A very Happy St Patrick's Day to all the parishoners of Burry Port and Kidwelly Catholic Parish, and to all readers of this Parish blog.
The evening of the 17th of March saw parishioners from Burry Port and Kidwelly accompany our parish priest to Taylor's Steakhouse in Burry Port for our long anticipated St Patrick's Day evening meal.
The venue was very pleasant and there was a great atmosphere, accompanied by enjoyable food. There were more than a few who took advantage of the St Patrick's Day Lenten dispensation to tuck into the famous home-made Sticky Toffee Pudding and other tasty desserts.
The room itself was bedecked in Irish and Welsh bunting, with a Happy St Patrick's Day flag forming a backdrop, adding to a wonderful atmosphere. We were pleased that a photographer from the Llanelli Star came along to take some pictures, hopefully giving the parish some publicity that lapsed Catholics in the parish may notice as we approach the important season of Easter.
The staff did a wonderful job of relaying our food to the tables, and the owners were kind enough to donate a bottle of wine to our raffle. The five prize raffle helped raise a good proportion of the money raised for the parish.
The breakdown of the monies taken are:
Ticket Sales: £292
Raffle: £56
Total Taken: £348.
Money paid to the venue: £117.
Money Raised for the Parish: £231.
A big thanks is due to all those who supported the event by promoting it, bringing along friends and family and by attending the evening's celebrations, and to the venue owners and staff for all their hard work and support.
With the evening bringing together parishioners, raising funds and publicising the Catholic Church in the local media, it is hoped that we can hold another evening at the venue in the future. The attendees and venue owners were certainly keen that this should be the case.
St Cadoc
St. Cadoc is one of the most important early Welsh saints and a famous son of Monmouthshire. His father Gwynllyw was a local king (commemorated by St. Woolos cathedral. Newport) and his mother Gwladus was the daughter of Brychan, king of Brycheiniog (Brecon). He was a contemporary of Dewi Sant (St. David), St. Patrick of Ireland and St. Columba of lona, but lived before St. Augustine converted the Saxons.
Above Right: Saint Cadog as represented at Belz in Brittany
Cadog (known as Cattwg in south Wales) was a strong contender for Wales' patron saint. His Life was written by Lifricus, son of Bishop Herwald of Llandaff and himself Archdeacon of Glamorgan and Master of St. Cadog of Llancarfan. (It is worth noting that Lifricus, or Lifris, is a form of the Anglo-Saxon name Leofric.) According to this, he was baptised Cadfael by Tathan of Caerwent. When he was seven years of age he was sent to Tathan to be educated, and he instructed him assiduously in Donatus and Priscian and also diligently in other arts for twelve years. He seems to have had no inclination for tasks of secular government, and so, on the conclusion of his education at Caerwent, he sought a suitable place for the monastic life. This he found in the Vale of Glamorgan, at a spot subsequently known as Llancarfan (or, more correctly, Nantcarfan). From there the Life records that he went to Ireland for a further period of study, returning thence after three years with a large number of followers amongst whom were Finian, Macmoil, and Graunan. We next hear of him in the Brycheiniog district where his fame greatly impressed his grandfather, Brychan, who gave him “the part of that field, wherein the wheat was found, which is named Llanspyddid, in which place the holy man built a monastery for himself.” The monastery at Llancarfan, together with that of St. Illtyd at Llaniltyd Fawr (Llantwit Major), became a stronghold of the Christian faith throughout Europe during what is now termed the Dark Ages.
We next hear of him at the river Neath and, afterward, of a journey to Scotland and, later, to Cornwall. These journeys are substantiated by Cadog dedications in those particular areas. There are also several churches dedicated to him in Brittany. He was famed as a teacher whose life (and those of his brother monks) was devoted to serving the community.
It is probable that in his later years he returned to the area around Abergavenny. He died in 570 when his monastery was attacked while Cadoc was celebrating the Mass. In 1022, fearing plunder by the Danes, the shrine of the saint was moved to Mamhilad (7 miles from Abergavenny). His dedications reveal that his activity in Monmouthshire lay in the area to the west of Wentwood. The pattern suggests that there may have been a second monastic centre to that at Llancarfan -— possibly Mamhilad. There is also an intriguing connection with Roman sites in both centres (Gelligaer and Neath in Glamorgan, Caerleon, Raglan and Monmouth in Gwent).
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