Caedmon-the Hymn of Praise!

For modern day pictures from Whitby-Here is a link for Nycom.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.nymcam.co.uk/030901l


We usually speak of Gwent and Monmouthshire and South Wales. I have , however, always been fascinated from Childhood about the story of Caedmon, which was told in my Junior School Reader (in the days when positive references to Christianity were allowed in schools.)

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He is the story as I remember it.

In the North of England on the seacost round about the year 675AD is a small town called Whitby. In Anglo Saxon times it was called Streonæshalch and the name changed to Whitby when it was colonised by the Danes. Most of the people who live at Whitby at that time were fishermen abd the old red houses cling to the side of the cliff and right above are the ruins of Whitby Abbey. In that little town sixhundred years or so ago, before Henry the VIII wrecked the abbeys, Whitby Abbey would stand fair and white on the cliff. Instead of the red bouses (see link above) you would see small houses made of wood. You would not have seen the Abbey as it stood in its last hours. There would have been a much smaller Abbey in the smae place and would have been a group of lower buildings of rough grey stone. This is the Abbey which forms the background to the story.

In this Abbey lived both Monks and nuns, Traditionally a woman would have been head of such a mixed house and the head of this was a wise and stely woman called Abbess Hilda.. The monks and nuns were Catholic and Christian Saxons who lived apart from other people to worhip and praise God and do good works. They were like the monks who brought up ST Oswald. All round the Abbey in those days were the huts of the men who looked after the cattle of the abbey. Each night, one of these men slept in the cattle shed to guard the cows from robbers and thieves. Below the cliff, near the mouth of the river, lived the fishermen, then as now, who caught the fish for the monks ad nuns to eat.

In those days, very few men indeed could read or write. In the long winter evenings they used to meet in one another's dwellings and there they told one another tales and sang songs and played the harp. The man who coldplay or sing the best or who could tell the best tales, soon became famous in all the countryside. Now near the Abbey of Whitby in those far off days ,lived a peasant called Caedmon. He was a herdsman of he Abbey. There was a hall belonging to the Abbey in which the men of the village used to meet and sing to the harp while they ate and drank together. They passed around a rich drink of beer and honey called mead. Each man drank in turn and when he had drunk he handed the cup on to his neighbour. After the mead-cup the harp went round and every man a, as it came to him had to sing or play something to the others. All the men of the village came to thses feasts and Caedmon came too. But when he saw it would soon be his turn to play the harp, he used to rise and slip away from the joyus fellowship, fo he had no skill at playing or singing.

Caedmon's Vision

Caedmon used to pray to Almighty GOd for ability to express himself either on the harp or in song.When it was his turn to sleep in the cattle shed one evening to guard against robbers, he left the feast again after eating, before the harp came to him and he could humilate himself trying to play it or sing. He went to the cattle shed early and lay down on the hay and went to sleep.

As he slept he dreamed that an angel came and stood by him and said'Caedmon. sing me something'. Caedmon answered 'My Lord, I cannot sing and therefore did I leave the feast' But the angel said to him 'Nevertheless, sing me something!' And Caedmon said 'What shall I sing? Then said the man, 'Sing of the beginning of all things' So Caedmon, who had never sung before sang in his dream of God's wisdom and glory and the Creation of the World.

The next morning when he woke up, he had not forgotton what he had sung in his dream but remembered all of it. Then he went to the head man of the village and told him what had happened. And the head man led him up to the abbey and the Abbess Hilda and she heard his story with great interest. She leaned forward to him and said:
'Caedmon, will you sing your song to me?' 'Indeed I will, my lady Abbess' he said. Everyone waited with bated breath, They knew Caedmon could not sing. Slowly Caedmon took breath and opened his throat, and from his mouth came a voice which was so sweet and melliflous, it rememinded them all of the sound they imagined would come from the mouth of angels on the night of the NAtivity of the Lord Jesus. She called together all the wise men of the area and the spoke to Caedmon and questioned him. Some of them read to him from the holy gospels and all they read to him turned into beautiful songs, which were quickly written down by scribes-because Caedmon could neither read nor write.

Caedmon is Honoured by the Abbess Hilda for is Gift from God

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The Abbess Hilda honoured the gift of God in her poor peasant Caedmon. She persuaded him to become a monk and received him into the Abbey. So he left behind him his herdsman's job and made wonderful hymns for the monks and nuns at the abbey. These songs were about the greatness and goodness of God and about his mighty works and turned the hearts of the people into goodness. Caedmon sang about the Creation of the world, the sun, the moon the stars, the heavens and also about the Old Testament stories which foreshadow those of the New Testament. Moses leading the eople home through the Red Sea, just as Christ leads us home through the World and our fallen human state into the arms of the Father.He also made the Life of Christ into a poem.

St Hilda of Whitby is the dedication of the Anglican Church, Panteg at Griffithstown after rebuilding from the original Celtic/Saxon Norman site at Panteg,.

