South Cardiff Ministry Area

Featured

Connect (14 June 2024)

Connecting you with the churches of South Cardiff Ministry Area in Butetown, Grangetown and Splott. (If you’d like to receive posts in your inbox then add your email address at the bottom of the page!)

Refugee Week 2024

This coming week is packed with events and activities. Yes, as if you didn’t know, it’s Refugee Week, the world’s largest arts and culture festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary.

This year’s theme is “Our Home” and we’ll begin our celebrations a day early on Sunday 16 June. You can find the full programme here:

Refugee Week 2024

A word (or two) of welcome

Our celebrations for Refugee Week begin this Sunday 16 June with Ice Cream Sunday! After Mass at St Mary’s we make our way into the gardens at 12 noon. During the Mass we’ll share the word ‘welcome’ in all the different languages associated with St Mary’s School community. If you have an associated language to add to the list then please write it down and give to Mrs Prichard who will be at the Mass.

Faithful Butetown

During Refugee Week, we’ll be working with and welcoming over 600 children from seven different schools. We’ll celebrating our Faithful Butetown Discovery Days with four performances of the play, “Betty Campbell, a journey through Butetown.” This is a project currently being developed and expanded and we hope to have some exciting news about it soon. Thanks to a grant of £2,000 from Cardiff Council we will be able to move on to the next stage of the the project. You can find out more about Faithful Butetown here:

Faithful Butetown

Walsingham Cell-ebrations

Last week, we gathered for our Walsingham Cell for Mass and Sprinkling with water from the holy well. Check out the highlights in our video.

General Election

Cardiff Citizens General Election Accountability Assembly will take place on 20^th June 5pm-6:15pm at Church od Resurrection in Ely.

Food will be served for children and adults from 4:30pm. Transport costs from other parts of the city can be covered.

Please register yourself and invite others to join here

Accountability Assembly

Let’s get together!

We love being part of the ‘More in Common Network’, and the ‘The Great Get Together’ is firmly embedded in our diary. Our celebrations for the week are wonderfully wrapped up in our Mass for Sanctuary Sunday followed by a Barbecue at St Mary’s on Sunday 23 June at 12 noon. Invite your friends and families and neighbours! You can discover more about the More on Common Network on our website:

Common Fund

As part of the new process for what Ministry Areas pay to the Diocese, Cardiff Deanery Conference met on Thursday for each MA to make their pledge for 2025.

South Cardiff Ministry pledged 100% of its costs for Ministry which equates to £110,000 a year. This is 60% of our expenditure at the moment.

You can find out more about the Common Fund in this leaflet from the Diocese

Common Fund

Summer Praise & Strawberry Tea

Come and sing your favourite hymns (let us know before the day who you would like to sing!) and enjoy a Strawberry Tea afterwards on Sunday 11 July at 4pm at Ss Dyfrig and Samson. More details soon!

St Paul’s Coffee Morning

The next Charity Coffee morning will be on Saturday June 22 in aid of St Paul’s Church funds. Come along, enjoy the cake and company, and support a great cause!

Glastonbury Pilgrimage

The Glastonbury Pilgrimage is 100 years old! If you’d like a seat on the coach leaving from Cardiff then either add your name to the list in church or get in touch with us. A £10 payment is required. The bus leaves St Mary’s Church at 8.45am, and leaves Glastonbury approximately 4 pm. You can find out more about the pilgrimage here:

Glastonbury Pilgrimage

Worship for the Week Ahead

Mass is celebrated each day across our churches. Heres our pattern of prayer for the week beginning Sunday 5 May

Sunday 16 June
8.00am:  Said Mass at St Paul's
9.15am:  Sung Mass at Ss Dyfrig & Samson
9.30am:  Sung Mass at St Saviour’s
10.30am: Sung Mass at St Paul's
11.00am: Solemn Mass at St Mary's

Monday 17 June
6.00pm   Mass at St Mary's
7.00pm:  Mass at Ss Dyfrig & Samson

Tuesday 18 June
10.00am: Mass at St Saviour's
7.00pm:  Mass at St Mary’s

Wednesday 19 June 
10.00am: Mass at St Paul's
11.00am: Mass at St Mary's

Thursday 20 June
9.30am:  Mass at Ss Dyfrig & St Samson
1230pm:  Mass at St Mary’s
5.45pm:  Mass at St Saviour's

Friday 21 June
10.00am: Mass at St Mary's

Saturday 22 June
11.00am: Morning Prayer & Rosary at St Mary's
11.30am Mass at St Mary's

You can discover more about our regular pattern of worship through the week at

WORSHIP

United in Prayer

We pray for our Refugee Week, Windrush Day and the Great Get Together celebrations.

We pray for all involved in the General Election campaigns, and for Citizen Cymru’s Accountability Assembly.

We pray for all Refugees, for those far from home or seeking a place of sanctuary, for all who are homeless.

For more prayer resources, check out our ‘Day by Day’ pages which includes prayers for various times and occasions.

Day by Day

Events and Celebrations

Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage:
5- 9, August

Funerals

SS DYFRIG AND SAMSON

Friday 5 July at 12 noon (Jean Harding)

ST SAVIOUR’S

Friday 28th June 10.30 am (John Ryan) followed by Committal at Thornhill at 12.30pm. (John’s body will be received into Church on the Thursday 27th at 3.30pm)

“Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.”

You can find out more about the funeral service on our ‘Funerals’ page which also includes prayers for the bereaved and the departed.

