Events in 2025
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PAlm SunDAY - 13 APRIL 2025
Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem riding on a donkey, not as a warrior King but humbly, yet King of All.
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?"
The crowd answered. "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee." (Matthew 21: 10-11)
"Dennis" from Nepal - made locally
St George's Anglican Church, Lisbon, Portugal.
Photo by
The Grand Prior of Portugal, Chevalier Luciano Fernandes
with Chevalier Richard Ford being the personal representative of the Grand Prior of All Britain
during a visit to Portugal in April 2025.
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1 MARCH 2025
DEWI SANT HAPUS DYDD!
or
DYDD gŴYL DEWI HAPUS!
Happy St David's Day
Dewi Sant - Saint David
Dyuw ein Tad
Rydych yn enw dy was Dafydd
i gynnal y ffydd Gristnogol ymhlith pobl Cymru,
i'w hannog gan ei gadw at ymprydio ac ufudd-dod,
ac i ddangos tosturi iddynt trwy weithredoedd bach o gariad mawr.
Gan fod golau yn cael ei dywallt ar y bennau'r mynyddoedd
ac fel glaw ffres yn cael ei ysgeintio ar y bryniau,
yn ein helpu i fod yn ofalwyr da o un arall
ac o Eich Creation mawr a gogoneddus.
Amen.
† ‡ †
God our Father,
You called your servant David
to uphold the Christian faith amongst the people of Wales,
to encourage them by his observance of fasting and obedience,
and to show them compassion through small acts of great love.
As light is poured onto the mountain-tops
and as fresh rain is sprinkled on the hills,
help us to be good carers of one another
and of Your great and glorious Creation.
Amen.
† ‡ †
(This prayer was written by a former Anglican Archbishop of Wales, The Most Reverend Dr Barry Morgan)
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10 NOVEMBER 2025
12TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RE-FOUNDATION
OF A PRIORY IN WALES
At an international Convocation which was held at St Andrews in Scotland Chevalier Brian Ansen was appointed to be the Prior of the Supreme Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem (OSMTH), Priory of Wales.
Subsequently, in September 2013, at an international Convention held in Edinburgh, and for the avoidance of doubt, the then Chaplain-General of the OSMTH Grand Priory of England (Dr Graham), was successfully able to establish that, as the Statutes did not permit the existence of a priory which extended over more than one nation, then the priory known as "The Priory of England and Wales" was unconstitutional. This was agreed by all present (and confirmed by the Grand Master) and the "Priory of Wales" was re-established (after a potential interlude of some 700 years). Dr Graham agreed to become the first Chaplain-General of the OSMTH Priory of Wales.
That Priory became the Grand Priory of Wales and following the death of Grand Prior Brian in August 2018, Graham was elected Grand Prior in April 2019. Unfortunately, OSMTH Grand Master Fontes had died in May 2018 and there appeared to be some dispute as to the result of the ‘election’ of a new OSMTH Grand Master, so we realigned ourselves in 2020 to the much longer established Sovereign and Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem [OSMTJ] under their Grand Master, General Ronald Mangum (US Army retired).
More recently, in 2023, the Order was re-registered in Belgium using its 1932 registration as the Order of the Temple of Jerusalem [OTJ] whilst retaining its earlier OSMTJ usage. For our part, both in the Grand Priory of Wales and the over-arching Grand Priory of All Britain, we shall mainly use the new title of the Order of the Temple of Jerusalem [OTJ]. This will help to distinguish us from those 'other' groups who claim to be OSMTJ or similar.
Should anyone require further information about this matters they should complete the 'Contact Us' form on this website
18 - 25 January 2025
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
The whole of this topic can easily be summed up in Jesus own words, as recorded in St John's Gospel, Chapter 17 where He prays for all believers; particularly in verses 20-21:
"My prayer is not for them [His disciples] alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message [us], That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me."