The Death of Caedmon

When the time came, that Caedmon felt that death was near, he asked to be taken to a nearby house.This house was part of the Abbey, called the Infirmary, where all the sick were taken. ONe night, when Caedmon had been talking cheerfully with all the other sick people there , he asked for the Priest to come and bless him with the Sacrament of Extreme Unction and Viatacum.But the monks said, 'You don't need a priest yet, death is still far off' But he asked again and the priest came, heard Caedmon's confession, absolved him, annointed him with the holy oil, giving him the final Sacrament and blessed him. Caedmon said 'Will it be long before the dawn when the monks sing a morning hymn to God?' They replied 'Not Long'.Caedmon said 'Well let us await the dawn'..

Ane that morning, as the sun rose, and as all the monks began to pray mattins,Caedmon gave up his soul to God.

The only lines definately attributed to Caedmon are not lost.

Caedmon is one of twelve Anglo-Saxon poets identified in medieval sources, and one of only three for whom some contemporary biographical information and examples of poetry have survived. His story is told in the Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum ("Ecclesiastical History of the English People") by St. Bede who wrote, "[t]here was in the Monastery of this Abbess a certain brother particularly remarkable for the Grace of God, who was wont to make religious verses, so that whatever was interpreted to him out of scripture, he soon after put the same into poetical expressions of much sweetness and humility in English, which was his native language. By his verse the minds of many were often excited to despise the world, and to aspire to heaven."

Anglo-Saxon

Nu scylun hergan hefaenricaes uard
metudæs maecti end his modgidanc
uerc uuldurfadur— sue he uundra gihuaes
eci dryctin or astelidæ
he aerist scop aelda barnum
heben til hrofe haleg scepen
tha middungeard moncynnæs uard
eci dryctin æfter tiadæ
firum foldu frea allmectig

Modern English

Now let us praise the guardian of the Heavenly Kingdom!
The Might of the Creator and the thoughts of His mind!
The glorious Father of Mankind. So He, the Eternal Lord,
Created every Wonder from the beginning.
He first made Heaven as a roof
For the children of Mankind;-he the Holy Creator.
He, the Guardian of Mankind, the Eternal God.
Afterwards, he made heaven to dwell upon.
He the Almighty God.



There are more poems, which it is believed Caedmon may have written but this can not definately be proved as such. Nevertheless it is a strong story, how beauty and praise and artistry can be found in all men, especally when God calls them.From now on, with the Saxons making inroads into Gwent right up to the year 1065 I shall be also talking about some Saxon religious topics. This story has always entranced and being a singer myself, I have always loved it.

Haut de la Garenne-Children's Home Jersey-latest news

Two more arrests have seemingly been made recently as part of the allegations into child abuse here. A 70 year old man an a 69 year old woman were being questioned over the scandal, but it is not thought that their crimes took place there. Six people have now been arrested since the inquiry began in February.More than 100 peple have now come forward to state they were abused at the home in the 1960's and 1970's . Thirty human bone fragments and 26 children's teeth have been found in secret rooms below ground by the police. This is from a report in the 'Metro' newspaper this week. God, in whose keeping they surely are, rest their souls and shine a light on the evil perpetrated by the abusers.

New Information from another Blogger-Thank you!

I don't have a photo of the area, but this is an Irish stone church of the same period, and although unusual as it is stone, neverthe less some people did have them/ Below is an old Welsh style monk from the Book of Kells.


Al Iguana another blogger from Maesycwmmer has very kindly sent all sorts of extra details. I did not have the source, but there obviously is one. He gives more details.We mentioned the Old Welsh monastery of Mud and wattles and in addition
her home included a hospice, outhouses and a scriptorium. There she lived quietly, bringing hope and support to the people of the Taff valley.

We also learn there was another daughter with a monastery south of Merthyr-Tangwstl, who may have perished at roughly the same time.

In his old age, King Brychan decided to visit his children one last time. He took with him his son Rhun Dremrudd, his grandson Nefydd and Nefydd's own son, along with servants and warriors. They visited his third daughter, Tanglwstl, at her religious community at Hafod Tanglwstl, what is now known as the village of Aberfan, south of Merthyr Tydfil. Brychan wanted to linger with his daughters a little longer, so he sent most of his warriors and Nefydd on ahead, along the homeward journey. The king went on to Tydfil's home while Rhun and Nefydd's son were still at Hafod Tanglwstl.

Al Iguana outs the blame on the Irish rather than the Saxons however, although the more usual story is of Saxons, but it it is known that the Irish frequently raided Wales:

So the party was spread out along the Taff Valley; a distance of about seven miles and all uphill. Wales at this time was suffering from raids from the Irish, free to roam around now that the Romans had long gone. Some had even settled at South Radnorshire, near Brychan's kingdom. Perhaps the news of the king's absence had reached the Irish settlement and they decided to take advantage of the king's vulnerability. In retrospect, Brychan would appear to have made a very foolish decision in allowing his party to split up. But he must have known that, being so old, he was unlikely to ever see Tanglwstl and Tydfil again.