Funerals

Keep in touch

To receive alerts, news and updates in your inbox, sign up here:

Featured

Connect (3/5/24)

As we move towards the prayer-filled days between Ascension and Pentecost, we’re featuring some of the many different opportunities of prayer and worship in church, school and the wider community, and we also explore issues of homelessness and how we can welcome and support families in housing need.

The Crowning of Mary

Traditionally, May is Mary’s month and in many churches and homes throughout the world her image is crowned with a garland of flowers. We’ll be doing this in our churches this coming Sunday May 5th. Here, accompanied by images of Mary from our churches, we reflect on the part that Mary plays in the life of the Church.

The Iron Maiden

The Ascension of the Lord

We’re celebrating the Ascension of the Lord on Sunday May 12th with Mass at the usual times. You can read a reflection about the Feast from Fr Dean here:

Ascension

Split beads

Each Saturday before the morning Mass at St Mary’s, we pray the Rosary which provides a rich treasure trove of prayer drawing us deeper into Holy Scripture. But where did it come from, what is it and how do we use it to pray? Read on!

Rosary

It’s great to get together

The Great Get Together is the UK’s annual celebration of everything that unites our communities, inspired by Jo Cox’s belief that we have more in common than that which divides us. Why not get involved?!

The Great Get Together

Making connections

Wednesday mornings are a joyful time in the Ministry Area when we celebrate Mass with each of our church schools of St Paul’s Grangetown and St Mary’s Butetown but there are many other times of prayer and worship too. Fr Dean reflects on the prayer life of our schools and how we try to make connections.

Making connections

In praise of songs and smiles

The Church’s ministry is varied, and reaches out to all generations including those who are elderly. Each month, we enjoy a visit to Bella Vista Nursing Home in Cardiff Bay for a short time of worship with some of the residents. You can read about this week’s celebration here:

In praise of songs and smiles

Welcome home

The housing crisis in Cardiff and across the UK means that many families are living in unsuitable accommodation. We’re giving a welcome gift to new families in housing need who will be living in our community when Cargo House is reopened. You can discover more about it here, and how you can be involved!

Welcome Home

Christian Aid Week

It’s Christian Aid Week from May 12 -18th. With your help, we can work towards a world where families can escape the trap of poverty and fulfil their ambitions. Seven days, so many ways to fund lasting change. There’ll be an opportunity to donate in each of our churches.

CHRISTIAN AID WEEK 2024

Worship for the Week Ahead

Mass is celebrated each day across our churches. Heres our pattern of prayer for the week beginning Sunday 5 May

Sunday 5 May
8.00am:  Said Mass at St Paul's
9.15am:  Sung Mass at Ss Dyfrig & Samson
9.30am:  Sung Mass at St Saviour’s
10.30am: Sung Mass at St Paul's
11.00am: Solemn Mass at St Mary's

Monday 6 May
10.00am* Mass at St Mary's
(* NB change of time for the Bank Holiday, which also means there is no 7pm Mass at Ss Dyfrig & Samson)

Tuesday 7 May 
10.00am: Mass at St Saviour's
7.00pm:  Mass at St Mary’s

Wednesday 8 May
10.00am: Mass at St Paul's
11.00am: Mass at St Mary's

Thursday 9 May
9.30am:  Mass at Ss Dyfrig & St Samson
10.00am: Mass at St Mary's today
NB This week there is no 5.45pm Mass at St Saviour's

Friday 10 May
10.00am: Mass at St Mary's

Saturday 11 May
11.00am: Morning Prayer & Rosary at St Mary's
11.30am: Mass at St Mary's

You can discover more about our regular pattern of worship through the week at

WORSHIP

United in Prayer

We pray for the nursing and residential homes of our communities, for all who work with those who are elderly, and for all older people that they will be treated with dignity.

We pray for families in housing need, and all who work to support them.

We pray for our church schools of St Paul’s and St Mary’s, and all who work to nurture the spiritual life of children and young people.

For more prayer resources, check out our ‘Day by Day’ pages which includes prayers for various times and occasions.

Day by Day

Events and Celebrations

Ascension of the Lord is celebrated on Sunday 12 May

Cell of Our Lady of Walsingham on 8 June

Funerals

There are currently no funerals scheduled for the coming weeks. We continue to pray each day for those with anniversaries of death

“Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.”

You can find out more about the funeral service on our ‘Funerals’ page which also includes prayers for the bereaved and the departed.

Funerals

Keep in touch

To receive alerts, news and updates in your inbox, sign up here:

Wise Words

How quick we are to judge? How easily do we participate in gossip and rumour? Do we care about the truth? Here’s today’s reflection from Mass.

BIBLE READINGS: The readings for Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent, can be found here

“There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about,” wrote Oscar Wilde in his novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray published in 1890.

PT Barnum, the American showman, took this further, when he infamously said, “All publicity is good publicity,” although perhaps celebrities are discovering how difficult it is sometimes to manipulate every piece of publicity to their own advantage, leading instead to the downfall of some, as we live in a society where people are so easily “cancelled.”

In today’s gospel reading, rumours are circulating about Jesus and everyone seems to have an opinion about him. On this occasion, it is his words which impress and astound his listeners. “We have never heard anyone speak like this,” some say. His words though have angered some, who believe they have every cause to bring him in and question him. Nicodemus speaks sense into the situation. He asks, “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” Jesus has certainly caused a stir.

