The Miracle of Mamhilad.

The Life of St Illtud, now in the British Museum in the Cott Manuscript mentions he was Breton and a great nephew of the holy Saint Germanus of Auxerre. (Vespasiab A XIV) \He was known to be very warlike and physical and heard a lot about Britain from his British mother. He resolved to go there and to join a war band, possibly of his kinsman Athrwys,He was given an excellent education in all seven sciences , was baptised and catechised and studied elementary science , but then he decided to go to war and break of his studies, appearing in Britain at the court of the chieftain Paulinus Paelin, and his war leader, Arthrwys.They treated him well, as he was a good companion , learned and a good governor. He was one of the most intelligent of all the solders and became a leader in King Paulinus' household.

One day King Paulinus took the royal household to hunt over the land belonging to St Cadoc, and he was rude enough to send a message to the Holy Abbot Cadoc, that if he did not provide them all with dinner, he would take it by force. Cadoc was surprised at the tone of the request, but nevertheless sent them all dinner. The household sat down to dine, but because of the sacrilege of their request, they were all taken ill and left but Illtyd escaped . He was far away with a hawk and knew nothing of it. Seeing the effect of the Kings disappearing household, Illtyd went to Cadoc to ask what had happened. St Cadoc told him to take of his secular dress and but on a clerical habit, and required that he serve the Creator God all his life so he could do penance for the misdeeds of his household, do God would deal leniently with him at the Judgement. Illtyd returned to King Paulinus and withdrew himself from secular services after that. He left the area and came to the River Daw in Glamorgan and left his wife after an angel commanded him to serve the King of kings, and he realised that he had to devote himself to God and gave up his wife in atonement for all those he had killed as a soldier.

He retired to the Hodnant valley. which was either at Llantwit on the sSevern or at Llanthony, named after the Hodnant in the Welsh.He became a great saint, and ended his days in Llantwit Major (Llanilltyd Fawr) This is a very interesting Church to visit, showing much early history.There is a project afoot to restore the Galilee Chapel from a ruin, to which it was reduced under Henry VIII. The land St Cadoc owned and had founded was based on his teacher , Tatheus (Meuthi-the Hermit) as Tre-feuthin-the Homestead of the Hermit.

Some time after the death of St Cadoc, he was returned to his principal monastery of Llancarfan, where his relics were revered and honoured by his sorrowing brothers.There were thirty six canons at llancarfan, like Llantwit Major a huge monastery and there were vast numbers of gardeners and also other lay brothers and sisters in his llan.

Llifris writes:
No one can relate the miracles performed by St Cadoc
It is because he is not here with his mode of speaking
Christ the Creator of the World will grant pardon
To him who write a Life with faults, named Llifris.

A powerful Saxon leader came from England, with a large body of men, intent on despoiling and pillaging in Wales . He arrived at the coast in a ship, but the clergy of Llancarfan, fled the monastery taking their treasure with them and fled from there with the reliquary of the Holy Man, and other relics , which they prayed would protect them from their pursuers and they hid themselves in a llan of St Illtyd, which readily gave protection and shelter to the followers of this holy saint. The name of the llan was St Illtyd's , in a place which became known as Mamhilad trans:The Place where the Coffin was Brought)When they had been there a short time, the Saxon raiders were also joined by Danes who had heard there were rich pickings in store.

When they saw the coffin with the Holy Saint in it at Mamhilad, they tried to lift it, first four men, then in the end many many men tried to lift it, but it would not budge, They were not able to move it at all. Then they became angry and one, more enraged than all the others, ran forward quickly and struck the coffin hard, and on being struck, it produced a loud bellowing noise like a bull, and greatly frightened the whol.e army and there was a great earthquake at Mam hilad. The coffin was deserted, the enraged soldier, induced by greediness cut of a gold pinnacle from the coffin of the Holy Man, which fell into his lap and immediately he felt as if fire was buirning his chest. Stupified and excited by the pain of the heat, he put the pinnacle back, and it firmy affixed to where it had been cut off, as if it had been soldered on safely. When he had done this the unhappy violator of the coffin died in front of the coffin, seemingly melting into the ground and the foreigners fled, and cceased to worry them.

The brothers decided to take Cadoc over the mountain to his old llan at Tre-Feuthin and here ie was safe from the maraudoing Saxons.Cadoc was lad to rest with great honour at the early site. Later many people were trained at his monastary.