Rhun Dremrudd was attacked by an Irish raiding party, a mile from Hafod Tanglwstl and he died defending a bridge over the river at what is now the village of Troedyrhiw (the bridge is still called Pont Rhun). The bridge gave the Irish free access to the King's party and Rhun Dremrudd put up a good fight. The Irish then split into two groups: one devastated the Hafod Tanglwstl community and the other pursued the king.

The king and his followers were robbed of their jewellery, money and clothes. Servants and family; they were all cut down. While the others ran and fought and panicked, Tydfil knelt and calmly prayed, before she too was brutally slain. Then the Irish retreated over the Aberdare mountain. By then, Nefydd and his warriors caught up with them and avenged the deaths of his family at "Irishman's Hill". Then they returned to bury their dead.

Tydfil was buried within the church she founded, amongst the people she had cared for. A Celtic Cross was put up in a clearing near the Taff which became a meeting place for the people of the valley. In the 13th century the cross and wattle and daub church were replaced by a stone church dedicated to Saint Tydfil the Martyr, which was itself replaced in 1807, and rebuilt again in 1894. The church still stands, at its place by the River Taff and is one of the first things the tourist sees as he enters the town centre from the south side.

Any pictures? Al Iguana .You can email me at maryinmonmouth@googlemail. com. Thank you for all this super extra information about the visit of Brychan and the locations. Not being a Glamorgan girl this is fascinating. I hope you join the Mary in Monmouth Group on Facebook.You will see a MAri Lwyd video and also there was a podcast about the Mari at Christmas as it went out at Henllys, Cwmbran and Newport at Chrstmas. Thank you so much for all this detail.I don't think we will ever find out whether it was the Irish or the Saxons-certainly not the Picts anyway.These are such interesting stories. Was Tangwstl martyred do you know?

Senator Syvret and Haut de la GarenneMore Sad finds and discoveries!
Haut de la Garenne
As police search for bodies in the house and grounds, some former residents claimed to have been raped and assaulted.Others say solitary confinement and other 'dubious practices' were among the appalling hardships endured by children in desperate need of care. Last night one local described the alleged abuse as the 'worst thing that has happened on the island'.Senator Stuart Syvret, Jersey's former minister for health and social services, tried to reaise the issue but was dismissed. He believed violent and sexual abuse in the children's homes had been going on for 60 years and it had been covered up by everyone concerned. Senator Syvret says he has spoken to two alleged victims of assault at Haut de la Garenne and they knew of others who claim to have suffered sexual abuse. He said: 'I have seen documents that show children were kept in solitary confinement for days and sometimes weeks on end and one child was kept in solitary for two months 'I have spoken to two victims from Haut de la Garenne, they told me of being flogged by canes, locked in cells in solitary confinement and I have been told of sexual abuse at that home.'

He had been a graduate social worker during the Eighties at a home on Jersey looking after youngsters who had lived at Haut de La Garenne before it closed. He said the Home was'monolithic' and run by 'mainly untrained, unqualified staff'. He said: "There, solitary confinement, corporal punishment and many other dubious practices were rife. "On its closure, young people deemed 'workable' were farmed out, leaving us with damaged, institutionalised adolescents."

Who were St Nectan and St Piranof Cornwall? ,Jersey Home Story

Left is the current website of St Nectan's Glen, where the owners are not specifically dedicated to the Catholic Saint, St Nectan but to the 'Mother Earth' religion However, people of all faiths are welcomed at St Nectan's shrine by the owners, where he worshipped said the psalms and stayed at many times-possibly in the summer, the winters being spent at Hartland Abbey.This is an area of outstanding natural beauty, the glen and hermitage of St Nectan is tranquil and beautiful)Bear in mind the owners are not Christians but of Earth perhaps Druidical religion but do welcome people from the Catholic faith who wish to venerate St Nectan, reputedly buried here.The Hermitage itself serves food and refreshments. There is a higher footpath for people with mobility problems.(Telephone below)

We have visited St Nectan's Glen ever since we started coming to Cornwall on our holidays.The Hermitage and waterfall lie between Tintagel/Bossiney coast road and Boscastle. It is signposted from the road, but you need to park there in the car park and it is a long, but beautiful walk through amazing woodland. We used to take our young son there with my mother and look for Easter Eggs. The climb up to the hermitage is quite hard going. The hamlet where the small road goes is called Threthevy. What always attracted us was that we could take our little dog.There is another approach as well which appears behind the hermitage.(Telephone 01840 770760-The Hermitage, St Nectan's Glen, Thethevy, Cornwall PL34 0BE email:barry@stnectan.fsnet.co.uk)

When you first turn into the small road going up to the waterfall, you pass the Holy Well of St Piran and his chapel.He was the most popular saint in Cornwall. Piran or Perryn made the customary journey from South Wales into Corwall and from there to Brittany, doing a white Martyrdom, leaving living impressions everywhere. In south Wales there was a Mediaeval Chapel of St Piran at Cardiff, and this was so honoured, as Catherine Rachel John writes 'the English King Henry II went to hear Mass there on Low Sunday (the Sunday after Easter Day)when he was visiting South Wales.