Today, we often witness “trial by media” or “trial by social media” when someone’s misdemeanour is prematurely judged, and they are found guilty by rumour and speculation. How do we respond to such things? Are we quick to make a judgement? Do we speculate without any evidence? The mainstream media is often called to take more responsibility, and over the years, laws have changed to support this. Likewise, each of us must also live responsibly, watching our words and sometimes bridling our tongue.

Meanwhile, there is one message we can keep alive, as we pass on the good news of Jesus, not only with our words but by how we live.

Mass today is at S Mary’s Church at 1130am

DAY BY DAY

If you’d like more resources for daily prayer then check out our DAY BY DAY pages.

St Joseph

As we celebrate St Joseph, we give thanks for an upright man, faithful to God’s designs and his care of Mary and Jesus. Here’s today’s reflection from Mass.

BIBLE READINGS: The readings for St Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, can be found here

One of the most famous, arguably notorious stage directions is from Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale where at the end of Scene 3 in Act III, have: “Exit, pursued by a bear.”

It marks the dramatic exit of the character Antigonus, who is chased off stage to his death by a bear, signalling a shift in the play from dark tragedy to comedy. No one knows how it would have been portrayed in Shakespeare’s times. It could have been a real bear (bear baiting was popular at the time) or a man in a costume. But today, it is still used to much comic effect in the theatrical world.

Today as we celebrate St Joseph husband of the blessed Virgin Mary, the gospel reading gives us his exit notes. The reading provides a rare snapshot of the boyhood of Jesus, and it is the last time we see Joseph. Traditionally, he is is believed to have been much older than Mary when they married and so had died when Jesus was a young man. Apart from later third-person mentions, (for example, when some speak of Jesus they say, “We know his mother and father,” and “Is not this the son of Joseph the carpenter?”) he has left the stage after playing such an important part in being guardian of Jesus as a child during those hidden years of his life.

Joseph is depicted as being an upright man, wanting to do the right thing for Mary and for Jesus. He is faithful to what God calls him to do, the designs of God being revealed to him in dreams. Like Mary, he is often surprised by Jesus, as he discovers what it means to attend to him and devote his whole life life to him. As guardian of Jesus, so too he is guardian of the church, the Body of Christ, watching over us, and strengthening us by his prayer.

Mass today is at S Dyfrig and S Samson Church at 10am

DAY BY DAY

If you’d like more resources for daily prayer then check out our DAY BY DAY pages.

Heb ei golli na’i anghofio Not lost or forgotten

Gall Duw deimlo’n bell i ffwrdd weithiau ond nid yw byth yn ein gadael. Tad Richard yn myfyrio ar ddarlleniadau heddiw o’r Offeren.

God may sometimes feel far away but he never leaves us. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Ydych chi erioed wedi chwilio am rywbeth coll, ac yna sylweddoli ei fod yno trwy’r amser? Aml waith rydw i wedi chwilio am fy sbectol heb sylweddoli ei bod ar fy nghorun drwy’r amser! Weithiau hefyd bydd panic mawr cyn darganfod fy ffôn neu fy allweddi – chwilio gwyllt o gwmpas y tŷ cyn eu gweld yn fy llaw.

Weithiau cawn yr un teimlad o fod ar goll yn ysbrydol a meddwl fod Duw wedi ein gadael yn amddifad. Fodd bynnag, mae ein darlleniadau heddiw yn ein hatgoffa Ei fod Ef yma bob amser, yn ffyddlon bob amser ac wrth ein hochor. Ni sydd ddim yn ei gydnabod.

Yn y darlleniad cyntaf cawn bobl Israel yn teimlo’n amddifad. Dywedant “Mae Duw wedi fy ngadael i, mae Duw wedi fy anghofio fi”. Ond mae Duw yn ateb yn syth gyda’r geiriau gogoneddus: “All gwraig anghofio y plentyn sy’n sugno? Efallai gall y rhain anghofio ond fydda i byth yn eich anghofio chi”. Er ei bod hi’n anodd iddynt weld hyn, ni adawodd Duw erioed mo’i blant. Bydd yn eu hadfer i’w mamwlad yn fuan.

Yn yr Efengyl mae’r Iesu’n amlygu nad yw’r meirw hyd yn oed wedi eu colli i Dduw. “Mae’r awr yn dod, ac mae yma nawr” meddai’r Iesu, “pan fydd y meirw yn clywed llais Mab Duw, a bydd y rhai hynny yn byw”. Mae’r Iesu yn siarad o brofiad achos teimlodd Ef ei fod wedi ei amddifadu ar y Groes. Yno, ymbiliodd ar y Tad i’w gofio. Ond, mae’r Atgyfodiad yn dangos na fu i Dduw adael yr Iesu yn union fel na fydd yn ein gadael ni. Mae hwn yn brif ategiad o’r hyn a ddywed yr Iesu yn yr Efengyl heddiw, “Mae’r Tad yn caru’r Mab ac yn amlygu iddo popeth y mae yn ei wneud”. Ni ellir torri byth yr undod rhwng yr Iesu a’r Tad, beth bynnag all ddigwydd yn y byd. Mae’r un peth yn wir am ein perthynas ni â’r Iesu. Pa beth bynnag a ddaw i’n gofidio, bydd Ef gyda ni bob amser.

Have you ever thought that you have lost something, only to realise it was there all the time? Many times I have gone searching or my glasses, only to realise they are sitting on top of my head! On other occasions, I have not been able to find my phone or keys. With a growing sense of panic I go hunting around the house, and then notice I’m actually holding them in my hand!

Sometimes we can feel lost spiritually, and feel that God has deserted us. Our readings today remind us that he is always there, always faithful, always by our side. It’s just that sometimes we don’t realise it.

