which may actually be full of hope: the empty cross, the empty tomb and the empty grave clothes. When Jesus was taken down from the cross, it was a sign that his work was finished, as he said. His side was pierced with a spear to make sure he was dead by the soldiers who were so experienced in dealing with death and then his body was put into someone else’s tomb. The crucifix depicts the crucifixion of Jesus as if it is still ongoing whereas the empty cross indicates that his suffering is over. So, the empty cross is a sign of hope, the new life of Easter Day rather than the agony of Good Friday.
It’s the same with the empty tomb. Jesus was buried in a tomb owned by the religious leader Joseph of Arimathea which would have been well known and so the suggestion that, in their grief, the women went to the wrong tomb is unlikely. Women were not regarded as reliable witnesses in those days and the fact that they are the first to discover what has happened adds to its authenticity because their involvement would be so unlikely. It’s also documented in the Gospel of Matthew that, despite the heavy stone sealing the tomb and a guard being mounted, the soldiers keeping watch were bribed by the religious leaders who told them to say that his disciples had taken the body. There would have been no need for that had the women been mistaken – neither would the soldiers have put their work or even lives at risk by reporting it unless it was true and so the empty tomb is also full of the promise of hope.
The empty grave cloths are also a sign of life – they were not needed for a body that had been resurrected. If the body had been stolen or attacked by grave robbers, it‘s very unlikely that they would have bothered to remove the grave cloths and then leave the linen strips with the burial cloth rolled up separately, as John says in his Gospel. The grave cloths were no longer needed and their emptiness is also full of hope.
Perhaps, like those first disciples, there are times for us today when suffering and death seem to be overwhelming or we seem to be involved in strange events that are mystifying. Listening to what may sound like empty words or promises from people we find difficult to believe is hard but might those seemingly empty phrases be speaking of new life and circumstances in ways that are not yet understood? Could it be that, when the time is right, they will lead to emptiness being filled with fresh hope and blessings as Love finds new ways of being? Will those opportunities be sought or might it be tempting just to fill up with hot cross buns and Easter eggs instead?!
With my prayers; pob bendith,
Christine, Priest Guardian.
The following services will be held in April, followed by tea and cake on Sundays and a shared lunch on Thursdays:
Thursday 3rd April, noon: Holy Eucharist
Fifth Sunday of Lent, Passion Sunday 6th April, 10.30am: Songs of Praise at St Cynog’s. Unfortunately it has been necessary to cancel the service of reflection 6th April at 3pm. Our apologies. Please note that the Songs of Praise service at St Cynog’s will still be going ahead that morning at 10.30am.
Thursday 10th April, noon: Holy Eucharist and healing service.
Holy Week
Palm Sunday 13th April, 3pm: Service of reflection, with palms.
Maundy Thursday 17th April 11am: Chrism Mass at St Asaph Cathedral.
Noon: Service of the word. 7pm: Commemoration of the Last Supper.
Good Friday 18th April, 10am: The Way of the Cross. 2pm: At the Cross.
Easter Eve 19th April, 10am onwards: cleaning and decoration of the church.
8.30pm: Easter Vigil.
Easter Day, 20th April: Pasg Hapus! Happy Easter!
6.30am: All in an Easter Garden – we meet at the back gate of the church, followed by bacon butties at the centre.
10am: Holy Eucharist.
Thursday 24th April: no service.
Low Sunday, 27th April, 3pm: Service of reflection.
For further information or to book the Shepherd’s Hut, please ring 01691 860408 or contact admin@stmelangell.org
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