West Vale Catholics - Covering the areas of Llantwit Major and Cowbridge in South Wales.
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PARISH MAGAZINE




Previous issues of the Parish Magazine are available free to download.  These 32 page, high quality glossy periodicals are published bi-annually and distributed throughout Llantwit Major and Cowbridge in South Wales.

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If you would like to send a donation to assist with the costs of producing such a quality magazine, please send a cheque payable to: Parish of Our Lady and St.Illtyd and send it to:

The Presbytery, Ham Lane East, Llantwit Major.
CF61 1TQ.

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Below are some excerpts from recent magazines...

Write a Prayer

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if:

lots more people came to Mass;
lots more people came to help with events;
lots more people wanted to visit the housebound and sick;
lots more children came to Parish Angels, Parish Pelicans and Parish Doves;
lots more children came to children’s liturgy;
lots more people read at Mass, were altar servers; kept our churches beautiful; Preying Hands

and if there were lots more people in our churches, there would be less of a problem in raising money to pay off our debt.

Is this a dream or a fantasy?

No, because we have a God who loves us and answers our prayers, and the Holy Spirit can inspire people.

So we invite parishioners, adults, teenagers and children to write a prayer to God the Father, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit – for our parish.

Some will be used in the bidding prayers, some published in the next issue of this magazine. Please hand into Father Maher or email to enquiries@westvalecatholics.co.uk
WHAT WOULD WE DO WITHOUT ANGELS?

We journeyed to France on Tuesday 25th September. The main reason for our trip was to attend the Welsh v Fiji Rugby match on Saturday 29th at the Beaujoire Stadium, Nantes. Our destination was La Baule and our French friends very kindly allowed us to stay in their small ‘Summer Let’ cottage in La Baule, close to Le Pouliguen, the twin town of Llantwit Major.

Journeying south through Brittany we planned to visit another of the places associated with St Illtud, an itinerary we had followed on our previous visits to France. This time it was to be a place called Ploerdut. The large church there was in the process of being renovated and the workmen were reluctant to let us in. We intrepid Welsh travellers pleaded our case and ventured into the church despite any dangers we might have met. However we were disappointed to find no historical evidence of St. Illtud at all. A short stop at a local bar for much needed refreshment followed, where a friendly landlady, (who incidentally was from Chippinghaml! ) directed us to the nearby crossroads where a sign should point the way to the chapel of St Illtud. Sadly the chapel had long been demolished and the only indication of the site was the road sign shown below.

Pic.1: Jimmy, Mair Griffiths & Author at the Crossroads

Our first stop-over was to be spent in Carnac. When we arrived, due to a massive restructure of the roads into Carnac, we had great difficulty in driving to our hotel. Very frustrating for we could see the hotel but could not access the car park. This presented a problem in that Jimmy Griffiths, being a semi invalid was not able to walk the distance.

This was the moment when the first of our guardian angels came to the fore. The gardener at the hotel agreed to drive Terry a 5km. circuitous detour back to the Town Hall, where we had left Jimmy and Mair sitting in our car. We then proceeded in convoy to follow the gardener on the reverse route! Our hotel stood at the base of a 6000 year old Megalithic tomb or tumulus. Perched on top of the burial mound was a chapel dedicated to St Michel, illuminated at night but only open to the public one afternoon a week Subsidence being the reason for this restriction. We were one day too late!

Pic.2: Picture of the Tumulus and Chapel of St. Michel, Carnac

On now to Le Pouliguen / La Baule where we spent the next two days meeting up with old friends who as well as entertaining us, helped us to book our train tickets to Nantes (I’m afraid my French isn’t that proficient) and arranged to meet us on our return from the game. More assistance from our Guardian Angels! Saturday 29th Sept. dawned bright and fair. Every thing was going to plan and suitably attired in our red jerseys, Welsh caps and carrying two enormous flags we arrived at the Nantes stadium.

Pic.3 ‘Welsh Supporters’

Anyone who might have read the front page of our local newspaper, ‘The Gem’, dated the 11th. October will know what happened next. For those who missed the report, poor Jimmy took a tumble on entering the stadium and it was later found he had broken three ribs! We escorted Jimmy and Mair to an ambulance with the aid of some excellent paramedics not to forget several mounted gendarmes. It was now close to kick-off and the mounted gendarmes formed a ‘V’ and proceeded to part the exuberant crowds now entering the stadium. Enclosed in the ‘V’ were the paramedics, gendarmes and Jimmy in a wheel chair. One French wit commented, ‘It is like Moses!’ Jim insisted that Anne and Terry must not miss the match and so we proceeded to find our seats and watch the game.

Sadly, Wales lost but Fiji deserved to win. After the match we tried to locate Jimmy and Mair, only to be informed that the British Consul was arranging for them to be taken back to Pornichet, the base for the Welsh Team. Hywel, Jimmy’s son, a physiotherapist for the Welsh Team would then be able to assist his father. Knowing our friends were in safe hands we proceeded to Nantes Station to return to La Baule. Our train would only take us as far as St. Nazaire on the return journey, so our friend Brigitte was to meet us on arrival St. Nazaire and then drive us back to La Baule. On our arrival, she and our friend Annie Breton were there to greet us; Annie’s husband Michel having driven all the way to Nantes, a good hour’s journey by car, to return with Mair, Jimmy being ensconced in Nantes Hospital, very aptly named, Hotel Dieu, God’s Hotel!

Pic.4: Mair at the Hotel Dieu’

Michel and Mair returned to La Baule at midnight. The following day, Sunday, Michel came to take us to his home to enable us to telephone an insurance company and the hospital. This took most of the morning and then after taking us for lunch, he drove us back to Nantes Hospital to see Jimmy and to arrange for Mair to stay in the Holiday Inn close by the hospital. When Terry was booking Mair into the hospital a woman sitting near to reception introduced herself and offered to help. She had once taught maths in Llantwit Major Comprehensive school! That evening Mair, anxious and tired remained in her room. During the evening the lady’s family had dined in town and on returning visited Mair with a tasty supper. Another ‘angel’?.

The insurance company would arrange to fly them home the following day. Michel then took us back to Le Pouliguen to have dinner at Brigitte’s house with Veronique and Annie. During the meal the girls toasted Michel and wished him a happy feast day for the day before. Of course the 29th September was Michelmas, as we used to call it. Now it is the feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. What would we have done without our very own St Michel and his band of angels! We arrived home safely on Tuesday 2nd October, which coincidentally was the feast of our Guardian Angels. What could have been more appropriate? This set me thinking about two hymns that we used to sing when I was a child. Do any of our readers remember them I wonder? Sadly I think that the Angels are neglected nowadays. What a shame. They appear in so many forms and guises as we found out on this visit to France.  

Guardian Angel from Heaven so bright,                      Dear angel ever at my side,
Watching beside me to lead me aright.                        How loving must thou be
Fold thy wings round me, O guard me with love,       To leave thy home in Heaven
Softly sing songs to me of Heaven above.                  To guard a sinful child like me.
Beautiful angel my guardian so mild,
Tenderly guide me for I am thy child.
Anne Rooney