In our first reading today, the people of Israel are feeling bereft during their time of Exile in Babylon. “The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me”, they say. But God immediately answers them with wonderful words of reassurance: “Can a woman forget her nursing child? Even these may forget, yet I will never forget you”. Even though it may be hard for them to perceive, God has never abandoned his people, and will soon restore them to their homeland.

In the Gospel, Jesus is clear that even those who have died have not been lost to God. “An hour is coming, and is now here”, Jesus says, “when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.” Jesus is able to say this because he himself experienced that feeling of loss and abandonment on the Cross, when he cried out to the Father, “why have you forsaken me”. Yet the Resurrection shows that God had never left Jesus, just as he will never leave us. It is the supreme confirmation of what Jesus says earlier in today’s Gospel, “the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing”. That unity between Jesus and the Father can never be broken, not even by the worst thing that the world can do. The same is true in respect of Jesus and us. Whatever darkness and loss we may endure, he will always be with us, and will never abandon us.

Yr Offeren heddiw yn St Dyfrig a St Samson am 6.30pm.

Mass today is in St Dyfrig and St Samson at 6.30pm.

Connect | 18 March 2026

Published every Wednesday

Connecting you to the churches of South Cardiff Ministry Area across Butetown, Grangetown and Splott. Our vision is to be a creative and resourceful community which is welcoming, faithful and just!

This Week

Lent continues with our Christian Aid “Act on Poverty Course,” Stations of the Cross and Lent Lunches, as well as the usual daily Mass.

We’re also looking ahead towards Holy Week which is now less than two weeks away. Further ahead there’s information about South Wales Walsingham Pilgrimage in July, and the Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage in August.

We also look ahead to the next coffee morning in St Paul’s in aid of the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

A reminder that our monthly Mass in Welsh takes place today (Wednesday 18th) at 6.30pm in Ss Dyfrig & Samson. The Mass and sermon are fully bilingual, so it’s a great opportunity to practice your Welsh if your are a learner. Tea and coffee is served afterwards.

Keep scrolling to find out more!

Act on Poverty

This Lent, we are taking part in Christian Aid’s Lent course, Act on Poverty – every Tuesday at 7pm in St Mary’s, following the 6.30pm Mass.

Our final session next Tuesday will look at how we can remain hopeful in the midst of so many challenges in our world, and then will encourage us to to develop our own Act on Poverty Plan.

Justice. Righteousness. Mercy. Good News. What would it look like if we shaped our response to poverty as a society around these principles? Come and found out on Tuesday!

Lenten Charity

An important part of Lent is charitable giving and our Lenten charity this year is Christian Aid.

Offertory boxes are available in all our churches.

Stations of the Cross

Join us on a devotional journey each week through Lent as we pray the Stations of the Cross

take place on Monday at 7pm in St Dyfrig and St Samson (following the 6.30pm Mass), and in St Mary’s on Saturday at 11am (before the 11.30am Mass).

We have many resources online that you can use at home. Why not check out this “Just Stations of the Cross” published a few years ago.

Just Stations of the Cross

Lent Lunches

Lent lunches are held every Saturday at 12noon in St Dyfrig and St Samson.

Lunch is £8 and all proceeds are going to the charity Smile Train, which supports children suffering with a cleft.

LENT 2026

Passion Sunday and Passiontide

This Sunday, the 5th Sunday of Lent, is sometimes also referred to as Passion Sunday.

This begin the final two weeks of Lent, sometimes also known as Passiontide. You’ll notice that from this Sunday, all the statues and crosses in our churches are covered with purple veils. This is ancient practice heightens the sense of anticipation as we near the end of Lent, and increases the sense of joy when the crosses and statues are unveiled again at Easter.

The Gospel reading for this Sunday is the raising of Lazarus from the dead in John 11.1-45. As we approach the time of the Lord’s passion, it is a reminder that Jesus has already won the victory over death.

Holy Week

Holy Week is the most important week of the Church year, as we journey with Jesus through the last week of his life on earth.

The week begins with Palm Sunday, and in all our churches we symbolically re-enact Jesus entering Jerusalem by holding a procession at the start of Mass. On Maundy Thursday we commemorate the Last Supper, Jesus instituting the Eucharist and washing the feet of his disciples, so giving us an example of service. Good Friday of course is the most solemn day when we remember his death on the Cross. Holy Saturday is a day of waiting, and our churches are decorated ready for the Easter celebrations. Then in the evening of Holy Saturday we proclaim Easter in a joyful way with the Easter Vigil. It is important for all Christians to attend as much worship as possible during Holy Week – details of our services are given below.

Grangetown Rising!

A new initiative for this year! Join us for a short service at dawn on Easter Day at the summit of Grangemoor Park in Grangetown, which overlooks the city of Cardiff. We will hold a short service to greet Easter Day and offer a blessing over our city. You’re invited to meet at the entrance of Asda in the Cardiff Bay Retail Park at 6am to walk to the summit. Afterwards we will enjoy coffee and pastries.

Coffee Morning

Our next charity coffee morning takes place on Saturday 21 March in St Paul’s Church.

This time we are raising funds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. As usual there will be plenty of delicious cakes as well as tea, coffee, and a chance to catch up with friends. Everyone is welcome.

MND ASSOCIATION

Chrism Masses

The Chrism Mass is where the holy oils for the year are blessed, and when clergy reaffirm their priestly vows.

