The Diocese of St Davids

WEDDINGS AND FUNERALS

Following the re-opening of various Church in Wales churches for private prayer from Monday 22 June, the Bishops of the Church in Wales thank all clergy and volunteers who have made such re-opening possible in a responsible and safe manner.

Subject to any updated guidance from Welsh Government, we hope to permit those churches with the resources to manage re-opening safely to do so for funerals and weddings from Monday 6 July. Such events will be subject to strict regulation in respect of numbers, physical distancing and hygiene. The Representative Body will issue further guidance on this during the course of next week. We reiterate that no church will be required to open, and that no clergy should feel pressured to do so at this time.

We await further news as to when church buildings in Wales may be able to re-open for regular services of public worship and continue to liaise with Welsh Government closely in preparation for this.

RE-OPENING OF CHURCHES

Churches in Wales can re-open for private prayer as the Welsh Government eases lockdown restrictions. But it's going to take a little while.

Churches which are able to meet strict safety measures can re-open for individuals and household groups to pray, once they have the required precautions in place.

However, all churches will remain closed for public acts of worship.

The Church in Wales has worked with the Welsh Government on safety measures churches will have to implement in order to re-open. These include maintaining a two-metre distance between people and ensuring sufficient hygiene and cleaning protocols. Churches will also have to complete a COVID risk assessment before re-opening.

As a result not all churches will be able to re-open at this time. Precise opening hours for private prayer will vary depending on each church’s capacity to open safely. A significant factor will be the availability of volunteers to monitor social distancing and ensure churches are kept clean.

• St Davids Cathedral is open daily from 10am-3pm
• St Peter's, Carmarthen is open from from 12-2pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays
• Llanpumpsaint Church is open on Mondays 10-11am and 7-8pm
• St Twrog Church, Llanddarog. Sundays 10am-12pm and Wednesdays 2-4pm
• Steynton Church Wednesdays 2-4pm.

But while most of our buildings remain closed for now, we are working to put arrangements in place that will make as many of them available as possible as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, even though some buildings remain closed, the Church is very much open. Ministers, congregations and individuals are continuing to serve their communities with

• Online worship via social media
• Pastoral support via the internet or on the phone
• Caring for the needs of the vulnerable
• Food banks and parcels
• ...