 St Illtyd and St David, appear in Stained glass in this ancient church.

 The sanctuary area as seen from the nave. Originally the screen would have been erected over the arch, the rood (Crucifix would have been up there, with Blessed Mary and St John, and parishioners would have said their confessions before Easter under the rood.

Priest's entrance into the former Sanctuary at St Illtyd's Church at Mamhilad/

Entrance to porch at Mamhilad Church

The ancient font at St Illtyd's  

 The nave and Sanctuary at St Cadocs

                                        

Ancient print of St Illtyd's

 The Ancient and beautiful rood loft, which was saved from Cromwell and the Tudor wreckers. Such screens were very expensive and usually donated by a wealthy parishioner. The screen has been put at the rear of the church

St Cadoc, ddoth. Born at Newport and trained and educated at Caerwent with St Tatheus, who retired to a hermits life at Tre-feuthin. St Cadoc was the son of  King Gwynlliw and Queen Gwladys, daughter of Brychan Brycheiniog. Both his parents took Holy Orders in Old Age. Cadoc's white martyrdom took him all over Britain, even to Scotland and to Southern England and South Wales,and he even went to France during the plague known as the Yellow Fever. St Cadoc is well known in France, where an island is named after him.

Mamhilad, its origins and the Miracle of St Cadoc

Spring is here!







Illtyd’s Time at the monastery at Mamhilad

Lastly he travelled on and halfway between Trevethin and Usk, he joined another small monastic community and greatly impressed them with his learning there, and taught them a great deal from his amazing memory. He taught the monks there all his superior studies and this monastery became one of the most important and greatest in learning in Gwent. Today a church remains there and a pub with a few scattered farms. That important monastery was later to be called St Illtyd’s after the impression he made. The monastery was situated at Mamhilad, and still remains very isolated.

St Cadoc and the Mamhilad Miracle

In fact, Mamhilad is mentioned in the Book of Cambro British Saints and this is connected with Cadoc and appears in the Life of St Cadoc. ‘After the departure of the most gracious Cadoc from transitory to eternal things, a certain, very powerful English King called Eilaf came to the country of Glamorgan with a large companyof dependents for the purpose of plundering and destroying; and the clergy of the celebrated having heard an account of his impiety , fled from Llancarvan with the coffin of the holy man and other relics , bearing their means of their protection ,until they came to the place Mamhilad (Mamheliat) and there they hid themselves. When they had been there a short time a multitude of Danish and English Robbers came to them; who beholding the coffin, sought to take it with them, and nearly a hundred of them tried to lift it but could not .

Then they became very angry and one more mad than the others ran forward quickly and taking a stout stick struck it ; and on being struck it produced a loud bellowing noise like a bull and greatly frightened the whole army and immediately there was an earthquake in those parts.

The coffin, at length being left by them , one more unhappy than the others, being induced by greediness cut off its golden pinnacle with a hatchet, which fell into his lap and and immediately, like fire, burned his bosom; and stupefied and excited by the pain of heat, he resolved to fit the pinnacle back in place, and being so fixed it firmly adhered , as it it had been united by gold soldering. This being done, the unhappy violator of the coffin melted in the sight of the whole army, like wax before the fire. This having been seen by them, and being affected by fear on account of these things, they returned as exiles. Afterwards, they had not desire for plundering any of the aforesaid places of the patron, and ceased to lay waste to his territories.’

St Cadoc's Remains were taken to Llandaff

We don’t know when the remains of St Cadoc were taken to Llandaff, but it was probably during the Norman period when Bishop Urban tried to bring back all the relics of the Holy Saints of Wales to St Teilo’s Abbey in Llandaff. This Bishop caused Dyfrig’s body to be brought back and so it is probably also the case with the others like St Cadoc-possibly for safe keeping in the new stone built Abbey which afforded more protection. The monastic settlement at Mamhilad itself was, as I mentioned dedicated to St Illtyd and remained so after the miracle of St Cadoc’s coffin. We know the Welsh holy men moved around their foundations and Abbeys and remember that it may have been Illtyd’s suggestion to go and take the holy coffin to this important monastic settlement. Cadoc was Illtyd’s beloved teacher and it could well be that the coffin and other relics were taken from Nantcarvan to Mamhilad at his request. The association of this monastery with both Cadoc and Illtyd shows the importance of this institution in these times. Close by towards Pontypool we have the Church of Trevethin which comes from the 11th century in its present form. The Church of this Holy Treddin’s monastic settlement near Pontypool was later dedicated to St Cadoc in honour of the miracle at Mamhilad. It remains dedicated to him to this day.



