EGLWYS GADEIRIOL LLANDAF LLANDAFF CATHEDRAL Registered Charity Number 1159090

The Weekly Notes Online www.llandaffcathedral.org.uk

The Second Sunday before Lent / Creation Sunday 7th February 2021

Live-streaming: click here to find the 11.15 am service for this Sunday.

The Collect and Readings for today Almighty God, you have created the heavens and the earth and made us in your own image: teach us to discern your hand in all your works and your likeness in all your children; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit reigns supreme over all things, now and for ever. Amen.

A reading from the book of Proverbs.

Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice? The LORD created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth – when he had not yet made earth and fields, or the world’s first bits of soil. When he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master worker; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the human race. Proverbs 8.1,22-31

Psalm 104.25-37 - Send forth your Spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.

O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. R

Yonder is the great and wide sea with its living things too many to number, creatures both small and great. There move the ships, and there is that Leviathan, which you have made for the sport of it. R

All of them look to you to give them their food in due season. You give it to them, they gather it; you open your hand and they are filled with good things. You hide your face and they are terrified; you take away their breath and they die and return to their dust. R

You send forth your Spirit and they are created; and so you renew the face of the earth. May the glory of the Lord endure for ever; may the Lord rejoice in all his works. He looks at the earth and it trembles; he touches the mountains and they smoke. R

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will praise my God while I have my being. May these words of mine please him; I will rejoice in the Lord. Let sinners be consumed out of the earth, and the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Alleluia.

Send forth your Spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.

A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians.

Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers – all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. Colossians 1.15-20

The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint John

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to

testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. John 1.1-14

Prayers of Intercession for this week We pray to our heavenly Father, asking God to deepen our awareness of Christ, the Word who was with God in the beginning.

We pray for the Church: that we may proclaim the light of Christ, shining in the darkness.

We pray for the world: that all may become more fully aware of Christ’s light, shining in the Church, and of the world’s divinely created beauty.

We pray for our local communities: for the visible presence of God in those who, whether churchgoers or not, work tirelessly for the needs of others.

We pray for ourselves: that we may be alert to the “still, small voice” of God whispering in the heart of our being. May we be content to step out in trust, even when we do not fully understand where we are being led.

Heavenly Father, we thank you that you strengthen us with your love and guide us with your wisdom. Help us to know your Son, Jesus, as the Word made flesh, and to seek his leading in all that we do. In gratitude we offer you our prayers, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

THE WEEKLY PRAYER INTENTIONS and PRAYER RESOURCES

Those who are sick and have asked for prayer: Roger Rathbone, Catherine Hughes, Archie Conway-Gardner, David Barron, Jane Craig, Kate Robinson, Alison Lewis, Alyson Grant, Rhys Ghazaros, Lisa Wright, Peter Brimmell, Gerwyn Capon, the Dean.

The long-term sick and housebound, among them: Mary Wines, Sid Baldwin, Tom Bailey, Dafydd Hughes, Ray Edwards, Alan Robinson, Marjorie Mudge.

Those who have died recently: Gillian Conners, Wendy Hopkins, Sue Rayner

Those whose anniversary of death falls this week: 7th February William George Collins, Gordon Donald Evans, Vera Maryllia Westwood, Avril Griffiths

8th February Howard Vernon Smith, Muriel Grace Gantée, Beatrice Sellwood, Muriel Florence Franklin 9th February Dorothy Cox, Alice Marjery Baragwanath, David Islwyn Lewis (Priest), Gordon Donald Evans Nellie Warhurst, Gwyneth Mai Jones 10th February John Thomas Eyles, Dora Eileen Smith 11th February Thomas Jones, Evelyn Jane Coles, Anthony Edward Hartley, Marie Haar, Matthew William Stratton-Ross 12th February Annie Bowen, Edward Crossley Buttress, Albert Edward Gwyer 13th February Harold Edmund Smith, Judith Hansen-Brown, Josephine Alice Lloyd

Please pray for the 1Family Cardiff project preparing to welcome a refugee family to West Cardiff at the end of February.

The Cycle of Prayer for this week in the Anglican Communion and in this Diocese: Sunday: The Anglican Church of Burundi The Parish of w , & Deri w Brithdir: the Rev’d Robert Lindsay

Monday: The Diocese of St Andrew’s, Dunkeld & Dunblane (Scotland) The Parish of : the Rev’d Gary Powell

Tuesday: The Church in Brazil The Parish of Treharris, , Bedlinog & Llanfabon: the Rev’d Gareth Coombes

Wednesday: The Diocese of Angola (Southern Africa) The Diocesan Board of Finance: Canon Mike Lawley, Chair & James Laing, Secretary

Thursday: The Diocese of Ankole (Uganda) The Parish of & : the Rev’d Canon Steven Kirk

Friday: The Diocese of North Ankole (Uganda) The Parish of Dowlais & : the Rev’d Caroline Owen

Saturday: The Diocese of Northwest Ankole (Uganda) The Deanery of Merthyr Tydfil, Christchurch: the Rev’d Mark Prevett

Cathedral News

Lent is on the horizon! Canon Jan hopes to lead a Lent Study Group through ‘zoom’, probably during the daytime. Please email her for details if you are interested.