In Brittany, Piran is widely celebrated . His name is found in a number of dedications and place names, for example Saint Perran south of Baint Brieuc; also in official church calendars, and prayer books for clerics and lay people-The Breviary for the Diocese of Leon and its Book of Hours where he is referred to as a Bishop.At Trezeide near St Pol de Leon, Saint Piran, its patron, commemorated not only by his statue in the church. but also by a wayside shrine , almost a little oratory,with a very simple, impressive statue of the saint his hands raised in prayer'. (p68 The Saints of Cornwall 1500 years of Christian Landscape, pub Tabb House,7 Church Street, Padstow, Cornwall PL28 8BG ISBN 1 873951 39 6 £10.00 illustrated).

The best known holy place of Cornwall for St Piran is Perranporth, where Catherine writes 'the place still retains some of the holiness of beauty for three seasons of the year.'She supposes Piran landed there from Wales and founded his first chapel at Perranzabuloe-Perran on the sands. She goes on very perceptively 'and the history of this has been a continuous struggle with the encroaching sands , perhaps reflecting the struggle for the souls of the Cornish people , as a modern poet has suggested.' The building raised by Piran was abandoned in the ninth century(the centre of the small monastery)and in due course it was lost in the sands. In 180 it was reveled again with shifting sands and since then people have tried to preserve it, but this has proved impossible, although the cross is still visible . ON higher ground a new parish church has been built ,after hundreds ofyears this had been eroded to and a third built. This is well inland. Nearby is another st Piran's Well and also St Piran's cwm (coombe) is valley.There are many places connected with him Pol-perro, Perranarworthal,Perran Uthnoe and Perran Downs.It is possible that the Bossinney site was perhaps one of the first, St Piran inhabited when he arrived in Cornwall. The nearby farmhouse probably containing stone from the original monastery, which would perhaps originally been begun in wattles and mud. St Piran's Well is well preserved and is the first thing you see when leaving the road.It is reputed to have had healing qualities left by the saint , where he used to baptise people.As I mentioned in my Welsh broadcasts, these wells were often very close to the Welsh people and Cornish. They were points where the inner world met the outer and were blessed by the Saint in the name of the Trinity, and a way to join the family of God. Just behind is the small St Piran's chapel. This has been restored, and is obviously occasionally in use. It is a simple stone building with a small gabled roof and must have been a later reincarnation of St Piran's original mud and wattle church.The whole stands in a beautiful glen overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and you can imagine the Saint Standing looking over the sea and the glorious sunsets at that location.

'Becoming increasingly familiar is the Cornish flag, nown as the flag of St Piran . The white cross on a black background symbolises the Gospel triumphing over falsehood, good over evil the tin among the ore.'Catherine Rachel John.

Walking from St Piran's Glen down to st Nectan, you walk down a long footpath, also road for those who live in the small cottages and rather larger detatched houses with drives from the path , we come down into the beautiful 'fairy wood' as my son used to call it. The track runs through the wood , thougha riot of different trees, wood anenomies,bluebells and wild garlics. The smell in the spring and the parculiarly earthy smell is wonderful. There is another path which avoids the difficult ascent to the favourites . Celtic monks (as I have spoken about in my may 'Mary in Monmouth 'broadcasts, available free from iTunes Store, and via rss on the bottom of this blog.Springs and waterfalls were especially holy places to go as in Catholic terminology, spirngs and waterfalls have always been spiritual symbols, whereas the sea, always symbolises death (Jonah and the Whale. Noah's arc.) aslo the Celtic Saints set of on their boats from Wales and other places over the sea to see where God brought them. It brought Materians, Queen of Ynyr Gwent of the ancient Kingdom of Gwent (Monmouthshire) to Boscastle and seemingly Piran as well. So they had conquered the sea and symbolically come to a promised land to serve God.


Like St Gwladys of Gwent (Gwynlliw's wife) he was a eldest child of Brychan Brycheiniog (had many children!!!!) of Talgarth,Brecon (which took its name from the chief)(check the adwen genealogy)His name is found in Devon and Brittany and Cornwall. There is a little church at Loswithiel , whichhas been carefully restored and well looked after by St Winnow Parish. Harland Abey is where he was particularly honoured and the Life of the Saint which was read there on his feast day has survived. This 'charmingly tells us of how his brothers and sisters who also settled in Cornwall would gather together at Nectan's dwelling place just after Christmas, to discuss the nature of God. It also tells us the story of how he was martyred by beheading by two robbers who had gone off with two cows 'very good milkers' and whom he had tried to convert to the holy Catholic faith. Catherine also writes 'A page has survived of the manuscript giving the Mass to be sung on St Nectan's Day June 17th 'Guarding they people, O Nectan, companion of martyrs, pray for us now and always... ' He has not been forgotton in the Hartland area where the Man from the Sea has been celebrated in music and poetry'.