If you would like a seat on the coach to the Bishop of Oswestry’s Mass in Bathwick on Saturday 28 March, then please see Glyn Perryman or Fr Dean.

Bishop Mary’s Chrism Mass takes place on Monday 30th March at 11am. All are invited.

Walsingham 2026

Bookings are now open for the Walsingham Pilgrimage 2026 which takes place from July 20- 23 2026.

You can either book directly online or give your £50 deposit and details to Georgina Partidge, Liz Norman or the clergy.

WALSINGHAM PILGRIMAGE 2026

Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage

Young people aged 11-18 are invited to join us for the Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage from 3-7 August.

Around 500 young people from all over the UK camp in a field just outside the village of Walsingham. Worship takes place in a large marquee led by the excellent worship band CJM. There are also lots of different activities for young people to take part in during the week.

As part of the Welsh camp, all tents are provided and you will be fully catered for. All you need to bring is a sleeping bag, air bed, clothes and toiletries. For more information, please contact Fr Richard and also take a look at the link below to find out more.

WALSINGHAM YOUTH PILGRIMAGE

Here comes the bride!

We are delighted to announce that St Paul’s Church (meeting in the community hall) has now been licensed for weddings.

This means that our modern, flexible worship space can now be used for your special day! Here’s an idea of what it might look like decorated for your wedding. And then why not have the reception in our well-appointed and spacious hall….. no travelling required!

If you live in Grangetown (or have a qualifying connection to St Paul’s) and would like to get married in St Paul’s, please contact Fr Richard on 0333 301 1850 or RichardGreen@cinw.org.uk

Check out the link below about weddings in our churches:

Weddings

Worship for the Week Ahead

Mass is celebrated each day across our churches. Here’s our pattern of prayer for the week ahead.

Wednesday 18 March 
10.00am: Mass at St Paul's with St Paul's School
11.00am: Mass at St Mary's with St Mary's School
6.30pm: Offeren yn Gymraeg (Mass in Welsh) at Ss Dyfrig & Samson

Thursday 19 March (Solemnity of St Joseph, Husband of the Virgin Mary)
10.00am:  Mass at Ss Dyfrig & Samson

Friday 20 March
10.00am: Mass at St Mary's
Note change of venue for this week only 

Saturday 21 March
10.50am: Morning Prayer at St Mary's
11.00am: Stations of the Cross at St Mary's
11.30am Mass at St Mary's
12 noon: Sacrament of Reconciliation

Sunday 22 March | Lent 5 | Passion Sunday
9.30am:  Sung Mass at Ss Dyfrig & Samson
9.30am:  Sung Mass at St Saviour’s
11.00am: Sung Mass at St Paul's
11.00am: Solemn Mass at St Mary's

Monday 23 March
6.30pm:  Mass at Ss Dyfrig & Samson
7.00pm:  Stations of the Cross at Ss Dyfrig & Samson

Tuesday 24 March 
6.30pm:  Mass at St Mary’s

You can discover more about our regular pattern of worship through the week at

WORSHIP

United in Prayer

WE PRAY FOR the work of Christian Aid, as it campaigns against poverty, and responds to those in need throughout the world.

WE PRAY FOR all foster parents, step-parents and adoptive parents as we give thanks for St Joseph, the earthly guardian of Our Lord.

WE PRAY FOR peace throughout the world, for leaders and governments everywhere.

For more prayer resources, check out our ‘Day by Day’ pages which includes prayers for various times and occasions.

Day by Day

Funerals

Thursday 26 March at 1130am at Ss Dyfrig and Samson (Clare Chelmis)

Thursday 26 March at 230pmSt Mary’s (Kathleen O’Neil)

Wednesday 1 April at 1130am at St Paul’s (Freda Dite)

Eternal Rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them.

Clergy contacts

Ministry Area Leader and Priest for St Mary’s and St Saviour’s: Fr Dean Atkins

07368 176300 | deanjatkins@outlook.com

Ministry Area Vicar and Priest for St Paul’s and Ss Dyfrig & Samson: Fr Richard Green

0333 301 1850 | RichardGreen@cinw.org.uk

Keep in touch

To receive news and updates in your inbox, sign up here:

Chosen by God

As we celebrate St Patrick, our daily reflection at Mass explores what it’s like to be chosen by God.

BIBLE READINGS: The readings for St Patrick, Bishop and Missionary, can be found here

I’m sure we can all remember those times as children when we were chosen by the teacher to perform a special errand.

It made us feel special and responsible. Whilst these days, we may not feel the same kind of joy when asked to do something, there is still a joy if and when we are ever chosen for something particularly special. Some people may earn awards in the workplace. Others may be asked to use their gifts and experience for a special task. Or, we have been chosen or asked to do something in church, appointed to read or lead intercessions, administer the chalice, be elected to the church council, and so many other things.

In the first reading, we have a turning point in the life of the church. Paul and Barnabas explicitly state that they are turning to the Gentiles with the good news of Jesus. And what is the response of the Gentiles according to the Acts of the Apostles? They rejoice and glorify God that they have been chosen. We can easily forget, especially if we have grown up within the life of the church and we are immersed in the faith, how joyful and life changing it is for someone to hear the good news of Jesus and respond.

Whilst St Patrick’s first experience of Ireland may have been a strange one – he is thought to have been kidnapped and taken there as a boy – he later returns and adopts the Irish people as his own, choosing to go there and to remain with them as preacher, pastor and bishop, proclaiming the good news of God’s kingdom and founding communities of faith. In the gospel reading, the seventy-two who have been chosen and sent out by Jesus, return to him with joy after all they had witnessed. May we too be filled with the same joy and happiness. We have been chosen to go out and and proclaim the good news, to share the joy of Christ with others—for the good news of Jesus is good news for all.

