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A Year in The Life of a Parish PriestLast updated: 09 May 2007

Rita and Jack Tait from Hayon Wye have recorded theactivities at the town's StMary's Parish Anglo-CatholicChurch Hay during the lastyear. The idea stemmed fromthe increase in the number ofpeople worshipping at thechurch since the arrival of Father Richard Williams as parishpriest five years ago.

A year in the life of a parish priest - in pictures.

"Five years ago when Father Richard Williams arrived in theparish, the church at Hay-on-Wye would not have beendescribed as a flagship for Anglican worship, having as it didon average half a dozen present each Sunday morning. Nowit is not unusual to count 60 people at Mass and theassociated churches of Llanigon and Capel y Ffin have theirown services the latter with two per month; one of which isEvensong.

The story of how Father Richard turned things around at StMary's is currently being documented by my husbandphotographer Jack Tait who, through my involvement at thechurch, began to see that this was no ordinary parish.Accordingly it was agreed that Jack would start to record theactivities as they came and went under the working title of "AYear in the Life of an Anglo - Catholic Parish".

Over ten years ago the Taits and Father Richard were all atCaerleon in Monmouthshire and sharing an interest in thewriting of the Anglo - Welsh writer Arthur Machen; aninterest shared with the then diocesan bishop Dr RowanWilliams.

When therefore it was decided to work towards a book it wasobvious who would be approached to write a Commendationand the Archbishop readily agreed to do this.

It was a small step to decide on Rabbi Dr Sidney Brichto todo an Introduction, connected as he is with Hay where hisdaughter Anne Adeyman runs three bookshops.

Dr Brichto is a distinguished scholar and theologian andFather Richard is known to him both professionally andsocially at Hay. Both our Diocesan Bishop Anthony and theProvincial Assistant Bishop David Thomas have given theirsupport to the project.

We believe that St Mary's is a success story which deservesto be told at a time when so much of what makes theheadlines in church matters involves scandal and rifts, whichseem difficult for the non church goer to understand.

At St Mary's there has been no concerted attempt toevangelise and increase numbers in the congregation; it justseems to be happening.

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related www linksSt Mary's Church

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We have regular members coming across the border fromHerefordshire and down from north Radnorshire to what is ofcourse Breconshire and for a long time one woman wasattending from a farm on the Eppynt Mountain near theCarmarthenshire border.

Her decision to leave us was connected with her long termplans to herself train for the priesthood.

An incident which sums up what happens at St Mary'soccurred a few months ago when I was coming out of Massone Sunday.

Several visitors were admiring some of the display pictures,which Jack had pinned up at the back of the church. On animpulse I turned around and went to ask them what theythought of the material.

Their appreciation of the photography was matched by theaccolades for the service itself as they explained that two ofthem ( a married couple) were visiting a sister who lived in aremote Herefordshire village.

On the Sunday morning she announced that she was takingthem to "a real church .... Just like churches were when wewere young".

So they were driven across the border into Wales. From whatthey said they would have gone ten times the distance andstill considered it worth the trip. This sort of thing happens allthe time.

On Palm Sunday the service began, as it always does on thatoccasion, with an outdoor start for us down at the LoginWaterfall near the River Wye.

We had hoped that this year we would have the use of adonkey who we expected to be decorated with garlands andwho would have been the subject of many photographs.

Sadly he did not materialise. I took Curate Jimmy down tothe waterfall with me and a riple of excitement went aroundamongst a group of people that I realised were visitors. Onestepped forward and asked me whether this was the famouspoodle. I was able to assure them that it was. No onementioned the Vicar.

However the party were from Cardiff and one of theirnumber, a senior cleric himself from Carmarthenshire,seemed to know about St Mary's and presumably the dog.

After Mass was over it was moving to hear how much theservice had meant to them all and one of the younger men,whose father he said was a Vicar of High Church persuasionin Cardiff, claimed to have become quite emotional duringaspects of the service.

Over the Christmas period our excellent choir visited theResidential Home Cartref and sung to the residents and staff.They also sang in town on Market day to the shoppers whilstFr. Richard visited the housebound to take them theirChristmas Communion.

We had a good attendence at Mass at each of the churchesover the Easter period, including my personal favourite, theMass of the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday when the

service ends with the church lit only with dozens of candles inthe specially created Garden of Gethsemane.

I was honoured to be asked to light them. A rota of peoplethen stay in the church until midnight in a vigil to mark thestart of the period from Good Friday to Easter Day.

