Connect | 15 July 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!

Cardiff Crossrail

Work has begun which means there will be various traffic measures in place including roads closed at various times which will affect access to St Mary’s. We will update you online and in our weekly bulletin. Here are the most immediate measures.

For approximately six weeks from 24th July, vehicular access is only possible from the north of Bute Street.

Also, during the weekend of Friday 24 to Sunday 27 July there is no vehicular access to North Church Street, and so no access to the car park here.

The possible routes to St Mary’s during this time are shown above.

Nicki Prichard’s Retirement

As many of you will know, Nicki Prichard, will be retiring as headteacher of St Mary’s School this summer.

She has been the headteacher here for thirteen years. We thank Nicki for her leadership and partnership and wish her and David all the best for their move to Cornwall.

This evening, her retirement celebration party at Butetown Community Centre went with a swing… but there is still one more day left in school! I wonder what’s in store for then?!

Walsingham Pilgrimage

On Monday 20th July, pilgrims from our Ministry Area will be joining others for the South Wales Walsingham Pilgrimage.

If you would like any prayers to be made for you or others then please get in touch !

St Samson’s Day and a 50th anniversary!

Join us on Sunday 26th July for a double celebration!

We’re observing the Feast of St Samson, one of the patron saints on St Dyfrig & St Samson. It’s also the 50th anniversary of the consecration of the church building. St Samson’s, as it was originally called, was never consecrated when built in 1922 as there were plans to add more to the building. This never happened, but in the late 1960s when St Dyfrig’s on Wood Street was demolished, the dedication was changed to add the name of St Dyfrig. The building – with the new dedication – was finally consecrated in July 1976.

We’re celebrating with a Sung Mass at 9.30am and Fr Mark Preece, Archdeacon of Llandaff, will be our preacher. We’re also inviting everyone to bring along any old photos or other memorabilia relating to St Dyfrig’s or St Samson’s that we can display.

St Paul’s Summer Fair

A wonderful occasion in the summer calendar is coming soon – St Paul’s Summer Fair on Saturday 18th July.

This always promises to be a lovely occasion, with stalls galore, games, burgers, hot dogs, teas and coffees. Everyone is welcome!

Assumptiontide Celebrations
Summer Ideas!

If you’re looking for some ideas of things to do this summer, why not get out and about and check out our PILGRIM pages, exploring the religious landscape of South Wales?

Pilgrim
Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage

Eight young people from St Saviours are joining the Diocesan group for the Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage in August.

They will join hundreds of other young people from all over the UK. Please do keep them and all pilgrims and leaders in your prayers.

Alpha comes to Grangetown

A course for anyone interested in the big questions in life! Join us every Wednesday at Ss Dyfrig and Samson, every week from 7.30pm – 9pm

Grangetown Consultation

St Paul’s and St Dyfrig & St Samson’s churches in Grangetown are working together to understand what really matters to our community.

A short survey (about 5 minutes) is available and will help us learn how we can serve and support our neighbourhood better.

You can fill in the survey anonymously or leave your details so we can contact you to follow up on your ideas. Your data will not be shared with anyone else and will be deleted after 12 months.

If you prefer you can fill in the survey online at bit.ly/grangetownsurvey

Dates for your diary

Here is a new-look South Cardiff Calendar, with details of lots of upcoming events and activities across our Ministry Area. Make sure you put everything down in your diary so that you don’t miss anything!

There will be more details about these events in future editions of Connect.

This is also available on our website here.

Worship

Sunday is the heart of our week, and the Eucharist is at the centre of our worship.

We have four Sunday celebrations across the Ministry Area. There is also a daily celebration of Mass on weekdays. 