Lenten Worship: in line with the Government and Church in ’ regulations and guidelines we will only be expanding our Lenten worship provision online – unless and until the restrictions relax. Sunday morning services ‘in person’ in the Cathedral will continue at 9.00 am and 11.15 am. We will also be offering an online service on Sunday afternoons in Lent with readings, prayers and hymns you can join in with at home. This

will be recorded in advance and broadcast at 4.30 pm on Sunday evenings in Lent. On Ash Wednesday there will only be a broadcast Eucharist at 7.30 pm (no live services on that day).

The late Sue Rayner: it was with huge sadness that the Cathedral and Sue’s very many friends received the news of Sue’s death. Her funeral will take place in the Cathedral at 12 noon on Monday 1 st March. Once Sue’s family has secured the number of seats they need, there may well be seats available for the service. Please email [email protected] if you would like to be considered for a seat when some become available. Regrettably it may not be possible to allocate a seat to everyone who asks for one although it is hoped that as many friends and representatives of the numerous groups Sue was involved in, can be accommodated. The service will be live-streamed and details of how to access the service will be available on request nearer the time.

Embrace the Middle East – Update from Sue Smith A Syrian family will soon be coming to Cardiff thanks to the 1Family Cardiff initiative, for which the Cathedral Community raised nearly £1,200 in 2019. They are coming via Lebanon, where the population of only 6 million people hosts 1.5 million Syrian refugees. With political unrest and food shortages in Lebanon life for refugees is particularly harsh: they have no legal status, access to work or means of support. Embrace the Middle East works with 12 local partners to alleviate this hardship. One of the beneficiaries, 46-year old Halima, who had to flee Syria with her four children, is employed in a sewing project which has produced over 15,000 masks for churches and centres across Lebanon. Your generous support for Embrace the Middle East enables it to continue to support Halima’s project and many others throughout the lands which Jesus would have known. Thank you for helping these vulnerable people in such difficult times. If you are able to attend the Cathedral, you can see more details about this and about 1FamilyCardiff on the Charities Table near the Cathedral Shop.

Llandaff Cathedral - Christian Aid Group Update Your support has brought protection and hope to so many people - thank you! This is the time of year when we would normally be making plans for Christian Aid Week, including the logistics of local door to door collections. In 2019 we raised £31,652.83 (including Gift Aid) a very considerable sum of money and can be proud of our efforts. Last year’s work was impacted by the pandemic, but many thousands of pounds were still raised by our Llandaff community. For 2021 it is vital to renew our efforts, but with an innovative approach. As the pandemic still rages, the work of Christian Aid is more important than ever, and you can find out more by visiting www.christianaid.org.uk . You can read about work in countries such as Zimbabwe and Malawi, providing direct aid to those in extreme poverty, enabling the provision of clean water, delivering health education programmes pertinent to the pandemic, and empowering people to build their own businesses in local communities.

Kate Bates, leader of the Cathedral Christian Aid team writes: I was invited recently to a virtual meeting with the Chief Executive of Christian Aid worldwide - Amanda Mukwashi. I was able to tell her something about our initiatives and she wanted to pass on her thanks to all those who volunteer to support the work of Christian Aid, through fund-raising and education. She was particularly pleased to hear how our three schools: Llandaff City Primary School, The Cathedral School and The Bishop of Llandaff High School, had been involved, not just in

raising money, but using Christian Aid Week as a focus for learning and teaching about the global concerns that Christian Aid addresses, particularly the impact of climate change.

Whilst it seems clear that there will be no door-to-door collections in Llandaff for Christian Aid this year, we remain determined to deploy as many innovative approaches as we can to promote Christian Aid Week, both within our schools and within the parish as a whole. For example, we know that Christian Aid are producing a digital version of the well-known collection envelope, to provide a cashless yet personal way to raise funds. There will also be an on-line quiz for families and local teams. Remember, with a little creativity, we can all rise to the challenge and do our bit to celebrate this life-changing week.

Christian Aid Week 10th – 16th May 2021 £20 = four taps for a water point at a dam, where families can collect water. £60 = ten bags of cement to help a community build an earth dam. £335 = training an earth dam committee to keep a dam in good repair and to run it effectively.

For more information or to help in the Christian Aid team contact Kate Bates on [email protected]

Our Cathedral Falcons! You can read an article about our resident Peregrine Falcons on the Cathedral website or in this week’s Llandaff Matters - the Diocesan newsletter. If you have not already subscribed to that newsletter, you will find details on the diocesan website or you can scan the QR code at the end of these Weekly Notes.

