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After Sts Paul and Brigid… Teilo

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Monday is the feast of St Teilo, patron of our neighbouring parish. Saint Teilo, also known by his Cornish name Eliud, was a British Christian monk, bishop, and founder of monasteries and churches. He was born at Penally in Pembrokeshire around the year 500. He was the son of Saint Issel and uncle of Saints Ismael and Euddogwy. He was educated by the renowned Church leader and educator St Dyfrig, and by Paulinus of Wales, probably at Whitland. There he met and became a close companion of St David, and travelled to Mynyw (present St. Davids), where David founded his abbey. When St Dyfrig retired to a hermitage on Bardsey Island, Teilo succeeded him as Bishop of Llandaff. Here he founded the first church, headed a monastic school, and become bishop over present Glamorgan and Gwent.

In the 540s yellow plague affected Britain. In 549 Teilo, with a small group of monks, moved to Dol in Brittany. He is reported to have stayed in Brittany for seven years and seven months. They joined St Samson at Dol, and to this day the fruit groves they planted are known as the groves of Teilo and Samson. Legend has it that Teilo was asked by Budic II of Brittany to subdue a belligerent winged dragon, which he tamed and tied to a rock in the sea off Brittany.

He returned to his foundation at Llandeilo Fawr, where he died on 9 February, around 560. He became one of the most venerated men in Wales. His relics were said to lie in Llandaff Cathedral, though Llandeilo Fawr, and Penally Abbey also claimed to have them. His tomb in Llandaff lies to the right of the altar, but his skull is kept in the south chapel. It is stated that many miracles were witnessed there while he was alive and also later at his tomb.

At least 20 ancient churches in Wales, Brittany, and Cornwall and Devon are dedicated to him, as are several modern parishes and schools, while there are three villages in Brittany named Landelau, Landêliau and Saint-Thélo after him.

Fr Matthew

Open door

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In 2011/12 we developed a vision for our 3 Churches, leading to some priorities and projects, such as our “Open Door” monthly gatherings, a renewed emphasis on being welcoming communities, the “Phone-a– Friend” project on Tuesday mornings, and the revamped Bereavement Support Group. We also homed in on one or two “Big Issues” – namely Youth and Evangelization, which would need exploring in more depth. While efforts have been made on the first, over the last year we have been also approaching the enormous topic of spreading the Gospel – Evangelization.

A year ago we ran two series of gatherings looking at various aspects of this area, under the guidance of our 3 Churches Pastoral Group. In the last few months a second group dedicated specifically to evangelization has been moving from principles to practice. There are currently three projects being developed.

Open Churches

There are several notable examples of churches inviting people in simply to pray or even just to rest and “be”. A prominent one is St Patrick’s Soho Square in London – take a look at http://london.nightfever.org How can our churches become more part of their communities? A start has been made by having Christ the King open Fridays during term-time 6.30-7pm.

Sacramental preparation

The need to give our programmes a more evangelizing nature, not just preparation for a particular situation, led to the recent Catechists Evening at St Brigid’s, which many found valuable, and which is already bearing fruit.

Youth

Work with young people needs to be better resourced and prepared. A small team is developing a programme to follow up Confirmation.

Other projects planned include prayer for our 3 Churches area, carried out week by week.
Jesus sent out his Apostles into the whole world, to teach and baptise. So we have no option but to reflect on our carrying out of this so-called “Great Commission”. You can help these projects first by praying in support. Then there will be the chance to get more involved with some of these in coming months – might that be for you?

Under the guidance of our patrons – St Paul the great evangelizer of the Gentiles, St Brigid, whose feast is this Sunday, a great leader in the Celtic church, let us all take on the Great Commission given us by Christ the King himself.

ACTA – a call to action

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Dialogue within the Church

Some two and a half years ago a group of lay people and clergy came together to discuss how to encourage dialogue within the Church as a means of helping to prepare for future challenges. From that has grown a group of some 1500-2000 lay, religious and clergy across most of the dioceses of England. The movement towards increased dialogue between different groups within the Church echoes the call in Lumen Gentium ‘this familiar dialogue between the laity and their pastors’ (LG, 37), suggesting that dialogue of this kind ought to be happening and to be fairly habitual. It is also consistent with the call of Pope Francis during his visit to Brazil for ”dialogue, dialogue, dialogue. ”

The Synod held in Rome in October 2014 considered the responses from lay, religious and clergy from around the world to their survey on attitudes towards marriage and family life. They have published a summary of these discussions including those areas where there was limited agreement.

The concluding paragraph includes the following: ‘These proposed reflections, the fruit of the synodal work which took place in great freedom and with a spirit of reciprocal listening, are intended to raise questions and indicate points of view which will later be developed and clarified through reflection in the local Churches in the intervening year leading to the XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, scheduled for October, 2015, to treat The Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and in the Contemporary World.’

The Family Life Commission within our archdiocese will be publishing further information in the ‘Catholic People’ at the end of January.

ACTA is currently active in most dioceses in England and is helping to facilitate these discussions in a number of them. An ACTA group in the Archdiocese of Cardiff is holding its inaugural meeting at 7.00pm on Monday 2nd February 2015 in St Brigid’s Hall. All are welcome

Further information is available from Frank Callus (Jnr!) of St Peter’s parish – fbcallus@aol.com or Mobile: 07956 005459