The picture above shows one of the ancient yews of Gwent. There is a link on the LHS to a website about this tree in che churchyard at Mamhilad. This is now in the care of the Anglican Communion.

The Early Church in Gwent and Monastic settlements

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Spring on the land recovered from the sea by Romans and Benedictine Monks from Goldcliff Priory.

The Early Church and how it worshipped

Essential Elements
Jesus Tradition only gave us the essential elements of the Church’s prayers, the Eucharist and the Sacraments, and did not specify their practice or celebration. The essence of matter, form, and intention (found in every Sacrament) is drawn by the leading scholars of the Church (including the Pope of course) from what God has described in the Bible and from the way the earliest Christians and scholars worshipped. These essentials are not changeable by the Church. However, when the Apostles of Jesus’ time brought the Gospel to major cities, they adapted the Christian practices (Liturgy, fasting, etc.) into the culture of the area they were evangelising. The tradition of a particular way of celebrating a Sacrament is called a "Rite".

Form of the Early Rites, Common to all Christians including the Tradition brought to Britain

This evolved from a Hymn of Praise to God for the wondrous favour culminating into account of life and death of Jesus and the narration of the institution of the Body and Blood found in John Chapter 6. Sacramental ritual was sacred and conservative and other prayer books of the time (Bishop Seraphion’s Prayer Book) all contain similar things.Some people read the accounts of the people trained by the early disciples(Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp, Justin Martyr,) but they do not take on board what the early church had been teaching.

Synagogue Services combined with the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist

In many ways early masses resembled synagogue service as you might expect. There was a reading from Scripture, (old Testament and an account of the life of Christ and when these had been written down later-the New Testament) , there were psalm(s) prayers, catechesis(instruction in what Christ had told them)

The Liturgy of The Word (Scripture) changed in second century to include hymns. The Passover, for example, would be explained in the light of the Christian message.

When the people of Israel were slaves in chains in Egypt, God sent a number of Plagues on Egypt as a sign to the Egyptians that they should let his people go! Finally he asked the Israelites to slaughter a sacrificial lamb around the doorways of their houses so that when the Angel of Death passed over the houses the firstborn sons of the Israelites would be spared, which is what happened. Finally the children of Israel were allowed to go to the Promised Land-the Land promised to Moses their leader.

In the Christian fulfilment of what happened, the sacrificial lamb was the Lamb of God , on whose back all the sins of the world were heaped in the form of scourging and torture. The Church teaches this as our suffering, our torture. Jesus knew this would happen and he had appeared to the world in a body made by his blessed mother, who supported him throughout his life. The final death of Christ on the Cross finally gave hope to mankind-Evil had been destroyed and with His Resurrection-a new Order-Jews and Gentiles together. We have been given the link from Earth to heaven.

A Computer Analogy for today-almost!

If you click on the button called ‘Jesus’ because you believe his promise, it brings you straight to him when you die. However he is the Way but when you are born again to him in Water and Spirit, by the Sacrament of Baptism-and later by Confirmation(an adult consecrating him or herself as having full responsibility for Church membership) you must try to live by the laws given by Christ and by the Commandments given to Moses-the basic ones. Important is, that these rules are given for all time, and are not to be changed by current fashions.

Dem bones…

Finally after the Instruction(now the Homily) there might be a further hymn, then prayers and then a dismissal after a Final Gospel. This was the beginning of doctrine, in essence the same as it is today. The reading of the Old Testament and account and essence of the teaching of the Apostles was always very important. Even today at the ‘Easter Vigil’ the beautiful service on the Eve of Easter there are no less than seven long readings from scripture of relevant chapters, for example the account of the ‘Dry Bones’ of Ezekiel, where he breathed on the dry bones and they came to life, in the same way as the Holy Spirit came upon the first Christians as they struggled out o their Roman Slavery and Persecution.

The Eucharist (the Bead and Wine become the Body and Blood!)