Mass today is at S Mary’s Church at 6.30pm

DAY BY DAY

If you’d like more resources for daily prayer then check out our DAY BY DAY pages.

Building up

What kind of community, city or world would we create? And what of God’s designs? Here’s today’s reflection from the daily Mass.

BIBLE READINGS: You can find the readings for Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent can be found here

Plans to build Wales’s tallest building were given the go ahead last week.

Standing 110m high, the 50-storey building will be the second tallest building in the UK outside of London, and part of the Central Square development next to Central Station, the BBC studios and the Principality Stadium. Cities never stand still. They are always being redeveloped, rebuilt, growing upwards and outwards.

The prophet Isaiah unveils God’s masterplan for creating a new heaven and a new earth. “Be glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness.” He talks of a city with no weeping or distress, where there are houses to live in, space for food to be grown, and where vineyards are fruitful. There will be life for all. It is a world transformed from mourning into dancing, when nighttime tears give way to joy at dawn.

If we created our own masterplan for our local communities or city, or wrote our own manifesto for our country, or even our designs and desires for the whole world, what would it contain? How would we start? What vision would we have? And how would it compare to God’s designs? We may think that we are in an impossible situation to achieve any change for the good. But we can begin where we are, working with one another and, as St Paul says, as “co-workers of Christ.” To use more of his imagery, as members of the church, we are part of a building with Christ as the cornerstone, we are God’s household. We are temples of the spirit. We are God’s garden. That may be enough building metaphors to get us started—after all, Christ has already laid the foundations.

Mass today is at S Dyfrig and S Samson Church at 6.30pm

DAY BY DAY

If you’d like more resources for daily prayer then check out our DAY BY DAY pages.

Honesty

God would much rather that we are honest with him in prayer, even if that honesty reveals aspects of ourselves we would rather keep hidden. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from mass.

Readings for Saturday of the third week of Lent can be found here.

There’s a story about a group of schoolboys who manage to steal the foreign-language exam paper the night before a test. Delighted with their success, they gather secretly to look at it. They open the paper and read the first question, which to their consternation says “Translate into French the following proverb: ‘Honesty is the best policy’”. The boys are faced with the absurdity of the sitaution – they are condemned by the very question they have cheated in order to reveal.

Jesus seems to value the brutal honesty of the tax collector’s prayer over the desire to get ahead shown by the Pharisee. Not only is the prayer of the tax collector searingly honest, it is also to the point – he uses just seven words while the Pharisee’s prayer contains 32. Just as with stealing an exam paper, being anything other than honest in prayer is a case of cheating yourself. God already knows the secrets of our hearts, so there’s little point pretending, or trying to impress him with many words or self-justification. An average test result achieved honestly is better than a perfect score attained through cheating; and in the same way, God surely values honesty more than pretence.

A similar theme is present in our first reading from Hosea. The people were fastidious with the outward show of religion, offering sacrifices and burnt offerings. But their faith wasn’t making a difference deep down in the heart, or in the way they treated others. They were trying to cheat their way into God’s favour, not bothering to do the hard work of inner conversion. The externals of our faith such as those mentioned by the Pharisee are not unimportant. Worship is central to the life of the Christian as are the Lent disciplines of fasting and almsgiving. Yet on their own they are not enough. They should draw us into a deeper relationship with God, where we have the courage to lay ourselves bare before him, be truly honest, and so receive his mercy and compassion.

Mass today is in St Mary’s at 11.30am (preceded by Stations of the Cross at 11am).

If you’d like more resources for daily prayer then check out our Day By Day pages.

Paying attention

Sometimes we find it hard to notice what is right in front of us, including God’s word. In today’s reflection on the daily mass readings, Fr Richard considers how we might pay more attention to what God is saying to us.

Readings for Thursday of the third week of Lent can be found here.

The aviation industry is famously safety conscious, meaning that travelling by air is one of the safest forms of transport. Yet occasionally astonishing mistakes can be made. In 1983 Air Canada switched from using imperial units to metric for calculating fuel. Despite warning notices in the cockpit, the pilots forgot this, used pounds instead of kilograms and had to make an emergency landing when they began to run out of fuel. In 2009, two pilots got chatting and overflew their intended airport by 100 miles. When the cockpit recording was played back, it turned out they somehow ignored multiple warning sirens. In both cases ignorance wasn’t the problem – the pilots knew what they should have been doing. Instead they failed to notice of what was right in front of them.

The same thing is happening in our readings today. Jeremiah says that God has given his people the law, shown them the way they should walk, and even sent his prophets to reinforce the message. “Yet they did not listen to me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck”, says God, and you can almost hear the frustration in his voice. Despite all the messages and all the warnings, the people just will not do the right thing. In the Gospel, people are seeing Jesus’ power in front of their very eyes. He is casting out a demon and so demonstrating that the kingdom of God has broken into this world. Yet the people are somehow unable to accept this, instead suggesting that Jesus is in league with the devil.

We might laugh at the airline pilots who made such basic mistakes, or the people in our readings who ignored God’s clear message right in front of them. Yet we should ask ourselves whether we are sometimes just as guilty. God’s word is always before us; the challenge for us is to be attentive to what he might be saying. As Lent continues, may we listen for his voice, hear what he is saying to us, and then follow where he leads.

