Creative Retreat at Llanfihangel Genau’r Glyn
Visitors to the church at Llanfihangel Genau’r Glyn on the May Day Bank Holiday were intrigued to be greeted with a table heaped with wool and textile strips. This was the raw material for creative activities led by the Revd Dr Romola Parish alongside an exhibition of her embroideries.
The exhibition Crying in a Silicon Landscape was on display in the church throughout the weekend. Meditations set alongside the embroidered panels enabled visitors to reflect not only on the craftwork displayed but also on the biblical and personal inspirations for the work.
The west end meeting room provided a perfect space for a creative retreat on the Monday. Visitors were invited to engage with making fabric prayer beads and Eye of God mandalas, activities which could be engaged with mindfully while creating works of art. While several people stayed for the whole day, others dropped in for a few hours.
The weekend as whole was an opportunity to draw members of the community into the church building as well as attracting holiday visitors and members of other churches in the LMA. Tea and cake helped to fuel conversation and to discover more about each other.
St Michael’s Church, Llandre (Llanfihangel Genau’r Glyn) is the hub for the Peaceful Places heritage trail of churches and chapels across North Ceredigion. It is also a member of the Small Pilgrim Places Network and is open to visitors every day throughout the year. The creative retreat was part of the ongoing work to establish the church as a centre for prayer and spirituality.
Crying in the Silicon Wilderness is an exhibition of 14 embroidered panels that illustrate a profound, spiritual narrative of brokenness and restoration. The pieces have travelled widely throughout England and Wales, and encourage contemplation and frequently inspire creative and prayerful response.
Revd. Dr Romola Parish is a former academic and lawyer specialising in environmental change. She studied traditional hand embroidery at the Royal School of Needlework and Creative Writing at Oxford. She completed a PhD (Cardiff) exploring the rewriting of saints' lives, including a poetic engagement with St Frideswide of Oxford performed in Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford in 2021. Romola is currently a non-stipendiary curate in the Diocese of St Davids, and has run retreats at St Beunos, Hilfield Priory, St Nons, Launde Abbey and elsewhere.