Celtic monks always sought places of natural beauty to pray, and the Glen and Hermitage is no exception. Here the owner still lives in the Hermitage, and beneath this is reputed to be the ste of St Nectan's Cell. Slate steps lead to the chapel and the rear bedrock wall forma s natural altar. Until recent times the cell has not been opened to the public but as increasing numbers of visitors are realising the spiritual benefits of te place the owners are allowing access to the shrine for adults. This is a place to sit, meditate, pray and soak up the atmosphere of the place.

IT has always been the case that natural places and spring water have been good places to pray, and be close to nature, a lovely place to pray as Nectan found.

Here is a little Irish poem of the same period,of such a monk as Nectan in his cell, translated by Oliver Davies in 'Celtic Spirituality' Paulis Press NY available amazon.

ALL ALONE IN MY LITTLE CELL without the company of anyone;precious has the pilgrimage before going to meet death.

A hidden, secluded little hut, for the forgiveness of my sins, an upright, untroubled conscience towards holy heaven.

Sanctifying my body by good habits, trampling like a man upon it with weak and tearful eyes for the forgiveness of my passions.

Passions weak and withered, renouncing this wretched world, pure and eager thoughts, letthis be a prayer to God.

Heartfelt Lament to Cloudy heaven, sincere and truly devout confessions, with showers of tears.

My food as benefits my station, precious has been my captivity. My dinner without doubt, would not make me full-blooded.

Treading the paths of the gospel, singing hymns at every hour, and end of talking and long stories , constatnt bending of the knees.

May my Creator visit me, my Lord, my King; may my spirit seek him in the everlasting Kingdom where he dwells.

Let this be an end of vice in the enclosures of churches, a lovely little cell among the graves and I there alone.

All alone in my little cell, all alone thus; alone came I into the world, alone will I go out of it.

If I myself have sinned through the pride of this world, hear me lament for it all alone, O my God.

In the Name of the the Holy Three +

Haut de la Garenne latest,Emetrios Panton writes about he was abused in a home in Islaington. It seemed at that time, that there was no notice taken of any qualifications held by these people hired to look after these children except cheapness of rates! A very different etos to children existed in those days,and teir treatment much harsher, but some of these people are truly evil. This excerpt really moved me

It is emerging now that the victims repeatedly begged for help. Why did no one listen?

I have a pretty good idea why not, given how viciously the politically-correct establishment silenced me about the similar paedophile ring which raped me.

I was sexually abused by two male workers in children's homes in Islington, North London, in the late 1970s and early 1980s. I was unusual, a kid who did not seek escape through drugs or suicide.

But I did run away and never again attended school. I spent my days at my local library, educated myself and went on to university, desperately hoping I could make someone listen. No-one did.

Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, I wrote reports on my abusers, demanding an inquiry.

In 1992, I even lobbied Margaret Hodge's office - she was then council leader - and met her stand-in, Stephen Twigg, now also a Labour MP. He did nothing.

The truth only emerged thanks to a three-year newspaper campaign which revealed that all of Islington's 12 children's homes were run by, or included, staff who were paedophiles, child pornographers or pimps.

Chill your blood, did mine! And why did the government not listen? Childcare is underpaid and undervalued. Why remove these children from homes which are abusive to put them here? God bless them all. The link to the complete article is on the right hand side.

Hagios O Theos:It is finished It is accomplished!.Passion and Compassion

So this is the Passion? Why do we call it this? When Jesus stood in front of the high Priests he said nothing. It was Pilate who said ‘Ecce Homo’-behold the man! Or we could understand it as ‘behold mankind’. As Christ the innocent stood there he mirrored our sufferings and brokenness. All of us have our crosses, often to much to bear which can bring you to depression. We call this moment a passion because it affects all of us, all of us in the body of Christ and we have to have com-passion-(cum-passionis-empathy)to truly be Christian. We see in every sufferer, however unlovely, the face of Christ. Love so amazing, so divine demands my soul, my life my all.

Where the Paschal (Easter)blood is poured
Death’s dark angel sheathes his sword
Israel’s hosts triumphant go
Through the wave that drowns the foe.
Christ theLamb ,whose blood was shed
Paschal victim, paschal bread
With sincerity and love
Eat we manna from above.

Mighty Victim from the sky
Powers of hell beneath thee lie
Death is conquered in the fight;
Thou hast brought us light and light,
Now thy banner thou dost wave;
Vanquished Satan and the grave;
Angels join his praise to tell
-see overthrown the prince of hell.

Madeleine McCann
There seems to be some irritation by Sergei Malinka that someone has burnt his car out and written the Portuguese word for ‘Talk’ next to it! Malinka vigorously denies having anything to do with Madeleine’s disappearance. He and Matthew Fazackerly and others used to own the boat the Sea Hawk, which vanished out of Pria di Luz (so I understand, on the night of the 3rd May after being there for two years. Fazakerly has returned to Britain-last July and now lives in Manchester. Clearly someone thinks he knows something and this person should fearlessly come forward and tell Scotland Yard what he knows. I guess he has no confidence in the local
police either-a shame, as a little girl is still missing, still wanting her Mum and Dad and whoever has her, she will never really be theirs.