Mass today is in St Dyfrig and St Samson, Grangetown, at 10am.

If you’d like more resources for daily prayer, then check out our Day By Day pages.

Connect | 11 March 2026

Published every Wednesday

This Week

Lent continues with our Christian Aid “Act on Poverty Course,” Stations of the Cross and Lent Lunches, as well as the usual daily Mass.

We’re also looking forward to Mothering Sunday in a few days time, and also – further ahead – the South Wales Walsingham Pilgrimage in July, and the Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage in August, with lots more in between!

We look back on a great OMG! Event at St Saviours and a wonderful confirmation celebration at St Paul’s.

Keep scrolling to find out more!

Act on Poverty

This Lent, we are taking part in Christian Aid’s Lent course, Act on Poverty – every Tuesday at 7pm in St Mary’s, following the 6.30pm Mass.

Next Tuesdays Session asks “Where do you think Jesus would place himself in your community?”

What happens when an area is labelled ‘deprived’? Or a country is labelled ‘poor’? The way we see our community and the way it is perceived by others matters.

This session will help us think together about where Jesus chose to locate himself and about our experience of place and community.

Lenten Charity

An important part of Lent is charitable giving and our Lenten charity this year is Christian Aid.

Offertory boxes are available in all our churches.

Stations of the Cross

Join us on a devotional journey each week through Lent as we pray the Stations of the Cross

take place on Monday at 7pm in St Dyfrig and St Samson (following the 6.30pm Mass), and in St Mary’s on Saturday at 11am (before the 11.30am Mass).W

We have many resources online that you can use at home. Why not check out this “Just Stations of the Cross” published a few years ago.

Just Stations of the Cross

Lent Lunches

Lent lunches are held every Saturday at 12noon in St Dyfrig and St Samson.

Lunch is £8 and all proceeds are going to the charity Smile Train, which supports children suffering with a cleft.

LENT 2026

Mothering Sunday

This Sunday, as well as being the Fourth Sunday of Lent is also, of course, Mothering Sunday with Mass at the usual times.

We’ll be blessing and distributing flowers and giving thanks for all mothers, living and departed.

Remembering a mother’s love

What’s the best piece of advice your mum ever gave you?

Mothering Sunday can bring back memories of love, care and guidance. It can also be a difficult day for those missing their mum, grandmother or mother figure who helped shape who they are today.

By giving to Christian Aid in memory this Mothering Sunday, you can honour her life through a gift that supports mothers and families living through poverty, conflict and injustice.

Christian Aid Mothering Sunday

OMG! … Celebrating the little things

Our latest OMG! Event for young people took place on Sunday 1 March in St Saviour’s Church.

As it was St David’s Day, Fr Dean reminded us of St David’s saying about doing the little things in life. Everyone was invited to draw or write little things which give them joy on post-it notes and then stick them on the high altar as a sign of thanksgiving. Afterwards we enjoyed delicious leek and potato soup, Welsh cakes and bara brith. Watch the video below to see more.

OMG! usually takes place on the first Sunday of the month, but since the first Sunday of April is Easter Day, and the first Sunday of May is bank holiday weekend, our next event will be on Sunday 26 April at 5pm in St Saviour’s.

View this post on Instagram

Coffee Morning

Our next charity coffee morning takes place on Saturday 21 March in St Paul’s Church.

MND ASSOCIATION

Confirmation Service

Last week, we celebrated a joyful Confirmation Service with Bishop Mary and six young people from St Paul’s.

Congratulations to Gideon who was baptised and confirmed, and Mila, Amelia, Catrin, William and Triumph who were confirmed last week.

It has been a joy to journey with these young people as they have been prepared for Confirmation, and we ask you to continue to pray for them.

Chrism Masses

The Chrism Mass is where the holy oils for the year are blessed, and when clergy reaffirm their priestly vows.

If you would like a seat on the coach to the Bishop of Oswestry’s Mass in Bathwick on Saturday 28 March, then please see Glyn Perryman or Fr Dean.

Bishop Mary’s Chrism Mass takes place on Monday 30th March at 11am. All are invited.

Walsingham 2026

Bookings are now open for the Walsingham Pilgrimage 2026 which takes place from July 20- 23 2026.

You can either book directly online or give your £50 deposit and details to Georgina Partidge, Liz Norman or the clergy.

WALSINGHAM PILGRIMAGE 2026

Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage

Young people aged 11-18 are invited to join us for the Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage from 3-7 August.

WALSINGHAM YOUTH PILGRIMAGE

Here comes the bride!

We are delighted to announce that St Paul’s Church (meeting in the community hall) has now been licensed for weddings.

If you live in Grangetown (or have a qualifying connection to St Paul’s) and would like to get married in St Paul’s, please contact Fr Richard on 0333 301 1850 or RichardGreen@cinw.org.uk

Check out the link below about weddings in our churches:

Weddings

Worship for the Week Ahead

Mass is celebrated each day across our churches. Here’s our pattern of prayer for the week ahead.

