Parish of Llandudno North Wales, Rector's letter

June 2012

June is for me one of the most beautiful months of the year. Nature is at her best, the days are long and hopefully the weather is sunny and warm. This year June is a month for special celebration. It begins with the Diamond Jubilee weekend.

Even the most ardent republican has to admit that Queen Elizabeth has served our country with great devotion throughout the 60 years of her reign. Her sincere Christian faith has also been a source of great inspiration to men and women of all faiths and none. Whilst prime ministers have come and gone the Queen has been a symbol of continuity in a society which has changed almost out of all recognition since the year of her accession. At our special Jubilee service on Sunday June 3rd we join with our friends in the parish of Rhos-Cystennin and our fellow townsfolk to give thanks for the 60 years of the Queen’s reign. Our Bishop has kindly agreed to come and preach at this service, do come and join us on that occasion.

The Jubilee is something special to June 2012. But June is always a month of celebration in our parish. It is in June that we celebrate the life of St Tudno, the founder and patron of the church in this place. This year our celebration of St Tudno will be rather strange in that because of the renovation work we won’t be able to worship in his church! The Eucharist will instead have to be held in Holy Trinity, though we will have our pilgrim walk as usual including the visit to St Tudno’s Well (by kind permission of the landowners).

Another important Festival which usually occurs in June is Corpus Christi – the day when we give especial thanks for the sacrament of the Eucharist. I believe that frequent communion is a good thing for Christians and I have no doubt that Christ wants us to celebrate the Eucharist and receive Communion on a very regular basis. It is the chief way in which he renews his life within us. Having said that, there is a danger that we take this great gift for granted because it is so easily accessible. So it’s good to have a day on which to stand back a bit and appreciate what is given to us in this sacrament.

By a happy coincidence this year, we will be holding our monthly healing Eucharist on Corpus Christi. When we first planned this I wondered if having the Laying on of Hands on this day would detract from the main theme of thanksgiving for Communion. But in fact I soon realised that it would actually enhance the commemoration; for if it is anything at all, the Eucharist is itself a sacrament of healing. In Communion Christ comes to us with all his healing love and power. In the 1662 rite of Communion the words said at the administration of the sacrament of Christ’s Body were: ‘The Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ, preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting life’. These are words which denote healing, of mind, body and spirit. In the Eucharist Christ comes to offer life in all its fullness, life in abundance. How could we ever take that for granted!

June this year gives us a lot to think about and to celebrate doesn’t it? And a bit of fine weather wouldn’t come amiss either!

Fr. John

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