Jersey Child Abuse accusations spread to Guernsey
It seems that accusations have come from Guernsey about children being abused there too, and the police are looking into it. After all the attempts by prominent people to ridicule and put down the Police Inspector, Henry, and intimidate witnesses cannot bear any fruit when faced with the clarity and dedication with which the police inspector is viewing the case. Clearly the nudge nuge wink wink, you scratch my back, I scratch yours kind of conspiracy of silence cannot hold up.One is tempted to ask, however, with the Establishment support him, or might it ruin his career? It is good someone is soldiering on in the cause of Justice. Justice or the young and vulnerable children with no one to turn to ,no way out, cried in the dark in despair and the paedophiles did not care, the locals to whom they turned did not care and now it’s payback time. Hell will come to all who have sinned. They let these little ones suffer with hard hearts and treated them a a commodity. Children who enter these places have aleady had a rough time and had problems, perhaps problems difficult to deal with, but this they did not deserve.

Well, look at the sin and brokenness in the world, thouse controlled by the Prince of Evil. Good we have Paradise to look orward to because Jesus took him on and won. The next world will be full of compassionate loving people. Who believe evil will not prevail and will live with God in a better place.

Incident of a death at Haut de la Garenne,The Beatitudes of Christ

Springtime near St Defryl's Chapel, Upper Cwmbran






Sugarloaf and Bedesman telling rosary beads at the Priory Church of Our Lady(St Mary)at Abergavenny



There have been accounts of graphic involvement of all sorts of respectable senior figures in recent days involved with this case and its grisly finds.The detective in charge of the case, Lenny Harper, told a newspaper that police were concerned that one incident could have led to the death of a child.

"We have a particularly graphic account of an incident which still causes us concern," he told the newspaper. "We can't say that a person definitely died but if you look at it you have to think there is a strong possibility that the person died. That followed by the fact that this person was never seen again."Officers have reportedly received accounts from former residents of the care home of abuse taking place on seaside trips and of children being forced to watch others being abused.
They also fear, reports the newspaper, that bones could have been removed from the home as recently as five years ago, either accidentally or in a deliberate attempt by perpetrators to cover their tracks."Details from the 'Daily Mail'.

Reflections on Holy Week

Monday The Beatitudes

•Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Verse 3)
•Blessed are the meek: for they shall posses the land. (Verse 4)
•Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted. (Verse 5)
•Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill. (Verse 6)
•Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. (Verse 7)
•Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God. (Verse 8)
•Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.(Verse9)
•Blessed are they that suffer persecution for my Name's sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Verse 10)


St Matthew, Sermon on the Mount (5:3-10)

Cloning and abortion,New Podcast:Cool UK Catholics and the Eucharist

What sounds like cloning but does not say cloning? That's a good one my lord!Well might Percy have said this to Blackadder. So you have not read deeply into this Bill before parliament. The Labour Party are putting the whip on this forcing even their Catholic MPs to vote for it, although no other party is. Perhaps all the money which has already been spent on this (I believe over one million pounds) has something to do with it. However the Benedict XVI has declared that meddling with genetics is a grave sin, and actually for Catholic Labour MPs to abstain is ducking the issue. This Law does not mention cloning but implies it. 'Rescue siblings' flesh grown to order for purposes. Like the New Earth episode of Dr Who when all the clones live in small cells, even different illnesses are tried out on them. The question is when does human flesh cease to be human? All human bodies have souls. God knows them as soon as they are formed. He performed a miracle with Mary after all and all human souls belong to Him.

Why do we not know all about this? We know 8 human clones are reported to have been conceived in Holland in 2003, with parents refusing to be identified. The claim that making hybrid human/animal creatures will benefit man leads people to remain to be convinced. According to a TV programme I saw, the aids epidemic resulted from just such experiments with apes in Africa, the resulting disease spreading into the human population. This research is meant to obliterate killer diseases-this is the reason given for the cloning, and the government we have certainly wants to made Britain a world leader in this area.Other scientists say stem cells can be taken from umbilical cords of babies, however, and cures can be found by other means. But who is actually the driving force behind this legislation? The Bishops sent out a letter recently asking people to remonstrate with their MPs making their views known. Are we going to walk into a horror set up through an aromatherapy of lethargy? It is important you find out about this. The bill implies cloning but does not mention it, yet it will be neccessary for the Law to function. Very Clever.God help us if they succeed.

What do Catholics really believe about the EUCHARIST ('Lord's Supper')

I have put up a new podcast on Itunes. It deals with issues of interest and and we also have a segment @ask the Evangelist. This week someone is explaining, clearly Catholic Teaching about the Eucharist or the 'Lord's Supper.'This is one of the most superb preachers-a former Baptist minister who I find inspiring. Part two will be next time. He looks in detail at John Chapter 6 and compares it with what the disciples who were trained by Peter and Paul to take over after their martyrdoms said, ie what Peter and Paul taught them.I think he is worth a listen and to find out who it is, you will need to download the podcast.