The Eucharistic prayer was the final revolution of the new , a mystery which only the illuminate could witness , only those who had crossed the red sea by the waters of Baptism and the supreme Eucharastic banquet could come into the full Promise of Christ. When new people wanted to be converted there was always a long period of instruction and these could not even witness this holy rite until they had been received. Unless you eat my flesh and drink my Blood you will have no life in you. Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise that person up on the last day. For my flesh is real food, and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in that person. As the Living Father sent me, and I draw life from the father, whoever eats me will also draw life from me. This is the Bread which has come down from heaven, it is not like the bread the ancestors ate. They are dead, but anyone who eats this bread will live forever.’ St John Chapter 6 53 to 58.

Ieuan ab Rhydderch writes:

Mary is our trust against danger
Great privilege it is to obtain by her miracle
The Holy Body of God in the pure Church
And His blood from the Chalice

The Three Original Groupings

The original Rites had three major groupings:1 the Roman (including the whole of Latinised Europe including Britain and Eire),
2 that of Antioch (in Syria),
3 and of Alexandria (in Egypt).

In the 4th century, under the influence of St. Basil and St. John Chrysostom, the4 Byzantine Rite developed from that of Antioch. These 4 main Rites then created the over 20 Liturgical Rites present today in the Catholic and Apostolic Church, which is the body of Believers-the Body of Christ in the world today.
Catholic means Universal-but the Universal and unified Shows great Diversity!
This might bring to mind the question "But isn’t having all these rites being too diverse?” Isn’t this going to cause disunity in the Church? There has always been a problem . While it’s great to be diverse, it is important to keep to the essential tradition and teaching of the Church. This is important because the word ‘Catholic’ means ‘Universal’, and if the church, the Mystical Body of Christ can incorporate its basic teaching in rites which are appropriate to different cultures, then it is proving it is universal (all over the world) Catholic and unified in the essential teaching and rites..Pope Leo XIII wrote "Perhaps nothing, in fact, better proves the note of Catholicity in the Church of God than the singular homage paid by ceremonies (rites) which vary in form, which are celebrated in languages venerable by their antiquity, and which are still further hallowed by the use that has been made of them by the Apostles and Fathers of the Church"

Baby Church in Gwent-Apostle-One who is sent!

If you saw a picture of me as a baby and as I am now, there are big changes! I am still me , still essentially the same, but which people can recognise some of my features, as we get older and come to fruition we look different. Jesus went all over with his Apostles (those he was to SEND out to deliver his message all over the world) The Bible tells us that he explained in detail to is Apostles what he had taught in parables to a crowd.
When St Peter sent the Apostle Philip to Northern Europe and Joseph of Arimathea, (reputed to be Mary’s uncle to Britain from Gaul, Papal records tell us Joseph ended his days as a pastor in Britain),Britain was then a far outpost of the Roman World.It is likely that St Joseph had visited Britain before to trade for tin, which the Romans bought in great quantities. Travel was easy, after all in Roman times..

Christ himself and St Peter and St Paul had stressed the need for unity of doctrine, which was echoed by the teachings of Paul . Paul continually warned against false teachers.Oral Tradition was important to the Jewish people, particularly the Pharisees. ‘Deposit of Faith’ and ‘Hold fast to the Tradition you have been taught’ come out strongly in Paul’s letters.In 2 Timothy he wrote ‘There must be no wrangling about words, all this ever achieves is the distruction of those who are listening. Make every effort to present yourself before God as a proven worker, who has no need to be ashamed, but who keeps the message of God on a straight path. Timothy 2 14

Early Christian Foundations in Gwent

Looking then at the writings of Peter and Paul and of the Early Church Fathers and the Tradition they taught, there was a body of information transferred to the Faithful and the Missionaries which did not even come to be written until the Catholic Church formulated the Bible in the fourth century. There were many writings but only the testimony of the Apostles themselves found their way into the final book. The writings of the Early Church Fathers were, however, the writings of those who were taught by Peter and Paul and given first hand insights into what Christ had told them and what they had observed. Almost all the Apostles died a horrible death-unlikely they would be so convinced if they had not seen Jesus ascended into heaven or seen the Resurrection with their own eyes.