BUTETOWN:
S MARY THE VIRGIN
11am Solemn Mass

GRANGETOWN:
S PAUL THE APOSTLE
11.00am  Sung Eucharist 

SS DYFRIG & SAMSON
9.30am Solemn Mass 

SPLOTT:
S SAVIOUR
9.30am Sung Mass

MONDAY
630pm   Mass (Ss Dyfrig & Samson’s)

TUESDAY
630pm   Mass (S Mary’s)

WEDNESDAY
10am   Holy Eucharist (S Paul’s)
11am   Mass (S Mary’s)

THURSDAY
10.00am Mass (Ss Dyfrig & Samson’s)

FRIDAY
10am   Mass (S Saviour’s)

SATURDAY
11am    Morning Prayer & Rosary (S Mary’s)
1130am  Mass (S Mary’s)
12noon  Confessions (S Mary’s)

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

WORSHIP
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:

Noticing God

Life is full of so many concerns and distractions that it can be easy to overlook where God at work among us. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for Tuesday of the 15th week of ordinary time can be found here.

A famous psychology experiment once took place in which a group of people had to watch a video of students passing a basketball between them, some wearing white shirts and some wearing black. The viewers had to count how many times the players with black shirts touched the ball. After the video they were asked who noticed the gorilla. Half way through the video, someone wearing a gorilla costume walked through the scene, looked at the camera and beat their chest before walking off. Over half the viewers hadn’t spotted the gorilla.

Sometimes we are so focused on something we don’t notice what is before our eyes. That’s why we’re told not to use our mobile phone while driving. In our first reading King Ahaz of Judah is so fixated on the threat to his nation from the neighbouring kingdoms of Syria and Ephraim that he fails to notice the word of God which is right in his midst. Isaiah is trying to reassure Ahaz that God will come to his aid and will defeat his enemies. Yet later on in the book of Isaiah we learn that Ahaz refused to listen and instead tried to forge an alliance with Assyria, which ultimately ended in disaster.

In the Gospel Jesus criticises the towns of Chorazin and Bethsaida for failing to recognise how God was at work in their midst through his own ministry. Even the heathen cities of Tyre and Sidon would have done better. As Christians today there is so much to distract and worry us, from threats of war to climate change to church politics and finances. It can be easy to lose sight of what really matters, to fail to notice how God is at work among us, and how he is speaking to us. Let us always make the time to be aware of his presence and his guidance, and then have the courage to follow where he is leading us.

Mass today is in St Mary’s at 6.30pm.

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

Faith in action

Faith is more than following certain rituals – it demands action which seeks to make a difference to the world around us. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for Monday of week 15 of ordinary time can be found here.

Gym owners and personal trainers often report two moments in the year when interest surges from people wanting to join up. The first is on January 1st, as people make new year resolutions about wanting to get fit. The second is around now, as people realise their summer holiday is coming soon and they need to get into shape for the beach. However, the same gym owners and PTs also report a surprising drop-off from about February until July, and again from August through to December. Often, people will make all the right noises. They sign up, they buy new gym kit, and they may even visit the gym once or twice. But somehow all of this ritual doesn’t actually translate into action which makes a difference.

In today’s first reading Isaiah is castigating the people of Judah and Jerusalem for just such an attitude in relation to their faith. He even witheringly compares them to Sodom and Gomorrah, those places of sin and evil we read about in Genesis. The people are making all the sacrifices and pilgrimages required by Jewish law, but God says that he is sick of them, cannot endure them, and even hates them. Why such strong language? Because the people have neglected to do the most important things, namely searching for justice, helping the oppressed, being kind to the orphan and widow. They had made all the right noises, bought the gym kit and other paraphernalia, but didn’t follow through with real action that would change society for the better.

In the Gospel, Jesus is clear that being a Christian is tough and demanding. Sometimes it will lead to division within the family. Indeed, it must take precedence over family. We are to follow in Jesus’ own footsteps, taking up our cross and losing our life for his sake. But in the midst of all this challenge there is also a wonderful assurance. “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me”, Jesus says. In other words, when we go about preaching the Gospel and continuing Jesus’ work, we represent him to the world and to others. Let us then not merely talk or think about being a Christian, but actually get on and do it, with all its many challenges but also with all its many rewards.

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

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

MA Accounts 2025

Recently, we held our Annual Vestry Meeting. Julian, our Ministry Area Treasurer, presented the annual accounts and highlighted the concern that, for the third year out of the four years of the Ministry Area, we have not broken even.