Soundseeing Tour of Llandaff Cathedral

Also today on Mary in Monmouth, I have put together my Soundseeing Tour of Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff-which developed from an early monastery founded by St Dyfrig/Dubricius,a picture of whose tomb is in the large picture at the bottom of this blog. This became the Abbey Church of St Dyfrig, St Teilo (Called Eluid in the 'Life of David' and St Oudoceus (known as Euddogwy in Welsh-Oy-thog-oo-ee) I go around inside picking out objects of interest. It was virtually deserted but I did not get all the recording levels right, nevertheless I describe the wonderful Lady Chapel, with the vaulted and coloured ceiling inscribed with the initials MR, the reredos-3O flowers in Welsh are named for Mary. The magnificent Jesse window, the stained glass windows depicting the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. There is a Dyfrig Chapel, with a glorious picture-oils on wood made for Teilo's Ecclesia which was painted over with lamp black for a long time to save it from being destroyed-indication that venerating Mary died hard-even with Cromwell and others ransacked the churches and cathedrals after the Tudors had done their worst. This painting has been magnificently restored and now is displayed in the chapel. The tomb of Dyfrig/Dubricius is in there (though the bones have disappeared) no doubt crushed under the foundations of the Cathedral.The Oudoceus Chapel is a place of prayer, but not beautiful. There is a StDavid Chapel, home of the Welsh Regiment.

The real miracle is the return of the relic of St Teilo carefully guarded down the centuries which went to Australia even, was bought back to the UK from the family which originally owned it, and then was returned to the Cathedral, where it is held in a Reliquary in the Teilo Chapel. (Picture somewhere on the side bar.)This is in an Eastern Orthodox style reliquary built into the wall and is lit behind thick glass in a box lines with red felt.It was the most meaningful part of the tour, being so close to the actual skull of St Teilo. I said a rosary for him.

Greenfields Childrens Home-New Cruelty allegations

Children at a Jersey children's home were locked up in solitary confinement an employment tribunal has heard.Simon Bellwood is a former manager andsaid children at the Greenfields unit were referred to as 'inmates' and rooms were termed 'cells'.
This is another probmen home after police found the remains of a child's body in the Haut de la Garenne Home.It seems Mr Bellwood says he was dismissed after whistleblowing on the whole issue in the secure unit.He said there was a problem in Jersey with deficient practice, poor staff training, lack of external scrutiny of services and a 'Culture of Fear' preventing staff from speaking out.H was objecting to this being routine practice. Oh dear! Here we go round the Mulberry Bush!

Big bad Gwynlliw

Big Bad Gwynlliw-the Great Sinner of Newport,
And the Saintly Gwladys of Brycheinog.

When Dyfrig was Archbishop of Caerleon, Glywys-(Glaoo-iss), a local British chieftain governed one of the districts of Gwent. When he died, his land was divided between his sons, but only one Gwynlliw Farfog (The Bearded) was able to fight off marauders and keep the kingdom intact. He exceeded all his brothers in nobility and prowess in battle and was such a worthy prince, and ruled so well that peace was established throughout the district all his life. He was based in Caerleon, which was still a magnificent city.

After a while, Gwynlliw (Gwinn-thloo)wanted to marry, and found a bride in the beautiful Princess Gwladys born at Gwynllwgat Bochriwcarn in Gelligaer, around 497AD ,daughter , granddaughter or niece of King Brychan of Brycheiniog (Brecon).By some accounts, the gentle and noble Lady Gwladys was destined to be a nun, but driven by her beauty, Gwynlliw is said to have actually carried her off and forced her to marry him. They had a noble son, Cadoc, who was a very holy and good person to whom the Church (and hospital)at Caerleon was later entrusted in a dedication in preference to St Julius Julianus of whom memories had begun to fade. Cadoc’s Church was built on the site of a Temple of Jupiter in the centre of the city.Many Gwent Churches are dedicated and protected by him spiritually.

St Cadog. Catwg, Cadoc, Cadfael their son

Cadoc (baptised "Cadfael" by St. Tathyw)and Gwladys, horrified by Gwynlliw’s piratical onslaughts into the Usk(Wsg), begged his father with Tathyw of Caerwent) to think of his immortal soul, whenever he committed murder and piracy. At a young age Cadoc had been sent away to be educated by the Irish saint (Tathyw) at his monastery in Caerwent. For Gwynlliw had killed many people to achieve his peace. The saintly Gwladys and Cadoc prayed that Gwynlliw would repent of his sins and turn to God. Fred Hando writes
‘the fierce Welshman revelled in his adventures and scorned the prayers of his saintly wife and son’.

