The joy of prayer
The Editor of our diocesan Calendar of Intercessions, Heulwen Evans, is pleased to be playing her part in bringing the church family together.
When I was asked to take on the role of putting together the Diocesan Calendar of Intercessions each month, my first feeling was gratitude — quickly followed by a sense of awe. Prayer has always been at the heart of my own walk with God, and to be given the chance to help our diocese pray together feels both a gift and a responsibility.
Prayer, for me, has never been about finding the perfect words or getting everything “right”. There have been times in my own ministry when I’ve had no words at all — only a deep sense of need, or a longing for God to be near.
I think that’s the beauty of prayer: it’s simple, and yet it touches something eternal. It’s the quiet pulse of the Church’s life — the way we breathe in God’s grace and breathe out our praise, our questions, and our hopes. When we pray, we’re not just speaking into the silence; we’re joining in a conversation that has been going on since the beginning of creation.
Intercessory prayer feels to me like one of the Church’s most loving acts. When we pray for others — for our parishes, our schools, our world — we’re joining our hearts with Christ’s own heart, standing in that space between pain and promise, between human need and divine mercy.
It’s not about fixing things, but about entrusting them to God, believing that our prayers, however small, are gathered into God’s great work of renewal and grace.
I have been in this role now for almost a year and I continue to look forward to listening — to God, to the Spirit, and to the heartbeat of our diocesan family.
I don’t come to this as an expert — none of us are — but simply as someone who believes that prayer still changes things: us, our churches, and our world. And I can’t think of a better place to begin than by praying together.
If there are particular needs or situations you would like to see included in the diocesan prayers — perhaps a new ministry you’re beginning, a community group, a home group, or a special concern — please do get in touch.
It would be wonderful for people across St Davids Diocese to be praying for one another, sharing in that great circle of prayer that binds us together in Christ. Every blessing.