The accounts and Julian’s presentation can be found below.

Julian asked the meeting that, if all adults who attend our churches could give an extra £2 per week, this would bring each church additional income, and therefore the Ministry Area, an additional £10,000 per year. This would help us move closer to breaking even in the face of ever-increasing costs. 

If you like to discuss how you can support please contact Julian Jordan 07712894224or treasurer@southcardiffministryarea.co.uk

SCMA Accounts Report 2025 2.pdfDownload
SCMA Accounts Report Full Account 2025 2.pdfDownload

What kind of community?

How can we create a community with gospel values at its heart? Fr Dean reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for St Benedict can be found here

Perhaps there is a time in the life of every generation, when they look at the world around them, and think that life has got worse not better. Yes, there will be advances in technology and medicine and the standard of living, but there will something in our own past that is better than that experienced by young people today. How many times have we said or heard said, “When I was a kid…?”

Benedict was born around 480, the son of a Roman noble of Nursia in Umbria. He was sent to Rome to study but was disappointed by the academic studies and life he encountered there. Seeking to escape the great and bustling life of the city, he settled in the mountainous regions, about forty miles away where, for three years, he carved out a life for himself as a hermit living in a cave. Eventually, he established twelve communities of monks in the region, finally establishing the monastery at Monte Casino and writing the rule of St Benedict which has earned him the title, the father of western monasticism.

In his own search for fulfilment and oneness with God, he had taken the teaching of Jesus in a literal and profound fashion—leaving behind all worldly attachments. Not all are called to live the religious life in such a way. But we are called to create a community, like St Benedict, where the gospel values are central, and our lives are centred on God.

 

 

Mass today is in St Mary’s at 1130am

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

Access to St Mary’s

The work for Cardiff’s crossrail has begun which will mean significant disruptions to St Mary’s and the wider community of Butetown. The works are scheduled for two years, and access to the church will vary during that time.

Here’s some important information about access to St Mary’s over the next six weeks.

For approximately six weeks from 24th July, vehicular access is only possible from the north of Bute Street.

Also, during the weekend of Friday 24 to Sunday 27 July there is no vehicular access to North Church Street, and so no access to the car park here.

The possible routes to St Mary’s during this time are shown below.

We will update you regularly, as soon as we receive information from the LA/Contractors.

God Given

“Each of us has particular gifts and talents which we believe are God given.” Fr Dean reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for Friday of week 14 of Ordinary Time can be found here

At Pentecost in 1222, 3000 Franciscan friars gathered in Assisi for what became known as the “Chapter or Gathering of the the Mats.” The name arose from the difficulty of being able to find anywhere to accommodate so many people, and so they friars slept on mats they had carried with them. In their midst was St Anthony of Padua who had recently joined the order. At one point in the gathering, it was suggested that one of the friars give a short sermon. No one volunteered so Anthony was asked to give a simple sermon. Little was expected of him considering his age and education. However, he showed such eloquence and knowledge that he was assigned by his seniors to a ministry of preaching.

St Anthony has thought his vocation was to become a martyr. Instead, his life was turned to one of preaching. In the gospel reading, Jesus is preparing his disciples for challenging times ahead when they will be handed over and persecuted. However, he tells them, “Do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”

Each of us has particular gifts and talents which we believe are God given. So often, we can overlook or take these gifts for granted, or not use them in the service of God. Some of us may not even realise what our gifts are. Perhaps this was the case for St Anthony before he surprised his listeners. But filled with the Holy Spirit, our lives can be used by God to witness to Christ. Some individuals are indeed called to martyrdom as St Anthony desired. Others as preachers— St Anthony became. However, each of us, in our own circumstances, have a calling to fulfil, meet by word or deed.

 

 

Mass today is in St Saviour’s at 10am

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

Connect | 8 July 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!

African Celebration

St Saviour’s Church came alive on Sunday afternoon with the sounds and tastes of Africa, at a wonderful celebration organised by our Nigerian families.