Near the mouth of the Usk (Wsg) in a creek called Pill Gwenlliw(Gwynlliw’s Creek) ,he kept a long fast boat and it was his custom to go out into the Bristol channel with his men and attack passing ships, killing the crews and stealing the cargoes!
One night, so tradition has it, he was visited by his Guardian angel, who told him to leave his worldly possessions and try to find the Kingdom of Heaven.
The angel instructed him that on the hill by the banks of the river, he would discover a white ox with a black spot between its horns. The land where he found the ox would be uncultivated and there he must live and labour. Gwynlliw and Gwladys went out to check , and discovering the white bull on the side of an ancient hill fort, where the angel had told him , he built a monastic cell on the hillside overlooking the sea on what became Stow Hill, overlooking the site of modern Newport. In ancient Welsh lore, a white bull was an other worldly creature In the Celtic world, the bull was a symbol of virility, sovereignty, and wealth. In Ancient Celtic lore, a highly ritualized "feast of the bull", always preceded the crowning of a new High King.This could have indicated a vision of a new High King of the other world, or heaven
Gwynlliw gave up his Kingship to his son, Cadoc.Listen to the new podcast on Big Bad Gwynlliw by downloading Mary in Monmouth from iTunes or rss feed.

. Detectives investigating child abuse allegations at a Jersey children's home are poised to arrest three prime suspects after bones were found in a nearby field.
Police chief Lenny Harper said swoops will take place in Jersey and on the UK mainland.
He added: "I cannot say if the bones we have found are human yet but we will have the results on Monday."
Mr Harper said interviews with 160 alleged victims from the Haut de la Garenne care home had revealed one graphic incident from the Seventies "that has caused us particular concern. There is a strong possibility that someone died as a result".
He said they had been told of serious sex abuse taking place on day trips organised by staff and there was evidence of children being forced to watch other residents being sexually abused.
Mr Harper spoke as more than 300 people joined a rally to remember the victims in Jersey's capital St Helier.
Demonstrators called for the overthrow of the island's government amid accusations a cover-up for five decades.
March 8, 2008

Hundreds of citizens have been demonstrating in Huelva outside the gates of City Hall about Mari Luz Cortes, Her body was found in the estuary of Huelva in an advanced state of decomposition.

A rally took place at 12:00 am at the gates of the Town Hall of Huelva, where inside a plenary meeting of the municipal council, headed by the mayor, Pedro Rodriguez, as well as other political leaders was taking place.

During the meeting, a five minutes of silence was observed and Edil Huelva has released a statement from the family, thanking all those who have lived through the 58 days of the tragedy of her disappearance and have looked for Mari Luz.

The most moving moment and the overwhelming emotion happened when Pedro Rodriguez wanted to talk directly to Mari Luz Cortes, "at only five years of age you are already in the marshes of Heaven".He asked her to "take care of your parents, you will need to , your brother, your grandparents and your family. "

When the meeting was over, the mayor wrote to the many media there to report that the small burial will be held on Monday, when they have conducted DNA tests and a post mortem

Haut de la Garenne -more finds

It is hard for your flesh now to crawl when cops on the TV claim that key witnesses in this scandal have been threatened by the former abusers,still trying to excercise their domination over their former charges.Newspapers today have been full of the photographs of a freezing bath where 24 children were punished at a time, put into freezing water and often abused.Some favoured boys were seen to have scrawled the message 'Ive been bad for years and years'The head and heart cannot take in such horrendous and callous torture from people who were meant to be in a position of trust.I hope they are quaking in their boots!This was a house of horrors.

The police have forty suspects but have not confirmed who is on the list and who may still be put on it.Investigations into recent intimidation of witnesses will continue.One abuser is said to heve been Wilfred Krichekfski, a leading member of Jersey's political establishment, who died in 1974. He is alleged to have visited the home unti his death to abuse boys.One boy who told a psychiatrist about the abuse said he would be put in a mental hospital if he repeated the allegations.Thereare alsosome living members o the islands Establishment who are suspects.There are 160 residents of the home so far who have come forward because they have been abused say the police.Children were dragged screaming down to the "deep, dark place" and forced to strip. A child's skeleton was found in a corridor above the cellar a week ago.

Children had written their names on the walls.12 more specialist detectives have been called in. Former reisdents and staff said the children were 'frozen with fear' while living there. Christine Bowker who worked there during the 79s was very concerned and said they disapproved of her giving any affection to the children.Problem was that is was difficult to know to whom to complain about inappropriate behaviour.

The investigation into the 'dungeons ' and 'punishment rooms' goes on and on. It makes your skin crawl to hear about all these horrible details and we should be grateful that at oleast officially people take children's safety and happiness more seriously, because you can hardly imagine what went on there and the terrible scenes. seemingly perpetrated on young children by grown men with no set of moral values at all, beyond the selfish gratification for his 'kicks'. The psalm says 'Harden not your hearts as at Meribah' and you have to say, when has evil possessed a man? Answer:When it has hardened his heart, and he does not see the suffering before him, only his evil desire. More bodies will be dug up in these rooms and God Rest the children who departed this life here, unloved and unwanted they finshed their miserable lives in cruelty and misery. God rest them all.