St Davids Cathedral
St David’s Cathedral is the mother church of the diocese of St Davids and an iconic reminder of the Christian heritage of the whole nation of Wales.
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Dictionary
Words on this page
Advent
Advent means ‘coming’ and is the special four-week period leading up to Christmas. It is a time to prepare for the celebration of Jesus’s birth but also for his coming in glory at the end of time.
Bishop
‘Bishop’ comes from the Greek word for ‘overseer’. So a bishop is a senior Christian minister authorised to have oversight for God’s people. As well as duties given to deacons and priests, bishops confirm and ordain.
Diocese
‘Diocese’ refers to the geographical territory in which a bishop exercises oversight. The Church in Wales is divided into six dioceses each with its own cathedral in which is housed the cathedra (the bishop’s ‘chair’ or ‘throne’).
Evangelism
‘Evangelion’ means ‘good news’. Evangelism is about sharing the good news of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection in the hope that others may come to believe in and follow Jesus.
Holy Communion
At Holy Communion blessed bread and wine is shared, by which we receive the body and blood of Jesus Christ. The congregation gives thanks for Jesus’ life, his death and resurrection and his continuing presence. See also Eucharist.
Prayer
Prayer sustains our human relationship with God and may involve words (formal or informal) or be silent. Prayer can involve adoration (‘I love you’), confession (‘sorry’), thanksgiving and supplication (‘please’).
Open to God
Welcome to the Year of Mission
The Year of Mission runs from Advent Sunday 2025 and follows on from previous themes - Prayer, Discipleship, Pilgrimage, Salt & Light and Children Youth and Families.
It will be built around a major set-piece event to take place at the Carmarthenshire Showground on May 23rd., the Saturday of Pentecost 2026. The Sunday will then be an opportunity for churches to celebrate in their own localities.
At the heart of it all lies Code FP: Celebration, Outreach, Discipleship, Evangelism, Fellowship, Prayer
These themes will run through the whole enterprise, both at the Pentecost showpiece and in activities and events held within each LMA between now and the end of 2027.
Open to God has been inspired by Bishop Dorrien and mirrors an event held forty years ago by his predecessor and mentor, Bishop George Noakes.
It was officially launch at the Diocesan Conference, and, in his presidential address, he urged churches to “move forward with courage and compassion. We are co-workers in God’s service.
“Our mission must be collaborative, to make the Church not only relevant but vital to those both within and outside our walls.”
Separate launch events have been organised in each archdeaconry in the week following Advent Sunday:
- Friday December 5th - All Saints, Ammanford (7pm)
- Sunday 7th December - St Mary's, Tenby (5pm)
- Tuesday 9th December - Holy Trinity, Newcastle Emlyn (7pm)
St Davids news
Bishops publish road map for same-sex marriages
St Davids news
Archbishop of Wales enthroned
St Davids news
Net Zero: How are we doing?
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History of the Diocese of St Davids
Celtic saints and Welsh princes, mediaeval bishops and Victorian legislators, Reformation scholars and Puritan divines, ascetic monks and Georgian parsons – all have left their mark on its diverse spiritual landscape.
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