Thanks to everyone who organised the afternoon and to all who came along and join in. Relive the memories or find out what is was like by watching the clip below…

Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament

Our next monthly time of stillness and quiet before the Blessed Sacrament is taking place next Monday, 13th July.

We gather from 5.45pm to sit and pray in quiet in the presence of Jesus. Benediction is given at 6.15pm then we move into Mass at 6.30pm.

Why not take some time out from the hustle and bustle of life to spend some time in prayer and quiet with the Lord?

Cymun Diwedd y Dydd – Mass in Welsh

It’s also the week for our monthly Mass celebrated in Welsh.

Held on Wednesday 15th July at 6.30pm in St Dyfrig & St Samson, it’s the perfect way to end the day and brush up on your Welsh at the same time. The order of service is bilingual and the sermon is always printed out in Welsh and English, so it’s ideal for learners and fluent speakers alike.

Nicki Prichard’s Retirement

As many of you will know, Nicki Prichard, will be retiring as headteacher of St Mary’s School this summer.

All are welcome to her retirement party on Wednesday 15 July at Butetown Community Centre. RSVP details below.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Fr Dean who has been shortlisted for the Rhys Davies Award, a prestigious Welsh Literary prize for his story: Blackthorn Winter.

The winner will be announced in September, and all twelve finalists will have their story published in October.

You can find out more about the prize and the shortlist here

Rhys Davies Prize 2026
Thrive at Five

Don’t miss out on the next event for young people at St Paul’s on July 12th!

Men’s Night

Our next gathering is on Wednesday 8th July at 7pm.

St Samson’s Day and a 50th anniversary!

Join us on Sunday 26th July for a double celebration!

We’re observing the Feast of St Samson, one of the patron saints on St Dyfrig & St Samson. It’s also the 50th anniversary of the consecration of the church building. St Samson’s, as it was originally called, was never consecrated when built in 1922 as there were plans to add more to the building. This never happened, but in the late 1960s when St Dyfrig’s on Wood Street was demolished, the dedication was changed to add the name of St Dyfrig. The building – with the new dedication – was finally consecrated in July 1976.

We’re celebrating with a Sung Mass at 9.30am and Fr Mark Preece, Archdeacon of Llandaff, will be our preacher. We’re also inviting everyone to bring along any old photos or other memorabilia relating to St Dyfrig’s or St Samson’s that we can display.

St Paul’s Summer Fair

A wonderful occasion in the summer calendar is coming soon – St Paul’s Summer Fair on Saturday 18th July.

This always promises to be a lovely occasion, with stalls galore, games, burgers, hot dogs, teas and coffees. Everyone is welcome!

Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage

Eight young people from St Saviours are joining the Diocesan group for the Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage in August.

They will join hundreds of other young people from all over the UK. Please do keep them and all pilgrims and leaders in your prayers.

Alpha comes to Grangetown

A course for anyone interested in the big questions in life! Join us every Wednesday at Ss Dyfrig and Samson, every week from 7.30pm – 9pm

Grangetown Consultation

St Paul’s and St Dyfrig & St Samson’s churches in Grangetown are working together to understand what really matters to our community.

A short survey (about 5 minutes) is available and will help us learn how we can serve and support our neighbourhood better.

You can fill in the survey anonymously or leave your details so we can contact you to follow up on your ideas. Your data will not be shared with anyone else and will be deleted after 12 months.

If you prefer you can fill in the survey online at bit.ly/grangetownsurvey

Dates for your diary

Here is a new-look South Cardiff Calendar, with details of lots of upcoming events and activities across our Ministry Area. Make sure you put everything down in your diary so that you don’t miss anything!

There will be more details about these events in future editions of Connect.

This is also available on our website here.

Worship

Sunday is the heart of our week, and the Eucharist is at the centre of our worship.

We have four Sunday celebrations across the Ministry Area. There is also a daily celebration of Mass on weekdays. 