On the Saturday we had the Blessing of the New Fire. Herethe candles are lit from a brazier in the churchyard andcarried into the dark church; everyone has a candle to carryand gradually the church fills once more with light and theFirst Mass of Easter is celebrated.

Once again there was a good attendence and of course at theEaster Sunday Service the following morning; a service whichalways sees us welcoming many town visitors to church.

The popular Lent Lunches had meant that once again all thecongregations from the various churches had the opportunityto meet informally over soup and cakes to chat and raisemoney for the church. These take place in various housesand are popular and well supported each week.

Apart from the quality of the services Fr. Richard is very highprofile in the town itself where the tall, dark haired figure inflowing black cassock & frequently sporting a biretta fliesaround the streets accompanied at all times by his StandardPoodle, Curate Jimmy.

As striking a figure as his master, the large black animal andthe priest are well loved by the people of Hay in general asthere are always kind words and a sympathetic ear for thenon members of the congregation.

Jack, in pursuit with his camera, himself an agnostic, thoughprobably weakening, says of religion at St Mary's Hay-on-Wye " It does what it says on the tin!"

Because Fr Richard originally trained as on organist and playsthat and piano to concert standard the musical tradition at StMary's is developing apace with a very committed choir whoexcel in plainsong presided over by head chorister ClareCross.

The BBC has for many years used St Mary's for recordings ofconcerts, which are part of the Hay Literary Festival; thisyear is no exception.

The entire Beethoven Piano Sonata cycle will be performedover several evenings by Bernard Roberts.

At this important time in Hay's year the church also hostspoetry readings and flower festivals with teas laid on. TheVisitors' Books at Hay and Capel y Ffin bear witness to thepleasure that people have in being in these churches.

A number of books are now in production involving both StMary's and Fr. Richard or, in the case of one or two, curateJimmy himself.

How many other dogs in mid Wales have been mentioned ina Japan AirWays InFlight magazine? The Curate celebratedhis fifth birthday recently by seeing off local GP Dr JamesWrench on his well-documented bed push to Cardiff in aid ofpublicity for Bronllys Hospital ( threatened reduction offacilities).

We hope that readers will enjoy this brief account of life at StMary's, Hay-on-Wye and recognize that we believe that if itis possible for one community to get such spiritual supportand pleasure from its church then maybe the time has comewhen other people will look to deepen and strengthen theirown church and its role."

We hope that you will drop by and see for your selves sometime. Our church website carries all details of services at ourchurches.

Article written by Rita Tait

A year in the life of a parish priest - in pictures 2.

your comments

Avril Trigg from Erwood and WimbledonHaving been brought up in High Church of England I havebeen so very disappointed to witness the never ending'modernisation', in the name of progress,of my local church(Gwenddwr) and the others in the group. To me, my churchis becoming more and more like a Baptist chapel and I donot look forward to attneding the services. In contrast, whata wonderful joy to attend Mass at St. Mary's, Hay-on-Wye.The Anglo-Catholic services are just superb, absolutelysplendid, moving and beautiful. After the service, one feelstruly calm and peaceful. The incense, the organ, the cho! ir,the Mother and Child, the 'Hail Mary' at the end but most ofall, the traditional hymns and prayer book. Last but notleast, dear, dear Curate Jimmy and Father Richard who mustsurely be everyone's idea of the perfect Priest. Best wishesfor the success of the new book,'The Curate's Kingdom',marvelous pictures of Jimmy, oh yes - and Fr. Richard andthe church! I lived in Llanigon many years ago and attendedSt. Eigans before Fr. Richard's time there and there wererarely more than three of us for the Sunday service, it wasso sad but now - well - what can one say. Father Richard'sChurch is what Church is all about.Tue Feb 24 09:20:56 2009

Chris, BarryThis sounds a bit like 'Oh worship the vicar in the beauty ofholiness'Fri Sep 26 14:34:49 2008

Fountain Valley California. U.S.AI've put a little blog up about father richard that you canvisit...Mon Jun 30 10:02:49 2008

John Collier,Tollerton NottinghamMy association with Hay goes back many years when mygrandfather was a police constable in Hay.Sadly his wife diedbetweeb April-Jun 1909.I believe she was an alchoholic.Wepresume she is buried in Hay on Wye .My grandfatherThomas Higgins was a churchman and his wife Lucy borehim 4 children.Rhoda,Thomas,Gertrude and HerbertLlewellyn.Grandfather at one time was a bell ringer in Ludlowparish church.I have a Bible signed by the vicar, theRev.D.Griffiths, given to my mother Gertrude Higgins forgood attendance in Clyro Church 1912.Mon Oct 8 08:00:27 2007

Douglas Higginson. Perth Western Australia.