"That all of them may be one ... so that the world may believe that you have sent me"
It seems that we really do need to ask ourselves how it is, that even after many hundreds of years, Christian churches across the world are still talking about Christian Unity instead of just being it and doing it ............
so tHat the world will Believe
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11 FEBRUARY 2025
800th Anniversary of the issue of the 1225 Magna Carta
Today is the 800th anniversary of the issue of the 1225 Magna Carta.
After the death of King John the 1215 Magna Carta was re-issued in the name of the (young) King Henry III in 1216 and 1217. But on 11 February 1225 Henry had reached his majority and issued this revised Charter and made his personal commitment to rule in accordance with the terms set out. This has become the definitive version of Magna Carta and some of its clauses remain on the Statutes of the United Kingdom.
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6 JANUARY 2025 : EPIPHANY
Epiphany is an ancient Christian festival and is celebrated across the world in numerous ways.
The word comes from the Greek έ πιφάνεια (epiphaneia) which means the “manifestation” or the “showing forth” of Jesus to non-Jews (the Gentiles) after his incarnation (his birth).
In the Western Church we usually relate this to the arrival of the Magi (wise men) at the house where the Holy Family were living, some 2 years after the birth of Jesus.
In the Orthodox or Eastern Church the word is Theophany (θεοφάνεια) meaning the "appearance of God".
According to the Holy Bible in the Gospel of St Matthew (Chapter 2:verse 11) the Magi offered Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
The Gospel account indicates that the Magi had been following a star which led them to the house where they found Jesus, his mother Mary and Joseph:
The star which the Magi followed can remind us of the lovely Epiphany Carol by William Chatterton Dix (1837-1898):
As with gladness, men of old
Did the guiding star behold
As with joy they hailed its light
Leading onward, beaming bright
So, most glorious Lord, may we
Evermore be led to Thee.
As with joyful steps they sped
To that lowly household bed
There to bend the knee before
Him Whom Heaven and earth adore;
So may we with willing feet
Ever seek Thy mercy seat.
As they offered gifts most rare
In that homestead plain and bare;
So may we with holy joy,
Pure and free from sin’s alloy,
All our costliest treasures bring,
Christ, to Thee, our heavenly King.
Holy Jesus, every day
Keep us in the narrow way;
And, when earthly things are past,
Bring our ransomed souls at last
Where they need no star to guide,
Where no clouds Thy glory hide.
In the heavenly country bright,
Need they no created light;
Thou its Light, its Joy, its Crown,
Thou its Sun which goes not down;
There forever may we sing
Alleluias to our King!
Or as the Gospel of St Matthew (Chapter 2, verse 10) puts it:
“When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.”
This event is re-enacted by some children:
Epiphany can also represent the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt in order to escape Herod's anger and the murder of boys under 2 years in Bethlehem:
In Eastern churches, Epiphany usually celebrates the baptism of Jesus by St John the Baptist,
in the River Jordan:
Alternatively it also commemorates Jesus' first miracle at the Wedding Feast at Cana in Galilee,
where he turned jars of water into high quality wine:
All of these celebrations and images seek to illustrate 'Epiphany', 'the showing forth' or 'revelation' of Jesus to non-Jews (that is, the Gentiles) - on various occasions during His life.
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NEW YEAR'S DAY
1 JANUARY 2025
A Franciscan Benediction
Attributed to the earliest followers of St Francis
May God bless you with discomfort
at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships,
so that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger
at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people,
so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears
to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war,
so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them
and turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness
to believe that you can make a difference in the world,
so that you can do what others claim cannot be done
to bring justice and kindness to all of our children and the poor.
Amen.
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NEW yEAR'S EVE
31 DECEMBER 2024
OUR FIRST THOUGHTS MIGHT BE FROM ....
Minnie Louise Haskins' poem which as Princess Elizabeth, Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, gave to her father, the late King George VI, to say during his Christmas broadcast in 1939:
I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
"Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown."
And he replied:
"Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God.
That shall be to you better than a light and safer than a known way."
(So I went forth, and finding the hand of God, trod gladly into the night.
And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.)
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