BUTETOWN:
S MARY THE VIRGIN
11am Solemn Mass

GRANGETOWN:
S PAUL THE APOSTLE
11.00am  Sung Eucharist 

SS DYFRIG & SAMSON
9.30am Solemn Mass 

SPLOTT:
S SAVIOUR
9.30am Sung Mass

MONDAY
630pm   Mass (Ss Dyfrig & Samson’s)

TUESDAY
630pm   Mass (S Mary’s)

WEDNESDAY
10am   Holy Eucharist (S Paul’s)
11am   Mass (S Mary’s)

THURSDAY
10.00am Mass (Ss Dyfrig & Samson’s)

FRIDAY
10am   Mass (S Saviour’s)

SATURDAY
11am    Morning Prayer & Rosary (S Mary’s)
1130am  Mass (S Mary’s)
12noon  Confessions (S Mary’s)

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

WORSHIP
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:

Speaking up

“In our world today, there are many people who don’t have a voice. Many of them are vulnerable, overlooked and regarded as unimportant.” Fr Dean reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for Tuesday of week 14 of Ordinary Time can be found here

Listening to today’s gospel reading, we may describe sickness in quite different way, as we look at the world through a scientific lens. And yet the word “demon” is still on our lips and used in the public domain to describe a number of moral standpoints. Whether someone describes the “demon drink” or someone is colourfully described as being “like a man possessed.”

In the gospel, Jesus encounters a man possessed by a demon who has made him mute. The man is unable to communicate and express himself in typical ways. Jesus casts out the demon and immediately the man speaks which causes all kinds of comments from the witnesses, some even claiming that Jesus is somehow colluding with the Prince of demons.

In our world today, there are many people who don’t have a voice. Many of them are vulnerable, overlooked and regarded as unimportant. They may be silenced by the powerful or simply by mainstream society. Their stories are not told or, if they are, they are told by another voice in a different way. One of the things that Black History Month and other similar initiatives have achieved, is allowing the story and experiences of people of colour to emerge which often gives a rather different perspective to the ones we have been taught.  As Jesus enabled the man to speak, so we too can value the stories of others, creating a space where all have a voice and all can be heard. As the saying goes, “if you don’t have a seat at the table, then you’re probably on the menu.” 

Mass today is in St Mary’s at 630pm

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

One step forward

“What small steps do we need to take? What little gestures can bring us to that pure moment of grace which heals and saves us?” Fr Dean reflects on today’s readings from Mass.

Readings for Monday of week 14 of Ordinary Time can be found here

Sir Thomas Edison is a well-known name for one reason. He invented the light bulb. Yet, during his early days his teachers told him that he was “too dumb to learn anything and there’s no hope for him.” He dropped out of formal education at the age of twelve, and later, he failed countless times with many inventions. He got fired from his first two jobs. He ignored all the criticisms and despite being almost penniless, he turned out to be the most successful inventor of his generation influencing motion picture cameras to the light bulb. One of his famous quotes is, “Every wrong attempt discarded, is another step forward.”

In the gospel reading, we have two desperate people. One, a ruler whose daughter has died. The other is an anonymous woman, lost among the crowd, and who has been suffering with a haemorrhage for twelve years. Their desperation, however, is coupled with faith. Despite the terrible knock backs and griefs that each each experience, they seek out Jesus. It is enough for Jesus to lay his hands on the dead daughter. It is enough for the woman simply to touch the hem of Jesus cloak. Through faith, each receives, the gift of a life transformed.

Each of us will experience some kind of setback in our life. It could be family or work related, sickness, bereavement, or grief or some kind. Perhaps at times, we may think we have nothing to offer, or that people have put us down and held us back. How do we step forward when we are burdened by struggles? “Every wrong attempt discarded, is another step forward,” said Edison. Some obstacles may seem insurmountable. All it took for the woman in the gospel was to reach out and touch the hem of Jesus’ cloak. It is such a small gesture but one which draws her into a face-to-face encounter with Jesus, which then in turn transforms her life. What small steps do we need to take? What little gestures can bring us to that pure moment of grace which heals and saves us? 

Mass today is in St Dyfrig & St Samson at 630pm

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