Wednesday 11 March 
10.00am: Mass at St Paul's with St Paul's School
11.00am: Mass at St Mary's with St Mary's School

Thursday 12 March 
10.00am:  Mass at Ss Dyfrig & St Samson

Friday 13 March
1.30pm: Funeral Mass of Gina Dukes
NB: There is no morning Mass at St Saviour's today 

Saturday 14 March
10.50am: Morning Prayer at St Mary's
11.00am: Stations of the Cross at St Mary's
11.30am Mass at St Mary's
12 noon: Sacrament of Reconciliation

Sunday 15 March | Lent 4 | Mothering Sunday
9.30am:  Sung Mass at Ss Dyfrig & Samson
9.30am:  Sung Mass at St Saviour’s
11.00am: Sung Mass at St Paul's
11.00am: Solemn Mass at St Mary's

Monday 16 March
6.30pm:  Mass at Ss Dyfrig & Samson
7.00pm:  Stations of the Cross at Ss Dyfrig & Samson

Tuesday 17 March 
6.30pm:  Mass at St Mary’s

You can discover more about our regular pattern of worship through the week at

WORSHIP

United in Prayer

WE PRAY FOR the work of Christian Aid, as it campaigns against poverty, and responds to those in need throughout the world.

WE PRAY FOR mothers and all parents and those who have the care of children, and for all who have nurtured us in the Christian life.

WE PRAY FOR peace throughout the world, for leaders and governments everywhere.

For more prayer resources, check out our ‘Day by Day’ pages which includes prayers for various times and occasions.

Day by Day

Funerals

Friday 13 March at 1130am at Thornhill Crematorium (Jacqueline Hall)

Friday 13 March at 130pm at St Mary’s Church (Gina Dukes)

Tuesday 17 March at 10am Thornhill Crematorium (Baby Rivayea-Mai James)

Thursday 26 March at 1130am at Ss Dyfrig and Samson (Clare Chelmis)

Thursday 26 March at 230pmSt Mary’s (Kathleen O’Neil)

Wednesday 1 April at 1130am at St Paul’s (Freda Dite)

Eternal Rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them.

Clergy contacts

Ministry Area Leader and Priest for St Mary’s and St Saviour’s: Fr Dean Atkins

07368 176300 | deanjatkins@outlook.com

Ministry Area Vicar and Priest for St Paul’s and Ss Dyfrig & Samson: Fr Richard Green

0333 301 1850 | RichardGreen@cinw.org.uk

Keep in touch

To receive news and updates in your inbox, sign up here:

Forgiveness and renewal

Sometimes the world seems to be a bleak place. Yet the Gospel, and God’s promise of forgiveness, offers the hope of renewal. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for Tuesday of the third week of Lent can be found here.

Recently I was talking to a friend who is the same age as me. We were reflecting on how good it was to have come of age in the 1990s. It seemed like a time full of optimism and hope. The Cold War had ended, the Berlin Wall had come down, the Soviet Union had collapsed and it appeared that Russia was heading towards democracy. Apartheid had ended in South Africa without any bloodshed, peace looked to have come to Northern Ireland, and the economy was booming after years of recession. Since then, however, it feels like things have been falling apart. We’ve had 9/11, wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Gaza and now Iran; the financial crash, Brexit, Trump, Covid …. Sometimes the world appears to be a bleak place.

Azariah in our first reading is also in a bleak place. For a start he has just been thrown into the fiery furnace, and then describes what has happened to the nation of Israel: “… there is no prince or prophet or leader, no whole burnt offering or sacrifice or oblation or incense, no place to make an offering before you…” The servant in the parable that Jesus tells is also facing a bleak future. Owing 10,000 talents – equivalent to 150,000 years of wages – he and his family are about to be sold as slaves. Yet the servant and his loved ones are saved because of the mercy and compassion of the king, who in this parable of course represents God. It is the boundless love of God, expressed in the Gospel through forgiveness, and in the book of Daniel through God’s mighty power, which brings renewal when all seems lost.

Jesus is clear that we are called to be agents of God’s renewal and hope in what might seem like a bleak world by passing on the forgiveness we ourselves have received. Unlike the servant in the parable, who later refuses to forgive a paltry debt – only 100 days’ wages – we are to forgive like God, without limit. Ultimately, this is the only way in which our world can be lifted from the sorry state it’s in, so that God’s renewal and hope may truly begin to flourish.

Mass tonight is in St Mary’s at 6.30pm, followed by our Lent course at 7pm.

If you’d like more resources for daily prayer, please check out our Day By Day pages.

Refugee Week 2024

A word (or two) of welcome

Faithful Butetown

Walsingham Cell-ebrations

General Election

Let’s get together!

A look back at 2023

Common Fund

Summer Praise & Strawberry Tea

St Paul’s Coffee Morning

Glastonbury Pilgrimage

Worship for the Week Ahead

United in Prayer

Events and Celebrations

Funerals

Keep in touch

The Crowning of Mary

The Ascension of the Lord

Split beads

It’s great to get together

Making connections

In praise of songs and smiles

Welcome home

Christian Aid Week

Worship for the Week Ahead

United in Prayer

Events and Celebrations

Funerals

Keep in touch

DAY BY DAY

DAY BY DAY

This Week

Act on Poverty

Lenten Charity

Stations of the Cross

Lent Lunches

Passion Sunday and Passiontide

Holy Week

Grangetown Rising!

Coffee Morning

Chrism Masses

Walsingham 2026

Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage

Here comes the bride!

Worship for the Week Ahead

United in Prayer

Funerals

Clergy contacts

Keep in touch

DAY BY DAY

DAY BY DAY

This Week

Act on Poverty

Lenten Charity

Stations of the Cross

Lent Lunches

Mothering Sunday

Remembering a mother’s love

OMG! … Celebrating the little things

Coffee Morning

Confirmation Service

Chrism Masses

Walsingham 2026

Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage

Here comes the bride!

Worship for the Week Ahead

United in Prayer

Funerals

Clergy contacts

Keep in touch