Many thanks Clare and Rita for the explanation. I wasbaptised and confirmed in 1942 at St Tysilio Llandysiliogogo.Ceredigion by the Lord Bishop of St Davids. The Rt RevdDr.D.L.Prosser So you can see my background. My wife isRoman Catholic. hence all the Questions asked of me. Cofioncynnes a pob hwyl. Douglas. Sat Jan 27 12:55:04 2007

Rita from Hay-on - Wye( Acually I live in the parish of Clyro as does Clare)Douglas.Hopefully the comments of Clare & myself havethrown a little more light on the "Catholic" issue. Fr. Richarddoes hear Confession by appointment if someone hassomething they need to tell him. Anglicans probably don't dothis as often as Roman Catholics. We are not under the Popebut recognise the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury.Since the Reformation there is quite a difference betweenthe Cof E ( we are of course Church in Wales here!) and theRoman Catholic church and you should find lots ofinformation on the internet.Tue Jan 23 18:10:03 2007

Rita from Hay-on-WyeBoth.We are the Catholic arm of the Anglican Church ( inWales). We have no links with the Pope but the things whichyou saw in St Mary's e.g. Virgin & Child, Holy Water stoopby the door, icons, incense etc would also be familiar to aRoman Catholic. Try to get to one of our services and seefor yourself what goes on. Please introduce yourselfafterwards to the Vicar - or more likely the Curate - for achat. Mon Jan 22 09:46:12 2007

Clare Cross, ClyroThe word "Catholic" is as much a description as a noun. TheOrthodox Church of the East is Catholic, but not RomanCatholic; the Anglican Church in her formularies and in herown Prayer Book has ever claimed to be part of the ChurchCatholic. The word Protestant in her Prayer Book is neveronce mentioned. Do not confuse "Catholic" with RomanCatholic. Sun Jan 21 12:31:24 2007

Douglas A.S.Higginson Esq.A nice article.I am puzzled, Do you have confessions in theAnglo Catholic Church as in the Roman Catholic Church?Does your Church come under the Pope in Rome?. What isthe difference of the Church of England and the RomanCatholic Church?? I live 35 k's from Perth in WesternAustralia. Sun Jan 21 12:31:04 2007

J Lewis From BrilleyI don't understand - can you explain to me, what is 'Anglo-catholic'? When a friend and I called in to look round thechurch we could not immediately decide whether it was aCatholic or Anglican church! Wed Jan 17 11:19:03 2007

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St Mary's Church - In PicturesLast updated: 13 January 2007

Jack Tait from Hay on Wye has made a photographic recordof the activities at the town's St Mary's Anglo-Catholic Churchduring 2006. The slideshow below gives a taste of whathappened. Captions are written by Jack's wife, Rita.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Rita:"The binding of hands - a very important moment in themarriage service."

your comments

Rita from the Bronydd, ClyroLiz. We know Eileen well; she is one of the most popularmembers of our congregation. She once told me that, as achild, she used to attend the little Chapel down the lanefrom my place in the Bronydd * - a private house now ofcourse.Her guide dog Fay is a charmer but I suspect wouldlead the Curate astray, given half a chance. She loves herdogtreats. * I always refer to it as "the Bronydd" notBronydd as a nod towards the Rev Kilvert who wrote of itlike that in his Diaries. He gave it the English spelling ofcourse.

Curate JimmySince BBC Wales were kind enough to put my picture up forinspection on their website I would like to mention modestlythat I have been written up in the Daily Telegraph onJanuary 6th ( Celia Haddon column) and that HarperCollinshave used me ( and Fr. Richard) in all promotional text toadvertise the new book by Richard Surman called DogCollar. This will be published in a month's time and I am onthe front cover. I deserve this!

Liz Keefe (nee Jones) from Newfoundland, CanadaMy sister is in the centre of this choir picture,white blousewith black trim. Her name is Eileen Bufton, she has a guide






http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/mid/sites/hay/pages/jacktait.shtml?1

dog Fay and is well known through the town andsurrounding area. She and Fr Richard have a lot in commonthrough their pets and he has helped brighten up her life.She suffers from retinitis pigmentosa as does our brotherTrefor Jones who also lives in Hay. I am Catholic and Eileenand I are now able to chat about our religions thank to FrRichard. God Bless him ..and Jimmy!!