Attendance at and volunteering in the Cathedral: We know that many people will prefer not to attend public worship while the current situation prevails. This is understandable and we are all very keen to emphasise that this is perfectly acceptable. Whilst we have good protocols in the Cathedral to ensure everyone’s safety, it is equally important that people are confident and feel secure themselves. While many of our volunteers feel unable to help us for the time being, others are perfectly happy to come along and to continue to help as best they can. Our message to all our volunteers – Stewards, welcomers and others – is that we do not want anyone to feel that they ‘must’ be present to carry out their duties. No-one must feel obliged to carry out their roles and no-one will be letting the Cathedral down in any way if they are unable to help as usual. As a Chapter and as clergy, we would urge you to do what you feel is right for you and your household.

Foodbank news – Thank you for your support, it is greatly appreciated. The crate is currently positioned near the South East door.

Orders of Service – you can access the Orders of Service very easily by scanning the QR codes on display at the entrance to the Cathedral. Please ask if you have any difficulty with this. The other easy way of accessing the Service sheets is from our electronic newsletter – do sign up if you have not already done so here.

We are now displaying the QR code that links with the NHS Tracing App. If you have the app on your mobile device you can scan the code through the app. This means that if people visit the building and later test positive for coronavirus, other app users who were there at the same time may be sent an alert, if local public health teams think this is necessary.

Sunday School is being provided online for those registered this year, and participation is noted and recorded. Families are of course, still encouraged to attend the 9.00 am All-Age Service. For those who come to the service, there is now an option to tick on the ‘track and trace’ form so that children’s attendance can be registered in this way.

Llandaff Cathedral online If you haven’t already signed up for the Cathedral e-newsletter you can subscribe here.

Sunday Worship guidelines – a reminder…. Here are some of the key things to note:

• There are currently two services: 9.00 am and 11.15 am • Both services are celebrations of the Holy Eucharist with the 9.00 am service catering particularly for children and families. • Social distancing guidelines must be maintained at all times – especially before and after the services. Given that the usable rows are 2 metres apart, they can act as a useful guide when standing in the Nave. • Hand sanitiser must be used on entry. • Face-coverings: Welsh Government regulations now make the wearing of face coverings compulsory in public buildings. This includes the Cathedral. • Everyone attending will be invited to complete a ‘track and trace’ card - please bring a pen! • Communion will be administered standing and in one kind only. • There will be no congregational singing. • Ritual and ceremony will be kept to a minimum. • No service sheets will be used – the order of service will be available online to print in advance and bring with you or to follow on a phone or other mobile device. They are also available through QR codes displayed at each service. • The ‘2-metre distance’ rule means that the capacity of the Cathedral will be between 80 and 90 individuals although family groups sitting together will legitimately increase the number. • 5 cathedral chairs must be left clear between households.

Please note that there will be a legal maximum capacity number and it may be necessary to impose restrictions on entry to ensure that number is not exceeded.

The Welsh Government, the Church in Wales and the Diocese have all produced and issued protocols and detailed instructions to clergy and parishes. We are following them all.

Giving to the Cathedral You can now give to the Cathedral ‘online’ through the following link:

www.easydonate.org/LLANDAFF or you can give by text*: • to donate £5 text LLANDAFF to 70970 • to donate £10 text LLANDAFF to 70191

* Fundraising, payments and donations will be processed and administered by the National Funding Scheme (Charity No: 1149800), operating as DONATE. Texts will be charged at your standard network rate. For Terms & Conditions, see www.easydonate.org

Those of you who have studied the terms and conditions of the Donate website will know that, like all online giving platforms, Donate (which is itself a registered charity) takes a small commission from the donations to fund its own systems and organisation. The Cathedral Chapter carefully researched the whole issue of online giving and settled on Donate as one of the most recommended and trusted organisations in the field. All donations are eligible for Gift Aid and the gift aid administration is carried out for us by Donate.

As always, the Church encourages regular giving and the most effective and efficient way to give regularly to the Cathedral, remains the Church in Wales Gift Direct scheme. This continues to be a vital part of our stewardship and we would encourage everyone to consider regularly giving to the Cathedral through this scheme. You can find more details about Gift Direct here.

We also have contactless giving machines available in the Cathedral for giving through contactless cards.

THE CATHEDRAL OFFICE You may email [email protected] or call on 029 2056 4554. The answering service is checked regularly for messages.

CLERGY The Dean: The Very Rev’d Gerwyn Capon The Dean is currently on sick leave

Precentor: The Rev’d Canon Mark Preece Chancellor: The Rev’d Canon Dr Jan van der Lely [email protected] : 029 2056 8842 [email protected] : 029 2115 6258

www.easydonate.org/LLANDAFF

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