Joseph of Arimathea and Glastonbury

In the first instance, while Joseph of Arimathea and the Disciples arrived in Britain, the Faith was already arriving via Christianised Roman Soldiers. We already talked about St Maurice the other day and his whole legion of Christian soldiers who ended up being decimated and killed as they would not, in love attack their Christian brothers and sisters. St Julius Julianus, St Aaron of Caerleon and St Alban were the first recorded Soldier Martyrs, as I mentioned in my second podcast from Newport in the Mary and Monmouth Podcast (free from iTunes) However Joseph and his party and presumably anyone they had married made their way down to Glastonbury from Wales, a remote spot where they were not bothered. Bu the time the Saxons found Glastonbury, they were already Christianised and carried on the tradition. I would hazard a guess that the Welsh and British who had married into the Galilean families could well have been related to the families of our Lord as stated in the Welsh genealogies.

What is likely was that Caractacus and his family had been exposed to Christianity before being dragged to Rome when the Silures of Gwent were defeated.His daughter or foster daughter and son (born in Rome)Linus are mentioned in Timothy 2:21 by St Paul. Claudia was the name given to Caractacus’ daughter Eurgain and she was married to Lucius Pudens (whom she had converted to Christianity) and Linus her young brother. We know they were all friends of Peter and Paul and when the Nero persecution started, Claudia and her son Timotheus found their way back to Britain and set up a small Christian foundation at Winchester, where she died. It seemed Lucius had died and it could well be that the family came with them when Claudius had died and mad Nero taken over.

New from the BBC-Nero did not kill Christians....(no...really...?)

According to the recent rewriting of history by the BBC in the programme ‘Rome’ the episode on the Emperor Nero had not one single mention of the terrible martyrdom of vast numbers of Christians by this man. Strange considering that is what he is chiefly remembered for after setting fire to his own city of Rome to gain inspiration for the writing of his song! Yes there really is a blackout on Christianity in any positive light.


Old Welsh Monasteries in Gwent

Churches grouped around Old Welsh monasteries –There were 14 in Gwent according to Diane Brook. Principal ones, with clusters of churches

Some of these are:

a)Llanarth (St Teilo)
b)St Maughams (St Mawgan)
c) Monmouth and Dixton (Our Lady, Llanfair)
c) Trellech Grange
d Llandogo (St Euddogwy,Oudeceus)
e) Mamhilad (St Illtyd)
f)Trevethin (St Treddyn-Brother of Samson)
d) Llandegveth (St Tegfedd-Sister of Treddyn and Samson)
e) Caerleon. (St Cadoc)
f)Llantarnum (Llan-sant-Non-St Non-Mother of David/Dewi)

I have already considered and written about St Tegfedd recently. St OUdeceus and Teilo featured prominently in what I wrote and spoke about at Llandaff and how Meurig (named after St Maurice) developed Dyfrig’s Church at Llandaff into a great headquarters for a Bishopric. St Non I have mentioned in the Podcast on St David and on the blog. (the whole of Rhygfarch’s Life of David is now on the podcast free from iTunes) Monmouth foundation became the great Benedictine Priory of St Mary in Norman times and the ancient and restored Mediaeval Priory still stands on the site today.Llantarnam was developed in mediaeval times by the Cistercians was rebuilt in Stuart times as a powerful house of the Catholic Faith during the time of the Persecutions in the sixteenth and seventeenth century when the heroic gentry held fast to the faith, housing and sheltering priests for the Faithful.

Appeal

So we shall consider each of these other foundations. Excluding Monmouth . Dixton remains at the side of the Wye a way out of town, and I have some pictures of this.If anyone has any pictures of these churches and would like to see them on the blog-please send them to me via maryinmonmouth@googlemail.com. I shall acknowledge every one.

Haut de la Garenne-Update

There has been news today.Police arrested a 68-year-old man today as part of a probe into allegations of historical child abuse on the Channel island of Jersey, a force spokesman said.
The man, we don’t know his name, was answering questions about a number of alleged rapes and indecent assaults, although it was not directly related to claims of abuse at a former children's home. The new arrest took place early Tuesday morningand no further information was given by the police
The Jersey force said later that the arrest was not directly linked to the Haut de la Garenne probe, but was part of a wider historical abuse investigation
Some of the bones found in the bricked up cellars have been sent to London for further tests

Little Madeleine

The Lord keep you safe Madeleine. I hope the new campaign (see 'Light the Way Home' will bear fruit as your father and Uncle John return to Pria de Luz .We all need to pray that little Madeleine will be returned to her parents and for the whole family. Please go to their website for details of the next camapign.