550AD Derfel the Mighty warrior is one of seven who survived the Battle of Camlann in 542. Broken hearted he stumbles back to his native county of Llydach in Gwent and lives for a while as a hermit. His sorrow and suffering and sadness at the passing of the fellowship of Arthur get him the name 'The Suffering ONe' or 'St Deuil' -the one who mourns. He is persuaded to travel to Llantwit Major (Llanilltyd Fawr) and study to be ordained as a priest so he can serve God properly and studies with St Illtid. He returned to found a small monastery higher up the mountain on the Mynydd Maen at Cwmbran but finally leaves to return to North Wales, where he had been before. For nearly a thousand years people remembered him as the one who taught them fighting and strife were evil. He was a patron saint of peaceful living and farming. someone carved a statue of him to remember him when he died and he is portrayed in armour on a stag (which locals called a horse as the local archdeacon had had the animal mutilated. The statue of Derfel himself at the English 'reformation' was secreted and burned at Smithfield along with the Cwmbran one. Unfortunately and horrifically it was used to burn the gentle friar John Forrest, who had refused to accept Henry VIII in place of the Pope and died a horrible death, while being denied the Blessed Sacrament and foreced to listen to the preaching of an odious bishop of the new order.The Story of St David Lewis, associated with Llantarnam Abbey and arrested opposite St Michael and All Angels Church will be told in much more detail later on. Enjoy!

Sixth century Wales as the British chieftains fight it out, St Anna of Gwent brings her son Tryddin to the Valley to begin a monastery, later enlarged and cleared possibly by Cadocs. Secrets of the Monks rituals in purifying the land. My visit to the present Church accompanied by the engaging Canon PIppin who guided and explained what I saw.Some prayers from St Cadocs time. The Haunted Bell of Trevethin and the mysrtery of the burial of St Cadoc.....was the saint buried at Trevethin or Mamhilad?

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Staffs and scallop shells, rosaries, ampullae as pilgrims come from all over South Wales arrive at the Mediaeval Shrine and Well of Our Lady of Penrhys in the Rhondda.We drive right up to the top of the mountains and I am very scared-the last time it was in fog and we did not see the drop!!Bishop Daniel Mullins of Menevia and Rosary and Benediction.Intention of the Pilgrimage for fallen away Catholics to return to the church. A cosy and endearing pilgrimage.People recount local miracles and Lawrence O'Leary about his special message from Our Lady at Medugorje.

 

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