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Jack Tait from Hay on Wye has made a photographic record of the activities at the town's StMary's Anglo-Catholic Church during 2006. The slideshow below gives a taste of whathappened. Captions are written by Jack's wife, Rita.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Rita:"The altar is censed for Mass on Easter Sunday."





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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Rita:"Baptism at Capel y Ffin in the Black Mountains. Thegreat artist/craftsman, Eric Gill's family still live there at The

Grange Trekking Centre and his grand-daughter Maryworships with us."




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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Rita:"The choir in lighter mode, entertain guests at FrRichard's 50th birthday bash. A favourite psalm was specially

adapted."




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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Rita:"The Cross of Lights was instigated by Fr Richard and iscreated every year for Remembrance Day. It is moving to

hear an old soldier intone the name of every one who gavetheir lives in WW1 and WW2 from our parish."




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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Rita:"Roger Kidd is a former school teacher, now resident atCartref, where he enjoys chats with Fr Richard. They enjoy a

cigarette together."




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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Rita:"Seeing off Dr James Wrench and his bed. He walked60 miles over Llangynider and Llangattock Mountains to

Cardiff in grim weather conditions."




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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Rita:"Reading the lesson at Capel y Ffin"




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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Rita:"On the occasion of our Patronal Mass we were hosts toa visiting choir from Exeter."




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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Rita:"The annual picnic for all the churches takes place atCapel y Ffin, attended by many including the King of Hay,Richard Booth, and of course the descendants of Eric Gill."




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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Rita:"Whilst still retaining a Catholic feel, the Mass at littleCapel y Ffin is very different to that at St Mary's Hay."




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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Rita:"A recent visit by the Provincial Assistant Bishop DavidThomas seen chatting to me."




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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Rita:"The procession up to church from the Login waterfall,river Wye."




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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Rita:"Fr Richard's dog, Curate Jimmy."




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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Rita:"It's dogs,dogs, all the way at St Mary's."




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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Rita:"Shake a paw there!"




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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Rita:"A small dog gets a blessing. The curate has seen it allbefore."








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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Rita:"There is always time to chat"

More about Hay's parish priest...A year in the life of a parish priest - in pictures 2.








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Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Archbishop of Canterbury,

Rowan Williams, Father Richard and Curate Jimmy takenin May 2009.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19








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St Mary's Church - In Pictures 2Last updated: 09 May 2007

Jack Tait from Hay on Wye has made a photographic recordof the activities at the town's St Mary's Anglo-CatholicChurch during 2007. The slideshow below gives a taste ofwhat happened. Captions are written by Jack's wife, Rita.

More pictures of a year in the life of FatherRichard...

Lent Lunch

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Rita:"A cheerful occasion when Lent Lunch is hosted at theVicarage by Fr Richard and the curate."

your comments

Wayne Whiston from FloridaA lovely collection of photos from an inspiring Anglo-catholicparish! Very moving! Great photography as well!Tue Aug 28 16:36:53 2007






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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Rita:"The Pascal Candle is lit from the first fire. From thiscandle others will be ignited until the church is ablaze with

light once more."








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First Mass

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Rita:"A small child visiting the town with his family clutcheshis candle at the first mass of Easter."







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Exposition

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Rita:"Exposition takes place every Wednesday at St Mary's.The congregation pay their devotions to the Holy Eucharist

and all solemnity is observed with use of humeral veil,monstrance and other traditional features."







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Maundy Thursday

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Rita:"A scene on Maundy Thursday at the Mass of the LastSupper. The Garden of Gethsemane is censed."







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Incense

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Rita:"Incense is used symbolically to purify everything readyfor the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. It also

symbolises the rising of prayer towards heaven. In Anglo-Catholic worship our senses are used to engage us and

wonderful smells are part of this."







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Chalice

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Rita:" The chalice reflects the stained glass window abovethe altar."







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Easter Mass

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Rita:"Illuminated by only five tiny candles the first choirmembers enter the pitch black church to begin the First

Mass of Easter on the Saturday evening."







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Lent lunch

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Rita:"A group enjoy a Lent lunch hosted by a member of thecongregation. These fund-raising events are popular and

friends are always welcome."







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Jimmy the curate

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Rita:"The curate puts the paw on a certain 'soft touch' in theserious matter of a biscuit. In the background the vicar

ignores the curate's seductive activities."







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Town choir.

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